Funding Resources and Contests:
2012 running list
Organizations may apply for creative placemaking projects that contribute to the livability of communities and place the arts at their core. The National Endowment for the Arts is offering grant amounts from $25,000 to $200,000. Deadline: January 14, 2013. All applications must have partnerships that involve two primary partners: a nonprofit organization and a local governmental entity. One of the two primary partners must be a cultural (arts or design) organization. Additional partners are encouraged.Learn more. If you have questions about your Our Town application, please contact .
RGK Foundation
The RGK Foundation awards grants in the broad areas of Education, Community, and Health/Medicine. The Foundation's primary interests within Education include programs that focus on formal K-12 education (particularly mathematics, science and reading), teacher development, literacy, and higher education. Within Community, the Foundation supports a broad range of human services, community improvement, abuse prevention, and youth development programs. Human service programs of particular interest to the Foundation include children and family services, early childhood development, and parenting education. The Foundation supports a variety of Community Improvement programs including those that enhance non-profit management and promote philanthropy and voluntarism. Youth development programs supported by the Foundation typically include after-school educational enrichment programs that supplement and enhance formal education systems to increase the chances for successful outcomes in school and life. The Foundation is also interested in programs that attract female and minority students into the fields of mathematics, science, and technology.
There are no US geographic restrictions to the Foundation's grantmaking program.
All applicants must complete an electronic Letter of Inquiry from the Web site as the first step. The Foundation reviews Letters of Inquiry on an ongoing basis.
Read more.
Donor Behavior
Fundraising trends and analysis are available at the
Blackbaud Index of Online Giving.
Jessica Sibert Memorial
Enter weekly, through May 2013, for a monthly chance to win a Bound to Stay Bound $500.00 credit toward the purchase of new books for your library. Learn more.
Letters About Literature
Children in grades 4-10th are invited to write to an author describing how that author's work somehow changed the reader's view of the world or himself/herself. Readers respond to the book they've read by exploring the personal relationship between themselves, the author and the book's characters or themes. national and state winners will be selected. National winners receive $1000, 2nd place wins $150. The deadline is January 11, 2013.Learn more.
Library of Congress Internship
The Library of Congress is offering 10-week paid Junior Fellows Summer Internships to college students. For a stipend of $3,000, the 2013 class of Junior Fellows will work full-time with Library specialists and curators from May 28 through Aug. 2, 2013, to inventory, describe and explore collection holdings and to assist with digital-preservation outreach activities throughout the Library.
Applications will be accepted online only at usajobs.gov, keyword: 333879100, from Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012, through midnight, Friday, Jan. 25, 2013.
Click here for more details about the program and information on how to apply. Questions about the program may be sent to .
The Library of Congress is an equal-opportunity employer. Women, minorities and persons with disabilities who meet eligibility requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.
Paralibrarian Award
January 12 is the deadline for Library Journal's Paralibrarian of the Year Award.
Learn more.
Teaching Ambassador Fellowship
The Teaching Ambassador Fellowship program offers two separate year-long paid positions: the Washington Fellowship is a full-time appointment based at the Department's Headquarters in Washington and the Classroom Fellowship enables teachers to participate on a part-time basis for the Department, in addition to their regular school responsibilities, working in collaboration with the Department's Regional Offices.
Fellows spend a year gaining greater knowledge of the content of key federal programs and policies, in addition to the context and process by which they are designed and implemented. Fellows share their expertise with federal staff members; provide outreach and communication about federal initiatives to other educators on behalf of the Department; and facilitate the involvement and understanding of teachers in developing and implementing these efforts at the federal, state and local levels, to improve the likelihood of their success.
The application period will run from December 19, 2012, and is scheduled to close on January 29, 2013 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Visit their program page for more information about the application process.
Why You Should Read Blogs
Leave A Comment on Beth's Blog for a Chance to Win a Dell Computer with
Windows 8. The deadline is December 31.
Beth's Blog also provided information on your opportunity to win $10,000 and a professionally written and recorded song in the CTK Foundation Heart and Soul Grant. This grant deadline is January 7 and involves your mission and poetry--give it a try!
Big Read
The Big Read is accepting applications from non-profit organizations to develop community-wide reading programs between September 2013 and June 2014. The Big Read is a national program designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage reading for pleasure and enlightenment. Organizations selected to participate in The Big Read receive a grant, educational and promotional materials, and access to online training resources and opportunities. Approximately 75 organizations from across the country will be selected. Apply here By February 4.
National Leadership Grants-Libraries
NLG-Libraries support projects that address challenges faced by the library and/or archive fields and that have the potential to advance practice in those fields.Successful proposals will generate results such as new tools, research findings, models, services, practices, or alliances that can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated to extend the benefits of federal investment. The guidelines for National Leadership Grants-Libraries have changed this year. Because the program is no longer aligned with National Leadership Grants for Museums, it no longer includes a category for Library-Museum Collaboration.
In addition to the types of proposals normally encouraged under the NLG-Libraries program, IMLS will continue its commitment to early learning in FY 2013 by encouraging proposals that address learners from ages 0-8 along with their parents and caregivers. NLG-Libraries applicants are encouraged to partner with community organizations to address at least one of the challenges identified by the Campaign for Grade Level Reading including school readiness, summer reading loss, and chronic school absences. Click here to learn more about IMLS's role in this initiative. Application are due February 1.
Members of the IMLS staff are available by phone and e-mail to discuss general issues relating to National Leadership Grants-Libraries. They are also offering a pre-application web conference to learn more about the program, ask questions, and listen to the questions and comments of other participants. The next web conference will be held on Tuesday, January 8, 2013, 2 - 3 p.m.Click here for more information.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit or follow @US_IMLS on Twitter.
What's Keeping YOU from Applying for a Grant?
Don't have the time?
- Join with another library & divide the work for a grant that will benefit both
- Get someone else to do some of your mundane duties so you have the time.
If you can pay someone to take "your turn" at the desk at minimum wage, wouldn't your education and training be put to better use by writing a grant application? Wouldn't it benefit more people and, in the long-term, save time? - Hide out at a coffee shop while you work uninterrupted OR ask your supervisor
if you could work on it at home during regular work hours. This avoids the
time-thieves at work. - Get an experienced volunteer to do much of the work.
- Assign it to another member of your staff (a youth librarian's specific knowledge and passion may be perfect for a YA grant) OR break up aspects of the application among staff.
- Maybe you're right....Consider the odds and return for your investment of time. If only 3 grants are given out across the country and the most you could receive is $500, is it really worth your time?
- Start your grant plan of attack months before the grant is due. Many grants repeat each year--start working now for the next time it is offered. Begin by gathering information commonly asked, such as service area demographics, mission, list of board members etc.
Check out resources available at ALA (hint: you don't have to be an member to apply for many of the grants and awards!)
- Follow library fund raising blogs, such as Stephanie Gerding's Library Grants, or do twitter searches for library grants. Check out these too:
Philanthropy News Digest or Grants.gov. - Use your browser to enter various search terms such as "Pennsylvania foundation" to locate resources such as FundsnetServices.com and remember
to limit your searches by date so you don't return too many! - Visit a Foundation Center Library or locate a library with a Foundation Center Cooperating Collection and/or subscribe to their newsletter or take their free basic fundraising webinars
- Buy or borrow books on library grants (search ACCESS PA database for titles)
- Ask current donors/patrons if any of their affiliated organizations offer grants
- Ask local chains if their headquarters also makes donations
- Hear that another library received a grant? Ask them who they contacted!
- Read current issues of the Compendium or access the running list of grants listed in the Compendium this past year for ones you may have missed.
Don't let your size or demographics hinder you! Your situation may be just what the foundation wants, or it may be seen as a refreshing change from their usual urban request. Patrons in rural areas have the same needs as patrons in the rest of the state. It just may be that those needs are not as visible. Make them visible. Remember, you are writing a grant for your community, not for the library--that should be motivation.
Don't have the skills?
Everyone starts somewhere.
You do not need to be an expert grant writer to apply for grants.
What you do need to is the ability to READ directions and follow them.
If you want to boost your confidence:
- Take a class (online or in-person). The Office of Commonwealth Libraries offers scholarships of up to $600 for continuing education--see below under Professional Development. You will find free classes online, such as the one offered by the Foundation Center mentioned above.
- Purchase or borrow books on how to be a successful grant writer, such as
Herb Landau's Winning Library Grants: A Game Plan. - Ask a successful applicant if you could read their application for style and ideas
- Have an experienced volunteer do most of the work for you.
(Where do these people live?) - Volunteer to be a grant reviewer. The Office of Commonwealth Libraries asks for volunteers each year to review LSTA grants. Your local United Way or other granting institution may need reviewers too--ask them and learn by reviewing.
- Ask the granting organization for assistance! They may have webinars on their particular grant OR they can tell you if what you are proposing is doable.
- Don't assume that all grants are difficult or time consuming; some only
ask for a letter. - Search WebJunction for webinars and grant writing tips, such as
Susan McClellan's Elements of a Good Grant Proposal. McClellan had been
the director at the Avalon Public Library when she wrote the article and is
now the Director at Coraopolis Memorial Library. - Go for it without the skills--remember to follow instructions.
- If you do not receive your request, ask the reviewing organization for the reasons they did not fund it; ask for reviewer's comments if available and learn from those comments. Failure to obtain a grant can cause some to refuse to try again--but the wise librarian will see it as a great learning experience.
If you have other limitations keeping you from accessing the millions of dollars offered by foundations and grant making organizations, please write them down and brainstorm solutions! Have a particularly difficult situation? Put the question to your colleagues for their input.
2013 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards
The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is accepting applications for the 2013 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards.
The twelve winning programs will receive $10,000 and the opportunity to accept their awards from First Lady Michelle Obama, the President's Committee's Honorary Chairman, at a ceremony at the White House. In addition, winners will receive an award plaque, the opportunity to attend the Annual Awardee Conference in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2013, and recognition on the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award website.
After-school and out-of-school time arts and humanities programs sponsored by museums, libraries, performing arts organizations, educational institutions, arts centers, community service organizations, businesses, and eligible government entities are encouraged to consider submitting an application. Programs applying for the award must meet all of the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards eligibility criteria.
Completed applications will only be accepted via the online process. The deadline for application submissions is Monday, February 4, 2013, 5:00 p.m. PST.
Please click here to access the online application. Prospective applicants with questions should e-mail or call 202-682-5571.
2013 Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums
The Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums are a special funding opportunity within the IMLS National Leadership Grants program. These small grants encourage libraries, museums, and archives to test and evaluate specific innovations in the ways they operate and the services they provide. Sparks Grants support the deployment, testing, and evaluation of promising and groundbreaking new tools, products, services, or organizational practices. You may propose activities or approaches that involve risk, as long as the risk is balanced by significant potential for improvement in the ways libraries and museums serve their communities.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is accepting applications until February 1, 2013. IMLS staff are available by phone and through e-mail to discuss general issues relating to Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums.
Two pre-application Web conferences are also being offered:
Wednesday, December 5, 2012, at 3:30 - 4:30 pm Eastern Time
Wednesday, January 9, 2013, at 3 - 4 pm Eastern Time
Click here for more information about the grant.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit or follow @US_IMLS on Twitter.
E Books
Read about Gale's E Book Giveaway.
Fundraising
TechSoup offers the Tech Tools You Need for Fundraising.
Rural and/or Small Libraries
The deadline for the EBSCO Excellence in Small and/or Rural Public Library Service Award is December 1st.
Trustees
Here's another award for Trustees:
the BoardSource Board Member of the Month award! See last week's Funding Resources and Contests for the United for Libraries ALA Trustee Citation and the United for Libraries/Gale Outstanding Trustee awards (due December 31). Tell your board about these awards!