Shaking the Money Tree:
Grant Writing for Librarians
ALA 2006 ANNUAL CONFERENCE
NEW ORLEANS, LA
SATURDAY, JUNE 24 from 1:30 – 3:30
Sponsored by:
ACRL and EBSS
Shaking the Money Tree:
Grant Writing for Librarians
Elaina Norlin
Senior Program Officer
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Presentation One
SHAKING THE MONEY TREE:
GRANT WRITING FOR
LIBRARIANS
ACRL
EBSS
Elaina Norlin
Senior Program Officer
IMLS
Shaking the Money Tree:
Grant Writing for
Librarians
Institute for Museum and Library
Services
• Background information
• LSTA vs. Competitive Grants..what’s the
difference?
• What do we mean by collaboration?
• How do I know if my idea is competitive?
Tips for Writing Great Grant Proposals
• Start with a good idea! Identify the problem you
are trying to solve and a potential solution that
grant funding would support.
• Remember that competitive programs are often
VERY competitive.
• Contact the program officer to find out if your
idea matches the goals of the program.
• Read the program guidelines carefully and note all
instructions and deadlines.
Tips for Writing Great Grant Proposals
• Assemble your project team
• Meet to discuss all aspects of the project and all of
the program evaluation criteria—identify assets,
weaknesses, and potential allies.
• Develop a draft proposal—follow the recommended
format and all instructions, and address all of the
evaluation criteria in the order prescribed.
• Contact your program officer for clarification
of questions.
Tips for Writing Great Grant Proposals
• Ask others who have not been involved in the
project to read your draft—they may notice an
important omission or weakness.
• Revise your proposal and submit it on time.
• If your proposal is not successful, don’t be
discouraged.
• Contact your program officer for clarification
of questions.
Laura Bush 21st Century Program
$50,000-1 million
Priorities
• Master Education
• Doctoral Education
• Pre-professional
• Research
• Institutional Capacity (Curriculum Development
• Continuing Education
Grant Award Winners
• Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation –
Philadelphia, PA
Year: 2005
Amount: $997,099
• Grant: Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
The Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation will develop
recruitment programs that target high school and college
students who work or volunteer at the Free Library. A
three-tiered approach to recruitment will reach a total of
370 candidates for careers in librarianship (300 high school
students, 45 library interns, and 25 paraprofessional library
staff members) Match: $1,024,749
Grant Award Winners
• New York Public Library – New York, NY
Year: 2005
Amount: $178,332
Grant: Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
• The New York Public Library (NYPL) will develop a
Leadership Academy to (1) educate 60 staff members on
core concepts of leadership and management over two
years, (2) provide staff the opportunity and knowledge to
develop a solution to a leadership or management problem
at NYPL, and (3) begin to prepare staff to become the
future leaders of NYPL and the greater library community.
The project will also train 15 senior managers to prepare
them to support the staff who participate. Match: $178,670
Grant Award Winners
• Pacific Resources for Education and Learning –
Honolulu, HI
Year: 2005
Amount: $652,610
Grant: Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program
• Pacific Resources for Education and Learning will address
the continuing education needs of library staff in the U.S.affiliated Pacific-American Samoa, the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of
Micronesia, Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and
the Republic of Palau-by providing summer institutes for
selected segments of the region's preprofessional staff.
Each institute will include both traditional classroom
instruction and a practicum for the participants. Match:
$634,560
Grants.gov
• http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grantsgov/index.
shtm
Contact Information
• Elaina Norlin
• (202) 653-4663
• enorlin@imls.gov
Tom Phelps
National Endowment for the Humanities
Presentation Two
SHAKING THE MONEY TREE:
GRANT WRITING FOR
LIBRARIANS
ACRL
EBSS
SHAKING THE MONEY TREE
Grants &
How to get ‘em
First, there is the project
Then there are sources of support
MATCH THEM!
WHAT SOURCES ARE
THERE?
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Individuals
Government (Federal, State, and local)
Private Foundations
Corporations
Small Businesses
Other Nonprofit Organizations
IDENTIFY SOURCES
SEEKING INFORMATION
If you are completely new to the grantmaking process:

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The Council on Foundations offers
Grantmaking Basics Online
The Foundation Center offers a Step by
Step Orientation
The Ford Foundation offers Grantcraft:
guides, videos, and case studies
The Grantsmanship Center offers training
courses
The Foundation Center has information
about fiscal sponsorship under their FAQ
IDENTIFY SOURCES

SEEKING FOUNDATIONS and
ORGANIZATIONS
To see a posting of updated grants:
Requests for Proposals Bulletin presented
by the Foundation Center
To search a database of foundations:


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The Foundation Directory
The Idealist
Philanthropy News Digest
IDENTIFY SOURCES

SEEKING FOUNDATIONS and
ORGANIZATIONS
If your project focuses on social issues or
community development you may want
to contact:

Carnegie Corporation of New York

The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation

Entertainment Media Partnerships
IDENTIFY SOURCES
SEEKING FOUNDATIONS and
ORGANIZATIONS
 If your project focuses on
education or is aimed at K-12
children you may want to contact:

The Nord Foundation

ArthurViningDavisFoundations

IDENTIFY SOURCES
If your project focuses on science or
technology you may want to contact:

The Markle Foundation

National Science Foundation

Alfred P. Sloan

• -public understanding of science and technology
IDENTIFY SOURCES

If your project examines the history and
culture of a particular ethnic, racial, or
religious group you may want to contact:

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National Asian American Telecommunication
Association
National Black Programming Consortium
National Foundation for Jewish Culture
The National Italian American Foundation
MATCH SOURCES OF FUNDING
WITH THE PROJECT NEEDING
SUPPORT
ESTABLISH YOUR TIMELINE TO
FIT THE SOURCE(S) DEADLINE(S)
NEH offers grants in the following
categories:
Challenge Grants·
Education Programs·
Preservation and Access·
Public Programs·
Research Programs·
Guidelines are available for each of the programs
in these categories and programs in each area
have separate guidelines and deadlines.
DEADLINES (http://www.neh.gov )
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Libraries and Archives:
Implementation Grants
January 23, 2007
October 2007
Challenge Grants November
1, 2006 May 1, 2007
Fellowships
May 1, 2007
January 2008
Grants to Preserve and
Create Access to Humanities
Collections
July 25, 2006
May 2007
Preservation and Access
Reference Materials Grants
July 25, 2006
May 2007
PROPOSAL WRITING
ELEMENTS OF A GOOD PROPOSAL
Some Questions?
Is it well conceived?
 Who is it for?
 Who is on the team?
 What is the plan of work?
 Are resources in place?
 What will it cost?
 What is it (in a word)?

ELEMENTS FOR AN NEH PROPOSAL

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Project Description (in a
word)
Table of Content
Budget
Nature of the Request
(abstract)
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Introduction to the subject
Dissemination
Audience
Organizations history
Partnerships
Resources
Plan of Work
Evaluation plan
SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION
Submit the application on the deadline
–ON TIME
 Submit the required number of copies
–ON TIME
 Submit to a person if possible
–ON TIME
 Confirm Submission!

grants.gov
(what’s that?)
National Endowment for the Humanities
Applying for NEH
grants using
Grants.gov
Grants.gov provides robust functionality
It allows the grant community to:
 search for available grant opportunities
and related application packages
 receive automatic e-mail notices about
new grant opportunities from the NEH or
other agencies
 download application packages
 submit completed application packages
 track the status of submitted applications
 submit all their applications to one place –
no need to learn one system for NEH,
another for NSF, another for NIH, etc. All
agencies use Grants.Gov.
www.grants.gov
Use this URL
Grants.gov
Home Page
Use this page to
find out about
grant
opportunities or to
get help with
using Grants.gov.
NEH guidelines
include step-bystep instructions
for applying via
Grants.gov
CRITERIA FOR
EVALUATION
All government agencies and most grantmaking organizations publish their criteria
for evaluation in their guidelines.
PAY ATTENTION!
EVALUATION CRITERIA @ NEH

What is the value and
delivery of content in
the disciplines of the
humanities?
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For who? (audience)
How? (formats)
When? (plan of work)
How much? (Budget)
Who supports? (Orgs.)
Who is doing? (Staffing)
Resources (delivery)
WHO MAKES FUNDING DECISIONS?

Foundations, organizations, agencies
must explain the process for making
grants in their guidelines. Look for it
there. Generally:

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Conforms to the mission of the foundation
Rarely a single person
Usually a process
REVIEW AT NEH (STAGED PROCESS)

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Reviewed for eligibility
Reviewed by a panel of scholars and peers
Reviewed by staff (review the review)
Reviewed by the National Council on the
Humanities
Chairman of the NEH, by law, makes the grant
PARTNERS & COLLABORATION
Builds Expertise
 Demonstrates Value
 Deepens the Reach
 Develops Points of View
 Widens Availability

STRATAGIES for
SUCCESS
Plan well in advance—Start early,
arrive on time
 Have organizational buy-in—Get
agency support before you start
 Establish partnerships—Make sure all
players are sitting at the table
 Build a team—Projects get done by
the people doing them

PITFALLS
We’re the best, it’s all about us!
 Give it to ‘em
 We know what is best

MORE PITFALLS

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Speling
Grammer
Sinntax
MORE PITFALLS
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Lack of Organization
Lack of Coherent Conceptualization
Rhetorical language
Emotional Pleading
SHAKING THE MONEY
TREE
THE END
Marcia Keyser
Drake University
Presentation Three
SHAKING THE MONEY TREE:
GRANT WRITING FOR
LIBRARIANS
ACRL
EBSS
Writing a Grant: One
Librarian’s Experience
Marcia W. Keyser
Drake University
Sponsored Research Officer
• Also called a
Grants Officer, or
Funding expert.
• Ours was (& still
is) Sandra
Rexroat.
University-wide Statistics
• The Office of
Institutional
Research.
• Alan Tipton and
Ruth, and two
other assistants,
were very helpful.
Library Statistics
• Bruce,
Schueneman,
Systems Librarian.
Research
• Maria de Jesus
Ayala-Schueneman:
“A study of library
services provided to
students in bilingual
education programs
by elementary
school library media
centers in South
Texas.”
Education & Bilingual
Education Departments
• Professional
Endorsement and
collection
development help
from Dr. Roberto
Torres.
Kingsville Independent
School District
Sponsored Research Office
Texas A&M U-Kingsville
More grant steps…
Funding Sources
• Think Big (IMLS, NEH)
• Think Small (Local foundations)
• Consult the ALA Big Book of Library
Grant Money
In conclusion
• Don’t be afraid to start the grant
process.
• Try, try again.
Marcia W. Keyser
• Cowles Library, Drake University
• marcia.keyser@drake.edu
• 515-271-3989
Thank you for attending
this EBSS Program!
Interested in being a part of EBSS?
Contact Venta Silins,
Membership Committee Chair
at: vsilins@uwb.edu
Shaking the Money Tree:
Grant Writing for Librarians
http://www.ala.org/ebss/shakingthemoneytree