Vision Partnership Program – Cash Grant
Welcome to the Vision Partnership Program
For over 30 years, the VPP program has awarded grants to municipalities to achieve consistency with and implementation of Landscapes3 while accomplishing impactful, lasting, and positive benefits through planning projects that address opportunities and issues of community concern.
Program Dates and Deadlines
Due to county budget constraints, there will be no new funding rounds of the Vision Partnership Program cash grants in 2026. The status of the program for 2027 will be determined later this year and shared with municipal partners as it becomes known. Previously awarded grants are fully funded and municipal reimbursement requests will continue to be processed when received.
Planning Commission staff are still available to work with municipalities directly on a wide variety of planning projects as described here.
Questions about these grant programs can be directed to Bambi Griffin Rivera at 610-344-6582 or bObfuscationgriffinrivera@Obfuscationchesco.org.
Program Overview
The Vision Partnership Program (VPP) – Cash Grant is a grant available to Chester County municipalities and multi-municipal groups seeking to improve their planning programs while achieving consistency with and implementation of the goals, objectives, recommendations, and map of Landscapes3. There are two VPP cash grant application rounds per year, funding permitting. Learn more about VPP cash grants awarded since 2018.
The Cash Grant Manual provides the guidelines and procedures for successfully applying for, obtaining, and completing a VPP cash grant. If the municipality, multi-municipal group, or their consultant fail to adhere to the provisions of this manual the County reserves the right to deny an application, rescind a grant, or deny reimbursement.
Program Purpose
Recognizing the benefits of grant awards to municipal planning projects, the Chester County Board of Commissioners established VPP in 1996 to promote cooperation between local governments and the County while implementing Landscapes, the County’s Comprehensive Plan. The program was revised in 2010 to reflect Landscapes2 and revised again in 2019 to reflect Landscapes3.
The purpose of VPP is to advance consistency with and implementation of the county comprehensive plan while accomplishing impactful, lasting, and positive benefits for municipalities through innovative municipal planning; multi-municipal planning; and new and revised municipal plans, ordinances, and planning studies that address opportunities and issues of community concern.
Program Eligibility
The VPP – Cash Grant program is open to all Chester County municipalities. Eligible applicants include a single municipality or a multi-municipal group. General project types that may be eligible include plans, ordinances, ordinance amendments, and planning studies that advance one or more of the Landscapes3 goals and objectives, and implement one or more of the Landscapes3 recommendations at the municipal or multi-municipal level.
Projects enabled by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), Act 247, as amended, such as comprehensive plans (or elements thereof) or ordinances, shall demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the MPC. Projects not adopted under the provisions of the MPC are defined as "Planning Studies" for the purposes of VPP.
