Vision Partnership Program – Cash Grant

Welcome to the Vision Partnership Program!

The Chester County Planning Commission is pleased to announce the opening of Round 1 of the Vision Partnership Program (VPP) for 2023. Grants awarded under VPP are provided 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. This round of funding is anticipated to have approximately $125,000 available, and there will be a second round later in 2023.

Program Dates and Deadlines

Cash Grant — 2023 First Round

Please note that for the 2023 VPP cycles, individual pre-applications meetings are optional. However, municipalities are strongly encouraged to contact the Chester County Planning Commission to discuss their proposed project. Requests for pre-application meetings and other questions about the grant program can be directed to William Deguffroy, Community Planning Director and VPP Grant Administrator at 610-344-6285 or wdeguffroy@chesco.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.

Cash Grant Manual and Application

View Grant Manuals for VPP grants awarded prior to 2023.