Funding Resources and Contests
This is a running list grants and other funding resources that have been in
issues of the Compendium during 2012
Ignite Apps Challenge
Mozilla and the National Science Foundation invite you to take part in an open
innovation challenge. $500,000 in prizes is available over three rounds.
Applications open on August 1. A separate contest is now open offering $15,000
in prizes for ideas--that deadline is August 23.
Library Public Programming Grants for Civil War 150
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, in partnership with The Library of
America, is now accepting applications from libraries and National Park historic sites
for grants to develop public programming around the free traveling panel exhibition
Civil War 150. The exhibition is part of Civil War 150: Exploring the War and Its
Meaning through the Words of Those Who Lived It, a major three-year project
funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The project is centered on
the four-volume Library of America series The Civil War Told by Those Who Lived It
and includes a collection of readers (discussion guides) drawn from the series.
Fifty sites selected by competitive application to host the Civil War 150 exhibition
will each be awarded a grant of $1,000 to plan accompanying public programming.
The exhibition is available for three-week periods from October 2012 to March
2015. Hosting sites will also receive supporting interpretive and contextual
materials, including the Civil War 150 readers and access to a multimedia website
with robust digital resources. Public, academic, and special libraries as well as
National Park historic sites are invited to submit applications for the public
programming grants and exhibition. The application deadline is July 15, 2012.
Apply here.
We Love Libraries Lottery (Sisters in Crime)
Monthly grants of $1,000 are awarded. Winners are drawn from entries received
each month at www.sistersincrime.org. Complete their entry form and upload a
photo of one or more of your staff with three books in your collection by Sisters in
Crime members. Access a list of their member authors. Those not successful in one
month will automatically be entered in other months' drawings.
Documenting Democracy: Access to Historical Records Projects
(The National Historical Publications and Records Commission)
The NHPRC seeks proposals that promote the preservation and use of the nation's most
valuable archival resources. Projects should expand our understanding of the American past
by facilitating and enhancing access to primary source materials. The Commission will
support such activities as establishing archives programs, processing archival collections at
the basic or detailed levels, surveying and accessioning archival records, and converting
existing archival collection finding aids to new online formats. Applicants may submit
proposals for one or any combination of four project categories. A grant normally is for one
or two years and for up to $200,000. The Commission expects to make up to 15 grants in
this category for a total of up to $1,200,000. The draft deadline is August 1; final
deadline is October 4. Read the announcement.
Innovation in Archives and Documentary Editing
The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks projects that are
exploring innovative methods to improve the preservation, public discovery, or use
of historical records. Projects may also focus on techniques and tools that will
improve the professional performance and effectiveness of those who work with
such records, such as archivists, documentary editors, and records managers.
Projects must anticipate results that will affect more than a single institution or a
single state. Projects may focus on methods of working with records in any format,
including born-digital records. Projects designed to publish historical records must
focus on innovative methods of presenting archival records as primary sources. The
Commission does not fund projects focused on artifacts or books. For a
comprehensive list of the Commission's limitations on funding, please see What we
do and do not fund (http://www.archives.gov/nhprc/apply/eligibility.html).
Applications that consist entirely of ineligible activities will not be considered. A
grant normally is for one to three years. The Commission expects to make one to
three grants of between $50,000 and $150,000. The total amount allocated for this
program is up to $250,000.
National Medal for Museum and Library Service
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is accepting nominations for
the 2013 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation's highest honor
for exemplary service by these institutions. Museums and libraries that would like to
be considered for the National Medal should complete the nomination form by
October 15, 2012. The National Medal honors museums and libraries that make
extraordinary civic, educational, economic, environmental, and social contributions.
Public or private nonprofit museums, including art, history, science and technology,
children's, and natural history museums; historic houses, nature centers, zoos, and
botanical gardens; and all types of nonprofit libraries, including public, school,
academic, research, and archival, are eligible to receive this honor.
For more information and to access the nomination form, please go to
www.imls.gov/applicants/detail.aspx?GrantId=13.
Association for Rural and Small Libraries Scholarship
Apply for a scholarshipto attend the Association's fall conference . The conference
will be held September 27-29 in Raliegh, North Carolina. The application deadline
is June 15. Access conference information.
BJ's Charitable Foundation
The foundation's goal is to create a positive, long-lasting impact on the
communities they serve. The foundations's mission is the enhancement and
enrichment of community programs that primarily benefit children and families.
The majority of giving is focused on organizations that promote the safety, security
and well-being of children and families; support education and health programs;
provide community service opportunities; and aid in hunger and disaster relief. The
deadline is ongoing. Access information here.
Captain Planet Foundation Education Grants
The foundation supports projects that promote understanding of environmental
issues, focuses on hands-on involvement, involves children and adults 6-18
(elementary through high school), promotes interaction and cooperation within the
group, helps young people develop planning and problem solving, includes adult
supervision, commits to follow-up communication with the foundation in the
following program areas: community involvement/volunteerism, general education,
science/environmental, social studies, all others.
The deadline is May 31. Learn more at at their website
Community Connect Grant Program
Funds may be used to build broadband infrastructure and establish a community
center which offers free public access to broadband for two years. Single
communities with populations less than 20,000 which do not have Broadband
Transmission Service are eligible. The deadline is June 18th. Access information
here.
Mobile Payment Devices
Could your fundraising or fine payments be easier if you had a mobile payment
device that fit on top of your ipad or iphone? Square is offering free devices. If
your library is already using one, please contact us.
Family Place Grants
The Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office of Commonwealth Libraries, is
accepting applications from public libraries to establish family place community
centers for early childhood information, parent education, socialization, emergent
literacy, and family support. Successful applicants will receive $5,000 to purchase
materials, and be reimbursed travel expenses to the training site. The Office of
Commonwealth Libraries will pay the training and technical assistance cost directly.
The two pieces come to a total value of $17,000.
Up to six libraries will be selected to participate through a competitive application
process. See the Grant Announcement and Access the Application. Applications
must be received by June 1st.
Fundraisers
The Franklin County Library System will hold its fourth annual Chambersburg Home
Tour on June 3rd. The tour features historic homes and highlights home features
such as a circular turret, Asian decor, and art and book collections. The tour is selfguided and tour-goers can begin at any one of the homes. The addresses and a
map will be in the tour book, which serves as the admission ticket. Free
refreshments will be served at both libraries during tour hours. Tour books are $20
per person. They may be reserved now, with payment, at Grove Family and Coyle
Free libraries. They will be available for pick up on May 7. Tour books are limited
and will be distributed on a first-come first-serve basis.
To pre-pay for tour books, fill out the reservation form in the Annual Home Tour
brochure. Brochures are currently available at Coyle Free Library, 102 North Main
Street, and Grove Family Library, 101 Ragged Edge Road South, both in
Chambersburg, and at any other branch library of the Franklin County Library
System. For additional information, call Coyle Free Library at 263-1054 or Grove
Family Library at 264-9663.
Prudential Leadership Awards for Exceptional Nonprofit Boards.
In recognition of the critical role that boards play in overseeing their organizations'
missions, finances, and strategic directions, BoardSource and Prudential are offering
cash awards to boards that exemplify exceptional governance and can demonstrate
that they are "Designing Change" for their organizations in at least one of three
areas: structure, fundraising, and governance. The awards are intended to inspire
and support new approaches to strengthening and building organizational impact
through board leadership.
The awards include
$25,000 Grand Prize
$10,000 Second-Place Prize
$5,000 Third-Place Prize
Two $2,500 Honorable Mentions
What about your board? Tell them about award possibilities
MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Awards
Nomination for the awards is May 15th.
Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation
First prize is $100,000. Learn more.
Due Diligence
The Due Diligence Tool (used in pre-grant assessment)
Goodshop.com
If your patrons designate your library on Goodshop, each search and purchase may
earn your library money!
Legal
Law for Change offers resources on the legal issues of Fundraising.
Libri Foundation
The Libri Foundation is a nationwide non-profit organization which donates new,
quality, hardcover children's books to small, rural public libraries in the United
States through its Books For Children program. Learn more.
2012 Grant Program for
Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund
--2nd Announcement--Letter of Intent Deadline May 1, 2012
The Office of Commonwealth Libraries invites the submission of Letters of Intent
in competing for the 2012 Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund Grant
Program.
The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund was established by an act of
the General Assembly in 1993. The Department of Education, through the Office of
Commonwealth Libraries, Bureau of Library Development, administers the public
library portion of this program which is funded from a portion of the realty transfer
tax.
The current competitive grant application process is used to award matching
facilities grants to municipalities that sponsor state-aided public libraries. To be
eligible, the sponsoring municipality and the board of the state-aided library must
jointly submit an application developed cooperatively by both entities and signed by
their governing bodies. There is no minimum grant amount; however, the
maximum Keystone grant award will be $500,000. All grants require a dollar-fordollar match.
The following are the 2012 Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund Grant
Program documents:
Letter of Intent Packet - This contains a general overview of the grant
program,
including the Letter of Intent form and application deadline.
Keystone Grant Application Packet - This document, in both .pdf and Word
format, contains instructions and the application for the Keystone Grant.
Appendix A & B - This attachment includes additional documents:
(1) Appendix A, the program regulations and (2) Appendix B,
the PHMC review application.
To start the grant process, potential applicants must file a Letter of Intent with the
Office of Commonwealth Libraries, postmarked on or before May 1, 2012. Letters
of Intent will be reviewed by staff for eligibility. The Office of Commonwealth
Libraries will issue an Invitation to Proceed letter based on eligibility of the project
and proper completion of the Letter of Intent. Send the completed Letter of Intent
to:
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Office of Commonwealth Libraries
Forum Building
607 South Drive
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0600
Attention: KEYSTONE
The Announcement with attachments is also available on the PDE site.
For assistance about the application process, please contact the
Bureau of Library Development staff via e-mail at ra-keystone@pa.gov.
Donation Preparation
"11 Donate Now Best Practices for Nonprofits," Nonprofit Orgs February 27, 2012
Nonprofitorgs.Wordpress.com.
Prudential Leadership Awards for Exceptional Nonprofit Boards
In recognition of the critical role that boards play in overseeing their organizations'
missions, finances, and strategic directions, BoardSource and Prudential are offering
cash awards to boards that exemplify exceptional governance and can demonstrate
that they are "Designing Change" for their organizations in at least one of three
areas: structure, fundraising, and governance. The awards are intended to inspire
and support new approaches to strengthening and building organizational impact
through board leadership.
The awards include:
$25,000 Grand Prize
$10,000 Second-Place Prize
$5,000 Third-Place Prize
Two $2,500 Honorable Mentions
What about your board? Encourage them with award possibilities!
Learn more
Learning Labs, Hacker Spaces, and FabLabs:
Now Available at Your Library? Grant Opportunity:
Learning Labs
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is accepting applications
in the Learning Labs in Libraries and Museums grant program,
with a deadline of June 15, 2012.
Pre-application web conferences will be held on May 9 and May 23.
These grants, of up to $100,000, will support the planning and designing of up to
30 Learning Labs in libraries and museums throughout the country. The Labs are
intended to engage middle and high-school youth in mentor-led, interest-based,
youth-centered, collaborative learning using digital and traditional media. Grantees
will be required to participate, in-person and online, in a community of practice that
will provide technical assistance, networking, and cross-project learning. Projects
are expected to provide prototypes for the field and be based on current research
about digital media and youth learning.
Learn more about the Learning Labs program.
FabLabs
"The Oh-So Fabulous Lab at the Fayetteville Free Library," Library As Incubator
Project March 21, 2012 LibraryasIncubatorProject.org.
Hackers
Abelon, Dan. "Hacker Culture: The Key to Future Prosperity," Tech Crunch March
25, 2012 MTechCrunch.com.
Learn more and discover resources:
Flacre's PowerPoint from the 2012 Computers in Libraries Conference: Tinkerers:
Maker Culture for Librarians (CIL 2012)
More on Maker Bots and other 3-D Printers:
3 D Printing
Drell, Lauren. "Everything You Wanted to Know About 3D Printing But Were Too
Afraid to Ask," Mashable February 28, 2012 Mashable.com.
MakerBots (Open Source Printer--a must watch) [video]
Schenker, Dylan. "3D Printing Lets Kids Combine LEGO And Lincoln Logs Into One
Toy PSFK March 20, 2012 PSFK.com.
Small Games of Chance
Shirk, Eric. "Pennsylvania Governor Corbett Ceremonially Signs Small Games of
Chance Bill in Cumberland County," The Business Journals April 16, 2012
BizJournals.com.
Humanities Collections and Reference Resources (NEH)
Applications may be submitted for projects that address one or more of the
following activities:
+arranging and describing archival and manuscript collections;
+cataloging collections of printed works, photographs, recorded sound, moving
images, art, and material culture; +providing conservation treatment (including
deacidification) for collections, leading to enhanced access; +digitizing
collections; +preserving and improving access to born-digital sources;
+developing databases, virtual collections, or other electronic resources to codify
information on a subject or to provide integrated access to selected humanities
materials; +creating encyclopedias; +preparing linguistic tools, such as historical
and etymological dictionaries, corpora, and reference grammars (separate funding
is available for endangered language projects in partnership with the National
Science Foundation); +developing tools for spatial analysis and representation of
humanities data, such as +atlases and geographic information systems (GIS); and
+designing digital tools to facilitate use of humanities resources. Because
ensuring the longevity of humanities sources is critical to enabling their ongoing
use, applicants may request support for implementing preservation measures,
such as reformatting (including microfilming), rehousing, or item-level
stabilization procedures, in the context of projects that also create or enhance
access to humanities collections.
Applicants seeking support for projects that focus primarily on purchasing storage
furniture and rehousing collections, improving environmental conditions (including
the installation of climate control systems), and installing security, lighting, and
fire-prevention systems should consult the Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections
program (the last application period has passed for Sustaining Cultural Heritage
Collections, but refer to link to prepare for the next round).
Major studies of cultural heritage repositories have cited sound recordings and
moving images as formats that are seriously endangered. This grant program
encourages applications that address the need to preserve and access such sources.
Planning grants are also available. The application deadline is July 19 for
projects beginning in May 2013. Access the application guidelines .
Target
Applications for the following grants are accepted between March 12 And
April 30th.
Arts Culture and Design Grants in School Grants
Early Childhood Reading Grants
Keystone Grants Announced Up to $500,000 Available
The Office of Commonwealth Libraries invites the submission of Letters of Intent in
competing for the 2012 Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund Grant
Program.
The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund was established by an act of
the General Assembly in 1993. The Department of Education, through the Office of
Commonwealth Libraries, Bureau of Library Development, administers the public
library portion of this program. Moneys for the grant fund come from a portion of
the realty transfer tax.
The current competitive grant application process is used to award matching
construction grants to municipalities that sponsor state-aided public libraries.
Keystone grants must be matched dollar-for-dollar. Current funding priorities are
for maximum grant awards of $500,000.
To be eligible, the sponsoring municipality and the board of the state-aided library
must jointly submit an application developed cooperatively by both entities and
signed by their governing bodies.
To start the grant process, potential applicants must file a Letter of Intent with
the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, postmarked on or before May 1, 2012.
Letters of Intent will be reviewed by staff for eligibility. The Office of
Commonwealth Libraries will issue an Invitation to Proceed letter based on eligibility
of the project and proper completion of the Letter of Intent. Send the completed
Letter of Intent to:
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Office of Commonwealth Libraries
Forum Building
607 South Drive
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0600
Attention: KEYSTONE
Click here to access the Application, Letter of Intent Form, PHMC Form, Program
Regulations and other information.
The Announcement with attachments is also available on the PDE site.
Send any questions about the process to ra-keystone@pa.gov.
Ray Charles Foundation
The following types of grants are available:
Capital: Funding is available to support land, facility, equipment purchases,
renovations, or new construction. Applications will only be invited for projects that
have raised a substantial amount of their fundraising goal, and are either in
construction or have a firm construction start date. Program: New or expansion
program projects will be considered and must evidence a viable fundraising and
sustainability plan. Requests for program development or enhancement activities
will still be considered.
Core Support: They will consider core support for established and well-managed
organizations and programs. Learn more.
State Farm Youth Advisory Board
The State Farm Youth Advisory Board, a philanthropic program of State Farm, is
accepting applications for youth service-learning projects designed to create
sustainable local change in communities across the United States and Canada.
Grants range from $25,000 to $100,000. Projects must be designed to address the
root cause of the following issues: access to higher education/closing the
achievement gap, financial literacy, community safety and natural disaster
preparedness, social health and wellness, and environmental responsibility.
Applicant organizations must be a K-12 public or charter school, or institution of
higher education. Nonprofit organizations also are eligible if they are able to
demonstrate how they plan to impact student achievement within the public K-12
curriculum.
For complete program guidelines and the online grant application, visit the
State Farm Youth Advisory Board Web site.
The Gladys Brooks Foundation
Grant applications will be considered only for major expenditures generally between
$50,000.00 and $100,000.00 and greater or lesser amounts in certain
circumstances. For 2012, the Foundation will consider grant applications in the
fields of libraries, education, hospitals and clinics. For Libraries, grant applications
will be considered generally for resource Endowments (print, film, electronic
database, speakers/workshops) capital construction and innovative
equipment. Projects fostering broader public access to global information sources
utilizing collaborative efforts, pioneering technologies and equipment are
encouraged. Learn more.
The application must be completed and postmarked with all supporting documents
to the Foundation within 45 days from the date of the letter from the Foundation
furnishing the application to the applicant unless the Foundation letter is dated after
April 18, 2012 in which case the application must be postmarked with all
supporting documents on or before June 1, 2012. The Foundation does encourage
early filing of the application. Electronic submissions of the application and
supporting documents is not acceptable.
The Foundation's application form must be used and may be obtained by
downloading from www.gladysbrooksfoundation.org or by writing to:
Ms. Jessica L. Rutledge
THE GLADYS BROOKS FOUNDATION
mailing address:
1055 Franklin Avenue, Suite 208
Garden City, New York 11530
Investing in Innovation Grants (US Dept of Education)
Scale-up and Validation Grants are now available for the third round of Investing in
Innovation (i3). School districts and nonprofit organizations in partnership with
school districts or schools are eligible to compete for nearly $150 million. Scale-up
and Validation grants are due May 29. Pre-applications for i3 Development grants
are due April 9. Learn more.
RGK Foundation
RGK Foundation awards grants in the broad areas of Education, Community, and
Health/ Medicine with primary interests within Education including 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.
The Foundation's current interests in the area of Health/Medicine include programs
that promote the health and well-being of children, programs that promote access
to health services, and Foundation-initiated programs focusing on ALS. The average
grant award is $25,000. The Foundation no longer accepts unsolicited grant
proposals. All applicants must complete an electronic Letter of Inquiry from the Web
site as the first step. The electronic letter of inquiry is at the bottom of this
webpage, where you also find additional information.
Thank you Letters
This Fundraising IP site provides examples of thank you letters to a large company.
Links to other examples (parents, community groups) are located at the bottom of
the page.
American Honda Foundation Learn about the Foundation's grants to 501(3)c
organizations and school districts. Youth education, specifically in the areas of
science, technology, engineering, mathematics, the environment, job training and
literacy are priorities. Four grant cycles are offered each year. Next deadline is
May 1st.
BJ's Charitable Foundation®
The mission of BJ's Charitable Foundation is to enhance and enrich community
programs that primarily benefit children and families. BJ's Charitable Foundation
contributes the bulk of its funding to organizations that provide services (in the
form of hunger prevention, self-sufficiency, healthcare and education) to people in
need. Types of support include Hunger Prevention, Self-Sufficiency, Healthcare and
Education. The next two quarterly deadlines are April 6th and July 6th.
Find out more.
National Endowment for the Humanities Invites Nominations for National
Humanities Medals
The National Humanities Medals are designed to honor individuals and organizations
whose work has deepened our nation's understanding of and engagement with
history, literature, languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects. NEH
welcomes nominations for individuals and organizations whose activities and
achievements conform with the purpose of the medal. Examples of such activities
include significant scholarship or writing that has expanded our knowledge and
understanding of the humanities, outstanding education programs for students,
teachers, or adult learners, exemplary television documentaries and radio
programs, compelling interpretive exhibitions, reading and discussion programs, or
other programs that enrich Americans' understanding of the humanities, programs
that preserve and create access to the nation's cultural heritage and intellectual
legacy, design and implementation of innovative technologies that enhance public,
scholarly, or educational access to the humanities, and sustained philanthropic
efforts on behalf of humanities activities or organizations. The National Endowment
for the Humanities will only consider living candidates and existing organizations.
Self-nominations are not permitted.
The deadline is April 13, 2012. Access additional information and the nomination
form.
US Airways Capital Grants in Selected Areas of PA
The US Airways Community Foundation, a philanthropic vehicle of US Airways, is
accepting capital campaign grant applications from 501(3)c nonprofit organizations
located in and providing services in major metropolitan areas (in Pennsylvania
thiis includes Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia
counties).
Grants will be awarded to formal campaigns related to constructing or remodeling a
current or new building. Up to $250,000 in total funding is available. Complete
program guidelines, funding restrictions, and the online application are available at
the US Airways Web site.
Fundraising Tips
Tighe. "Fundraising Tips: How to Measure Success and Accountability," Eventbrite
February 15, 2012.
(scroll down in article for previous articles in the series)
Fundraising Trends
Miller, Bryan. "Twelve Digital Fundraising Trends for 2012," Giving in a Digital World
February 20, 2012 GivinginaDigitalWorld.org.
NEH Challenge Grants
National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grants are capacity-building
grants, intended to help institutions and organizations secure long-term
improvements in and support for their humanities programs and resources and may
help secure the permanent support of an endowment. Grants may be used to
establish or enhance endowments or spend-down funds that generate expendable
earnings to support ongoing program activities. Challenge grants may also
provide capital directly supporting the procurement of long-lasting objects, such as
acquisitions for archives and collections, the purchase of equipment, and the
construction or renovation of facilities needed for humanities activities.
Through the income from endowments or spend-down funds, grantees could use
challenge grant funds to support faculty and staff salaries and benefits, acquisitions
for collections, faculty, teacher, and staff development, research
fellowships, lecture or exhibition series, visiting scholars or consultants,
publishing subventions and preservation and conservation programs.
Funds spent directly must be shown to bring long-term benefits to the institution
and to the humanities more broadly. Grantee institutions may also expend up to 10
percent of grant funds to defray costs of fundraising to meet the NEH challenge.
Successful applicants will be offered a matching grant. Recipients must raise
three times the amount of federal funds offered, except for Historically Black
Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities, and two-year
colleges. These three types of institutions are required to raise only two times the
amount of federal funds offered. Programs that involve collaboration among
multiple institutions are eligible as well, but one institution must serve as the lead
agent and formal applicant of record.
Letters of intent, should be submitted six weeks prior to the application
deadline of May 2. Preliminary draft proposals should be submitted four to six
weels before the deadline also. Additional information is available.
Planned Giving
Aalto, Benita. "Nothing's Certain But Death and Taxes: A Brief Guide to Planned
Giving, Charity Village February 27, 2012 CharityVillage.com.
Library Design Awards
This biennial competition is co-sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA)
and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA). The awards honor
excellence in library interior design. Award winners demonstrate excellence in
aesthetics, design, creativity, function, and satisfaction of the client's objectives.
The competition is managed by the LLAMA Buildings and Equipment Section (BES).
All types and sizes of library interior design projects completed between October 1,
2009 and October 1, 2011 are eligible, including single purpose spaces. In
addition, one category honors projects currently in the design phase and not under
construction. Submissions must be made by a legally practicing design professional
by the deadline of March 30, 2012.
Visit http://www.ala.org/llama/awards/alaiidaaward for details.
Innogive Conference Scholarship
Paypal is providing up to 150 scholarships to the April 2 Innogive 2012 Conference
in San Francisco. This conference, which will show how your organization can
leverage the great emerging mobile channel to communicate and fundraise, will be
held the day before NTEN. Learn more.
NEH Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions
Through the National Endowment for the Humanities' Preservation Assistance
Grants program, small and mid-sized institutions can apply for up to $6,000 to
improve their ability to preserve and care for their humanities collections. Funding
can support general preservation assessments; collection surveys; consultations
with professionals; purchase of storage furniture and preservation supplies; or
education and training. The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts
(CCAHA) offers free grant application support for projects that involve significant
work or consultation by CCAHA. Contact Lee Price, Director of Development, at
lprice@ccaha.org or 215.545.0613 for assistance with your application. The
application deadline is May 1, 2012. Complete guidelines are available at the NEH
website.
NLM-MAR Grants The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic
Region has posted their 2012-2013 funding opportunities.
Public libraries may especially want to consider the Outreach to Consumers
category. That category deadline is April 1 for both the Express (up to $10,000)
and Target (up to $20,000) grants. Grant details are available as well as
descriptions of past projects.
Prior to applying for a grant, you should become a member--it's free!
Test Drive for School Libraries
Mazda has teamed up with Universal Studios, NEA's Read Across America, and the
NEA Foundation to benefit public school libraries. For each test drive of a Mazda
vehicle between Feb. 21 and April 2, Mazda will donate $25 toward public school
libraries nationwide, up to $1 million. Before you go, make sure to obtain a
certificate.
Read more.
TechSoup Digital Storytelling Contest
Submit your library's story for a chance at prizes! Deadline is February 29th.
Find out more!
Summer Lunch Program
Those kids are hungry...Feed them!
The Summer Lunch program is FREE and may even provide you with staff to help
with programming!
What are your objections? Not enough staff? Read the first sentence!
No kitchen? You can contract to have bag lunches brought in. Don't have activities
every day? Why not if the free lunches can provide staff!? If half of the kids in
your school district qualify for free or reduced lunches, then ALL the kids who
attend your program can have the free lunch at the library! Advertising the meals
with your program may even increase your attendance! Interested? Questions?
Please read Laurie G. Kepner's letter below and fill out the
survey...remember, those kids are hungry in the summertime too and you may be
able to provide their only lunchtime opportunity. It's being provided by the
Department of Education so you know it's worthwhile!
********************************
Food that's in when
school is out
Summer Food Service
Program
February 2012
Dear Librarian:
In Pennsylvania, 544,621 children meet the free or reduced income eligibility
guidelines and have access to meals through the National School Lunch Program
(NSLP) during the school year; only one in seven of the low income students
nationwide who depend on school lunches during the school year have access to
meals during the summer.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) funds a program to provide
meals to low income children during the summer months. This program is the
Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and is administered by the Pennsylvania
Department of Education, Division of Food and Nutrition.
The purpose of this letter is to extend an invitation for your library to participate in
the SFSP. We encourage you to sponsor this valuable program! Hunger is a
severe roadblock to the learning process. Lack of nutrition during the summer
months may set up a cycle of poor performance once school begins. We would like
to help you explore the benefits of adding the SFSP to existing summer
programs held at your library so children who reside in your area can return to
school in the fall ready to learn.
Please read the informational brochure and complete a participation survey to help
us address concerns and questions you may have about the SFSP. A Summer
Lunch Program flyer is also available.
Please return the survey to me by mail or fax to the following address on or
before
March 19, 2012:
Summer Food Service Program
333 Market Street, 4th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17126-0333
If you have questions regarding the SFSP, please call me at (800) 331-0129,
Extension 537637, or e-mail RA-SFSP@pa.gov.
Sincerely,
Laurie G. Kepner, Education Administrative Associate
Summer Food Service Program
Division of Food and Nutrition
Bureau of Budget and Fiscal Management
Dollar General
Apply by May 16 for Youth Literacy grants in amounts up to $4000 from Dollar
General.
Librarian Superhero
Gale Cengage is again sponsoring the Librarian Superhero contest. Nominate a
fellow librarian or yourself! Only you know who is behind that mask!
PSLA Leadership Project
The Pennsylvania School Library Association is looking for some good, competitive
applicants for their Leadership Project. The purpose of the program is to find and
encourage the growth of new
leaders within the structure of PSLA. Those chosen to participate are expected to
put their leadership skills to use by completing a project from the list developed by
the PSLA Board of Directors and to serve on a committee of PSLA for no less than a
two-year term of
service. Please go to the PSLA Website for more information and application.
NTEN, Common Knowledge and Blackbaud invite you to
take part in a nonprofit survey about how nonprofits are using online social
networks, and enter your name for a
chance to win an Apple iPad.
The survey results will be compiled and released at the NTEN Nonprofit Technology
Conference in April 2012, as the 2012 Nonprofit Social Networking Benchmark
Report (4th Annual). Survey participants will receive a free copy of the report.
In taking the survey, know that we promise to maintain your confidentiality, and
keep in mind Forward questions or comments about the survey to Jeff Patrick at
Common Knowledge.
Pennsylvania Humanities Council Invites Libraries to Apply for a
Commonwealth Speaker Program
The Pennsylvania Humanities Council invites libraries to apply for a program
featuring an expert speaker in the humanities through the 2012-13 Commonwealth
Speakers program. Commonwealth Speakers is a great opportunity to share
conversations and ideas with scholars, artists and storytellers and to raise
awareness of your organization as a center for learning in your region.
The 2012-13 Commonwealth Speakers line-up features more than 50 Speakers
offering quality presentations on a variety of topics including music, folk and
traditional arts, popular culture and film and American history. Many presentations
encourage audience participation or target family audiences and cater to popular
interests.
Visit PHC's website to view the catalog, read their NEW guidelines and download an
application form. To apply, simply fill out an application, include the $75
application fee and mail it to the PHC. Applications must be received at least 8
weeks before the proposed event date. The new coordinator of the Commonwealth
Speakers Program, Jennifer Danifo, would be happy to answer any questions. She
can be reached at commonwealthspeakers@pahumanities.org, (800) 462-0442, or
(215) 925-1005 ext. 110.
The Pennsylvania Humanities Council, a nonprofit organization, inspires individuals
to enjoy and share a life of learning enriched by human experience across time and
around the world. Through programs and partnerships, PHC fosters the sharing of
stories and ideas - to increase understanding and a large vision of human life,
community and possibility. In addition to the Commonwealth Speakers program,
PHC offers grants which support humanities programs centered in the arts, history,
literature and other humanities fields.
America's Music
The ALA Public Programs Office, the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) and the National
Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) have announced a six-week series of public
programs featuring documentary film screenings and scholar-led discussions of
twentieth-century American popular music entitled America's Music: A Film History
of Our Popular Music from Blues to Bluegrass to Broadway. Libraries and nonprofit organizations related to music and music history may apply by March
14 to receive a $2,500 grant to support the program series. Online
applications can be submitted at www.grants.gov.
The program is offered in consultation with the Society for American Music (SAM).
America's Music will introduce genres of twentieth-century American popular music
that are deeply connected to the history, culture and geography of the United
States. The six sessions focus on these uniquely American musical genres: blues
and gospel, Broadway, jazz, bluegrass and country, rock 'n' roll, mambo and hip
hop.
Applicants must register their institution at www.grants.gov. Prospective
applicants are advised to register with www.grants.gov as soon as possible, since
the process can take up to two weeks to complete. More information to help begin
the application process may be found at www.ala.org/programming/americasmusic.
Online applications must be completed by March 14.
Fifty libraries and non-profit organizations will be selected to participate in the
national initiative and receive a programming grant of $2,500, a full set of the DVDs
for the series, including public performance rights and programming and
promotional support materials and resources from ALA and TFI for the duration of
the project. The selected sites will be required to designate an appropriate project
scholar who will act as a moderator for the project. All programs must be open to
the public. Applications that incorporate local partnerships and supplemental
programming are strongly encouraged.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
This company, which includes Keurig, donates coffee for
raffles or events. Click here for more information and check
out the site in the future in case they re-institute free Keurig
brewers to nonprofits. They had stopped due to an
overwhelming number of requests.
Jack R. Luskay Memorial Scholarship
Practicing or prospective school librarians may apply to attend PSLA.
PLA 2012
PLA has announced two contests for a chance to win free registration, travel, and
four nights hotel for the PLA 2012 conference. Click here for more information.
Annual Competitive Book Donation Program
(Roads to Reading)
This organization donates books to literacy programming in small and rural
communities only. The organizational budget limit to be eligible is currently set at
$150,000.00 annually and the community where the organization is located must
be an under served community.
The deadline is March 30th. Read more.
Charles Lafitte Foundation
CLF supports four primary causes: children's advocacy, education, medical research
and initiatives, and the arts. Learn more.
Josten's Foundation
Josten's provides support to organizations that help young people acquire the skills
they need to succeed in school and in life. Programs with a focus on early
intervention, improving literacy or high school graduation rates, or preparing
students for post-secondary study are examples of activities that advance the
Foundation's mission. They do not provide grants to school districts. The next two
deadlines are February 24th and May 25th. Click here for more.
RGK Foundation
The Foundation awards grants in the broad areas of Education, Community, and
Health/Medicine. A letter of inquiry must be submitted online prior to being invited
to submit an application; no deadline for the electronic letter of inquiry. Learn
more.
Snapdragon Book Foundation
Provides books to school libraries for disadvantaged children. Applications accepted
through April. Click here.
Captain Planet Environment Grants The Captain Planet Foundation primarily
makes grants to U.S.-based schools and organizations with an annual operating
budget of less than $3 million. Grants are made for activities that promote and
support high-quality educational programs that enable children and youth to
understand and appreciate our world through learning experiences that engage
them in active, hands-on projects to improve the environment in their schools and
communities. Preferential consideration is given to requests seeking seed funding of
$500 or less and to applicants who have secured at least 50% matching or in-kind
funding. Click here for more information. The deadline is January 15 and
May 31.
Innovations in Reading Prize
(National Book Foundation)
The Foundation awards a number of prizes of up to $2,500 each to individuals and
institutions-or partnerships between the two-that have developed innovative means
of creating and sustaining a lifelong love of reading. Details and the application are
available here. The deadline is February 21.
Innovative Reading Grant (for members of AASL)
Sponsored by Capstone The $2,500 AASL Innovative Reading Grant supports the
planning and implementation of a unique and innovative program for children which
motivates and encourages reading, especially with struggling readers. More
information is available on the Americaqn Association of School Librarians website.
The deadline is February 1. Check out other AASL awards.
National Leadership Grants
(Institute of Museum and Library Services)
Applications include four main categories: 1) Creation, use, presentation, and
preservation of digital resources and development of tools to enhance access, use,
and management of digital assets; 2) Museum, library, and archival practice
research; 3) Projects that produce a practice that is usable, adaptable, or scalable
by other institutions for improving services and performance; 4) Collaborative
projects (between museums and/or libraries and other community organizations)
that address the educational, economic, cultural, or social needs of a community. In
2012, a funding priority will be projects that promote early learning.
Eligibility:Libraries, museums, public or private nonprofit agencies, organizations, or
associations that engage in activities designed to advance museums and the
museum profession may also apply. In addition, institutions of higher education,
including public and non-profit universities, are eligible. Number of awards: 50
Deadline: Feb. 1 More information
PaLA Scholarships
Three Pennsylvania Library Association MLS Scholarships are available to
Pennsylvania residents who are seeking a Masters degree in the Library Science
field that will earn them professional status. This $1,500 award requires that twelve
credits must be completed toward the degree during the scholarship year. Priority is
given to PaLA members. Deadline for submission is May 15, 2012.
The Pennsylvania Library Association awards grants to personal members for
continuing education and for programs leading to state certification as a Library
Assistant or Provisional Librarian. These grants must be used within the calendar
year the awards are made.
The recipient must be a member of the Pennsylvania Library Association
Students may not use Continuing Education grants toward credit for a Master's level
degree.
The application may be submitted to the Scholarship Committee at any time during
the year and the awards will be announced promptly after committee
consideration.
For more information or to apply, please visit the Scholarship Page at
palibraries.org.
Governor Pennypacker Fellowship
The Office of Commonwealth Libraries, within the Pennsylvania
Department of Education (PDE) and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission (PHMC), is now accepting applications for the 2012-13 Pennypacker
Fellowship Program.
Named after Pennsylvania's 23rd Governor, Samuel W. Pennypacker, who served
from 1903 to 1907, the Pennypacker Fellowship Program provides support for up to
eight weeks of full-time research and study. Areas of focus include library,
manuscript and artifact collections maintained by the State Library, as well as any
PHMC facility, including the Pennsylvania State Archives, the State Museum of
Pennsylvania, and 25 historic sites and museums throughout the state.
Residency programs are open to anyone conducting research on Pennsylvania
history, including academic scholars, public sector professionals, independent
scholars, graduate students, educators, writers and filmmakers. Residencies may be
scheduled for up to eight weeks between June 1, 2012, and May 30, 2013. A
stipend will be awarded. The application deadline is January 30. Read More.
Diversification
"2011 Recap: Diversification Important for Fundraisers," FundraisingIP December
29, 2011 FundraisingIP.com.
Dollar General
DG has several grant opportunities. Most applications are due February 28 except
the Youth Literacy grant which is due on May 16 and the school library relief grants
which are reviewed the first of each month.
Donor Advised Funds
"Use, Size of Donor-Advised Funds Continue to Grow, Report Finds," Chronicle of
Philanthropy January 2, 2012 Philanthropy.com....and just what is a donor advised
fund? Joanne Fritz explains in About.com. Do you have one?
Donors
America's Top Donors (Chronicle of Philanthropy)
Kickstarter
An author and speaker from Pittsburgh, Janet Jai, is pitching her book, Saving Our
Public Libraries, and asking for funds on Kickstarter so that she may donate the
books to libraries. How can libraries, or Friends, also make money on the site or
ones like it?
Lowe's Tool Box for Education
Lowe's will donate $5 million to public schools and public school parent teacher
groups - at more than 1,000 different public schools per school year. The deadline
for Spring cycle is February 17. Learn more.
Manheim Twp
This is the second year that the Manheim Township Public Library will hold a
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Sale. The February sale raises money for the
library's Foundation to assist in funding collection development, programs and
resources.
"Last year's sale was a huge success and raised several hundred dollars for the
library," stated Lori Dietrich, MTPL Community Relations & Development Manager.
"We expect the upcoming sale to be even more successful with the addition of being
able to use credit cards to purchase the berries and having more boxes for walkins. Our goal is to dip and sell 300 pounds of strawberries!" The berries will be
dipped fresh by library volunteers and come in one pound dark, milk, white and
assorted chocolate boxes and will sell for $15 each. Boxes are adorned with a
special tag letting the receiver know their gift helps to benefit life long learning. The
timing of the sale makes the berries a perfect Valentine's Day gift. Interested?
Orders can be placed starting February 1 by phone or when visiting the library. A
limited number of additional boxes will be available for walk-ins. For more
information on the sale, visit www.mtpl.info or call 717-560-6441.
PLA Scholarship
Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, is partnering with WebJunction to offer a reward
for your daily work in small/rural libraries. Gale is sponsoring two fully paid
scholarships to the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia this March,
and you have a chance to win! The scholarships will cover transportation,
lodging and conference registration for the two library staff members who can wow
the judges with a brief essay. Access the application form and details. Application
deadline is January 18.