Electric Vehicle Chargers for Public Attractions

Vermont is supporting the installation of more electric vehicle chargers to meet the needs of residents and the state’s tourism industry. Charge Vermont is offering grants to help offset the cost of adding public EV chargers to the parking lots of public attractions throughout the state.

As more people drive electric vehicles, having a fast and reliable charger at your public attraction can encourage visitors and give people new reasons to stop by.

Charge Vermont is offering grants to public attractions to offset the cost of adding a charger. Charge Vermont grants will cover about 90%-100% of the cost of installing a Level-2 or DC Fast Charger at a public attraction in Vermont. DC Fast Charger grants will be awarded on a competitive basis and have additional eligibility criteria.

Apply Now
Funding is limited, so you’re encouraged to apply now. Applications for Level 2 chargers may be submitted through January 15, 2026. Projects must be installed within 12 months of your application’s approval, with reasonable accommodations being considered based on equipment lead time.

Any pre-applications for DC Fast Chargers submitted after February 29, 2024 will be placed on hold while the initial round of applications are reviewed. Projects must be installed within 24 months of your application’s approval.

What is a Public Attraction?
For Charge Vermont grants, a public attraction is defined as a location that’s open to the general public for recreation, entertainment, education, music, history, agriculture, the arts, or artisan products. Chargers will need to be located in the location’s parking lot and be accessible to the general public.

The program is available to for-profit businesses, non-profits, government agencies, residential property owners, condominium associations, electric utilities, and electric vehicle charging equipment providers. Please note: If the applicant is not the landowner, the landowner must authorize the application.

What’s Covered?
Charge Vermont will help fund and facilitate a turnkey process to add a charger to your public attraction. This includes technical assistance, site design, installation planning, upgrades needed to make the space ready, charging hardware, and installation.

Applicants that are woman- and minority-owned businesses are eligible to have up to 100% of the total project cost covered, while nonprofits and government agencies qualify for up to 95% of the total project cost and for-profit businesses qualify for up to 90%.

Download all of the specs and award thresholds for Level 2 public attraction charging incentives.

Download all of the specs and award thresholds for Level 3 DC Fast public attraction charging incentives.

Step 1: Apply
Fill out the simple application form. Once we receive it, we’ll contact you to do a pre-screening call.

Step 2: Contact an Installer
After the pre-screening call, you’ll contact an installer to get a design and cost estimate. If you have an installer that you want to use, that’s great. If not, find an installer who can help.

The installer will design the system and coordinate with your local utility. They’ll determine where the charger(s) will go and recommend any civil engineering or utility work that might be needed to make the site ready. It’s important for your installer to be aware of the program’s grant requirements while doing their work.

Step 3: Design & Estimate Review
After the design estimate has been completed and submitted, Charge Vermont will review it according to the grant criteria. To increase your chances of getting approved, it’s important to be sure that all grant requirements are met during the design process.

Step 4: Installation
Once the design and estimate review is complete and approved, your installer will move forward with the project. Projects must be installed within 12 months of your application’s approval, with reasonable accommodations being considered based on equipment lead time.

Step 5: Operation
Once the system is up and running, the property’s owner will be responsible for a few things. You’ll need to check that the charger is functional and accessible, that it’s connected to the internet via wifi, and that there are no errors shown on the display. Your installer or manufacturer is your first point of contact to work through any issues.

The grant for public attractions requires you to have a networked charger, which can then accept credit card payments with a swipe.

Charge Vermont grants could cover about 90-100% of the cost of installing a charger at a public attraction in Vermont.

DC Fast Charger Public Attraction grant funding is a more competitive application process with additional eligibility criteria.
If you are woman- or minority-owned, you will have a 0% match.
If you are a for-profit organization, you will have a 10% applicant match.
If you are a non-profit or a government agency, you will have a 5% applicant match.

This is a statewide grant open to applicants from all of Vermont. Funding is limited, so please apply now.

	Ports	Level-2 Charger	DC-Fast Charger
Hardware grant cap per port – OCPP compliant		$3,000	$30,000
Utility make-ready work and installation		$20,000	$40,000
Level-2 grant cap per location	Capped at 12 ports	$56,000	n/a
DC Fast Charger grant cap per location	Capped at 4 ports	n/a	$160,000

How Do I Apply for a Grant?

How Much Does a Grant Cover?

Funding Caps