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Recent Funding Releases of Interest to Libraries
The listings below are gleaned from grant announcements in print and electronic journals, electronic bulletins and mail lists. The list includes funding opportunities from federal, state, foundation and corporate organizations that may be relevant to libraries. The postings are meant to be a starting point for your research and do not guarantee that these organizations will fund projects in Iowa.
ICMA GRANTS: New Grant to Support Non-Traditional Use of Libraries
The International City/County Management Association has partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for these grants available only to public libraries and local governments.
Grants support local governments’ efforts to innovatively use public libraries to address community needs.
Once an institution devoted to book circulation, the public library is evolving. A recent study of the members of ICMA, the premier local government leadership and management organization, found some communities are using their public libraries for compelling new projects, such as providing services for teens, immigrant residents, recycling, health, and public safety.
During the next two years, with the help of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ICMA plans to encourage adoption of more such leading practices among local governments and demonstrate the value of public libraries as a vital tool in supporting community sustainability through the ICMA Public Library Innovation Grant. Local governments can employ these grants to develop new and creative ways of using their public library to deliver services in areas such as public safety, disaster preparedness, sustainability, health, immigration, civic engagement, and economic development.
Recognizing the importance of the manager/librarian relationship to create and sustain change, each Public Library Innovation Grant will be anchored by a partnership between the office of the chief administrative officer (city, town, and county managers) and the public library. A series of leadership workshops and project coaching will help grantees solidify the partnership, ensure the short-term success of the project, and secure new resources to support the long-term use of libraries in addressing community goals.
Through the program, ICMA will provide a total of $500,000 in Public Library Innovation Grants. Individual grants will range from $20,000 to $60,000. Only U.S. local governments and libraries are eligible to apply.
The Public Library Innovation Grant program is the result of an ongoing partnership between ICMA and the Gates Foundation that began more than a year ago, when ICMA and the Gates Foundation partnered on the Local Government and Public Libraries Initiative to engage local government managers as leaders in support of public libraries. A study conducted as part of the initiative revealed that the chief librarian/library director was a member of the local government management team in less than half of responding local governments, and that the chief librarian/library director participated in weekly meetings with the manager in only 41 percent of communities.
“These statistics suggest that for many local governments, libraries are not being used to strategically address community needs,” says Susan Benton, director of domestic programs at ICMA. “If local government managers remain unaware of, and uninvolved in, the changing role of libraries, these valuable community assets will be forced to tackle obstacles alone and will struggle to meet broader community needs.”
For more information about the ICMA Public Library Innovation Grants, contact Molly Donelan at mdonelan@icma.org. Applications, guidelines, and a budget template are available at http://icma.org/publiclibrarygrants.
About ICMA
ICMA advances professional local government worldwide. Its mission is to create excellence in local governance by developing and advancing professional management of local government. ICMA, the International City/County Management Association, provides member support; publications, data, and information; peer and results-oriented assistance; and training and professional development to city, town, and county experts and other individuals and organizations throughout the world. The management decisions made by ICMA’s 9,000 members affect 185 million individuals living in thousands of communities, from small villages and towns to large metropolitan areas.
About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Dollar General Grant Programs. Dollar General stores provide grant opportunities that benefit public and school libraries in the state of Iowa within 20 miles of a Dollar General store. They have grants in five areas, Adult Literacy, Back-to-School, Beyond Words: The Dollar General School Library Relief Program, Family Literacy, and Youth Literacy. Follow this link for http://www.dollargeneral.com/Community/Pages/GrantPrograms.aspx application forms.
Libri Foundation. The Libri Foundation donates new, quality hardcover children’s books to small, rural libraries throughout the U.S. The Foundation matches any amount raised by local sponsors from $50 to $350 on a 2-to-1 ratio. Libraries could receive up to $1,050 worth of children’s books. The Books for Children program is for libraries in a rural area with limited operating budgets and active children's departments. Public school libraries that serve as the public library are eligible to apply. Grants are awarded three times a year. Deadline: January 15, July 15th or December 15th. www.librifoundation.org/apps.html
Professional Development Grants for Archives and Historical Publishing. The National Archives and Records Administration seeks proposals designed to improve the training and education of professionals in the archival and historic publishing communities. Projects can be for professional education curriculum development; for basic and advanced institutes; or research seminars. Surveys focus groups, and other activities to understand these professions and their educational and training needs are also eligible. This program does not support requests from individuals for their own training, education, or professional development. A grant normally is for one to three years and up to $100,000. Deadline: June 2, 2008.
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=40162
U.S. Bancorp Foundation. Its focus is improving educational and economic opportunities for low-and-moderate-income persons and enhancing the communities where its employees live and work. Iowa is in the foundation's geographic focus area. The foundation especially likes financial literacy programs. Deadline: Ongoing.
http://www.usbank.com/cgi_w/cfm/about/community_relations/grant_guidelines.cfm
Additonal National Endowment for the Humanities Grants
2008 Deadline calendar. http://www.neh.gov/grants/grants.html
U.S. Department of Education Forecast of FY2008 Grants.The Forecast lists virtually all programs and competitions under which the Department has invited or expects to invite applications for awards and provides actual or estimated dates for the transmittal of applications under these programs.
http://www.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html
Gannett Foundation. Give grants to communities in which Gannett has a presence (Des Moines and Iowa City). Deadline: January 15, May 15, and August 15. http://www.gannettfoundation.org/index.htm
Find More ALA awards. State Library Web site ALA listing
YALSA Grants. Several grants and awards to librarians and authors who serve young adults. Check out the list of grants at the Web site: http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/awardsandgrants/yalsaawardsgrants.cfm
Johnson Controls Foundation. Provides grants to soundly managed and operated organizations or causes that are fundamentally philanthropic, primarily in areas where Johnson Controls has a presence. The Foundation consider proposals in the following areas: Health and Social Service, including youth agencies; Education including public and private higher educational institutions, adult education programs, and education related organizations; Culture and the Arts, including contributions to visual, performing, and literary arts, public radio and television, libraries, museums, and other related cultural activities. There is no formal application procedure. The Foundation operates on a calendar year. Proposals, preferably in concise letter form, are accepted and reviewed throughout the year. http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/publish/us/en/sustainability/social_responsibility/Foundation_Guidelines.html
Waste Management (WM) is committed to being a good steward of the environment and to making communities safer, cleaner and better places to live and work. Its community outreach program focuses on giving to nonprofit organizations that work to protect and improve the environment and/or provide environmental education. The Waste Management Charitable Contributions program provides support to organizations that have been approved by the IRS as a 501(c)3 charity and public organizations where any donations requested will be used exclusively for public purposes. WM supports environmental education programs targeted at middle and high school students and considers proposals for programs such as environmental and science-related projects, science fairs, and Earth Day projects. Applications are accepted at any time. http://www.wm.com/WM/community/Giving.asp
Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation. Provides grants for the arts, community enhancement, education, the environment, health care, parks and recreation, and social services. Grants are made to 501(c)(3) nonprofits located in Iowa. The Foundation prefers its grants to go to organizations that do not receive wide public supply. In some cases, the Foundation will consider supporting projects sponsored by government entities. Full proposals are reviewed six times a year: June 15, August 15, October 15, and December 15. http://www.ahrensfamilyfoundation.org/GrantFundingGuidelines.html
Access NewspaperARCHIVE. Public K-12 schools and libraries now have free access to full-page newspapers from the US and around the world dating from 1759 through 1977. Excluded from the free subscription are local papers and those published after 1977. Access to local/state news and newspapers published after 1977 requires an upgraded subscription service. To sign up for this service, call NewspaperARCHIVE at (888) 870-0484, extension 30 or download a request form that can be completed and faxed. One draw back is that access is IP authentication. Smaller libraries may not be able to support this type of authentication. tinyurl.com/fv64l http://www.prweb.com/releases/2006/6/prweb399807.htm
Pay It Forward Mini-Grants. This program funds one-time-only service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or greater community. Projects must contain a "pay it forward" focus -- that is, they must be based on the concept of one person doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with the results growing exponentially. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: schools, churches and community youth groups (with an adult sponsor). Deadlines: January 15, April 15 and October 15 of each year.
http://payitforwardfoundation.org/educators/grant.html
Office Depot's Taking Care of Kids Program. Office Depot is dedicated to helping kids and schools. Their efforts are focused on several key programs: 1) National Backpack Program that supplies underprivileged children with new backpacks and school supplies. Supplies are donated to nonprofit organizations and schools serving at-risk students. Applications for the National Backpack Program will be accepted after May 1. 2) “5% Back to Schools” Program that allows those who shop at Office Depot for school supplies to designate local schools to receive 5% of qualifying purchases that can then be used by the school for free supplies. 3) Star Teacher Program recognizes teachers for the differences they make in the lives of children by providing them with discounts on purchases. 4) Grand Openings begin the support Office Depot provides in the community. During each Grand Opening celebration, contributions are made to local food banks, libraries, and one or more other organizations that are making a difference in the lives of kids. Tax exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofits (including schools) are eligible to participate in Office Depot’s programs. http://www.community.officedepot.com/local.asp
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) 2008 Grants. You can find information at
http://www.imls.gov/applicants/name.shtm.
Better World Books. A library discard and donation program. Send your library discards and receive money on their resale. No shipping costs and when books sell, the library receives the money. Libraries can also designate a literacy partner that receives a 15% BWB donation. That literacy partner can be your Friends group. http://betterworldbooks.com/Programs/Library.aspx
PaceBulter Corporation. Sell your used cell phones for cash! They buy various manufacturers, models and conditions including new, used, refurbished and obsolete cell phones. They buy Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, & various WIRELESS BRANDS! Sell used mobile phones, from TDMA cell phones to AMPS, CDMA, GSM, iDEN and other technologies. Collect cell phones from the community and receive competitive prices for funds for your library. View the purchase price list for phone values. Box your phone handsets and batteries only (No accessories, chargers, etc.) Complete and print a payment information sheet. Ship the box via US Mail, FedEx, UPS. They will issue a check within the next 4 business days for your cell phones! http://www.pacebutler.com/cell.cfm
QuikTrip. Invests in the communities where it does business. Every year, the company budgets 5% of its net annual profits as contributions to eligible nonprofit organizations. Specific initiatives of QuikTrip are: Programs, agencies and educational efforts that discourage negative behavior in youth, i.e. alcohol, smoking, violence, crime, etc. and encourage positive behaviors; an Innovative early childhood and preschool programs that help disadvantaged children combined with parent education programs and ongoing evaluation and support for the families. The company matches dollar-for-dollar all employee contributions. The remainder of the contribution budget is available to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, based in several cities, including Des Moines, IA. Deadline: Jan - May. http://www.quiktrip.com/community/contributions.asp
Citigroup Foundation. Citigroup Foundation focuses its giving in three main areas: Financial Education; Educating the Next Generation; and Building Communities and Entrepreneurs. Citigroup does have an Iowa presence. Nonprofit organizations are eligible applicants. While the Foundation prefers to solicit proposals, unsolicited applications are accepted and reviewed. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals as early as possible during the calendar year. There are no application deadlines. http://www.citigroup.com/citigroup/corporate/foundation/index.htm
Iowa Arts Council. Cultural Express Tours, Mini grants, Public
Art Grants. Check their web site for upcoming deadlines and grant writing workshops. http://www.iowaartscouncil.org/index.shtml
Reach Out and Read. A program that promotes early literacy by bringing new books and advice about the importance of reading aloud into the pediatric exam room. Doctors and nurses give new books to children at each well child visit from 6 months of age to 5 years, and accompany these books with developmentally appropriate advice to parents about reading aloud with their child. The ROR program model is based on research that shows a connection between the frequency of sharing books with babies, toddlers and young children and enhanced language development. (Another opportunity for collaboration). http://www.reachoutandread.org/
Mix It Up Grant. Sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Study Circles Resource Center. Grants of up to $250 will be made to support youth-directed projects that focus on "identifying, crossing, and challenging social boundaries" in schools and communities. Applications should demonstrate youth leadership, collaborative community efforts, and the potential for sustainable work. Awarded throughout the year. http://www.tolerance.org/teens/grants.jsp
Iowa Commission of Libraries Meeting