ARP-ESSER Summer School Libraries Grant

Grants of up to $7,000 can be used by school libraries to stay open during the summer to offer programs and services to their community. You can view a checklist of grant requirements and a draft of the final report here.

Program Overview – Year 2

The Summer School Library Grant provides awards of up to $7,000 for schools to open their libraries during the summer months. Schools provide the closest libraries for many families in Idaho and opening during the summer will increase access to vital learning materials. Grants may be used to staff the library, purchase programming supplies and summer-reading books, and offset operating costs. Selected libraries will be provided reading materials and web content to explore summer learning best practices. This funding opportunity aims to address learning loss among students related to the impact of reduced instructional time due to Covid-19. The Idaho Commission for Libraries invites publicly-funded school libraries throughout Idaho to apply.

Selected schools should plan to open their library for at least eight hours a week during summer 2024. In addition to keeping the library open, funds may be used to provide summer learning and enrichment activities in the library in ways that address the needs of local students. Potential ideas include:

  • Expand or add new summer learning or enrichment programs hosted by the school library.
  • Reduce barriers by identifying ways to increase access for youth disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, including those from underserved racial and ethnic groups, children from low-income families, children with disabilities, English learners, migrant youth, children experiencing homelessness, and youth in foster care.
  • Increase programing quality through staff professional development.
  • Bring in guest speakers or host demonstrations.
  • Add new enrichment opportunities, such as college, trade school, and career exploration.
  • Address the social and emotional needs of students during summer programming.
  • Provide transportation to and from summer learning or enrichment programs.

Schools are encouraged to explore a variety of subjects if they provide summer learning and enrichment programs as part of the grant. Potential summer programming topics include:

  • STEM
  • Literacy and Reading
  • The Arts
  • History and Social Studies
  • Geography
  • Physical Education
  • College, Trade School, and Technical Education
  • Career Exploration
  • Strategies for Successful Learning and Studying
  • Social and Emotional Well-Being

This program is administered by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and is made possible in part by the Idaho Board of Education and the U.S. Department of Education. Funding was authorized by the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2, enacted on March 11, 2021. The ARP ESSER Fund aims to respond to students’ academic, social, and emotional needs and also address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underrepresented student subgroups, including those from different racial and ethnic groups, children from low-income families, children with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, students experiencing homelessness, and youth in foster care.

Program Goals

  1. Strengthen the role of school libraries as centers addressing learning loss by opening during the summer and implementing high quality evidence-based summer learning programs.
  2. Build the institutional capacity of school libraries through staff participation in self-paced study focused on summer learning best practices.
  3. Address the academic, social, and emotional needs of Idaho’s K-12 students facing learning loss due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with special emphasis on the disproportionate impact on underrepresented student subgroups.

Eligibility

This grant is open to publicly-funded school libraries in Idaho. Districts may submit applications for multiple schools. Organizations that have received this grant in the past are eligible to apply again. For definitions of library types, please see ICfL’s grant eligibility requirements at https://libraries.idaho.gov/grants-funding/grant-eligibility/.

To apply for this grant, the organization must obtain a non-proprietary Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number from the federal System of Award Management (SAM). The UEI is a requirement for grantees receiving federal funds administered by the ICfL and replaces the requirement for a DUNS number. Obtaining a UEI is free, but can take upwards of a week to several months if your entity is not already in the SAM system. Please see the SAM website for more information: https://sam.gov/content/home. Schools should check with their district business office to obtain the UEI for the school district, which is likely already registered in SAM.

Selection Process and Agreement Instrument

Applications deemed eligible and complete will be ranked by an ICfL grant review committee using a scoring rubric based upon the application narrative questions. Each narrative question identifies the number of associated points for that question. Grant reviewers may also take into account the overall project budget and the geographic distribution of applicants when ranking.

Official award notifications will be signed by the ICfL authorizing official, the State Librarian, or alternate assigned official. The completed application signed by the applicant, along with the official award notification signed by the ICfL authorizing official, will serve as the agreement/contract for this grant.

Key Dates for Year 2

Grant Application Period: October 15 – November 15, 2023

Grant Period: December 15, 2023 – September 15, 2024

Open School Library Part Time: June – August 2024

Final Report Due: August 30, 2024

Program Requirements – Year 2

A. Award Summary.  School libraries may apply for awards ranging from $1,000 to $7,000. Funds may be used to keep the school library open during the summer, fund staff professional development, and provide summer learning and enrichment programs for youth.

B. Required Activities. The school agrees to:

1. Open the school library for a minimum of 8 hours per week for a planned duration during the summer of 2024.

2. Select at least one staff member to engage in self-paced study focused on summer learning best practices and research. Read the book Summer Reading, Closing the Rich/Poor Achievement Gap, 2nd Edition, provided by the ICfL. Plan time to explore the National Summer Learning Association website: https://www.summerlearning.org/research-and-policy/.

3. Prepare and provide high-quality summer learning programs in the library or through outreach events using the knowledge and tools gained from the self-paced study. This grant element is optional and conforms to what the school describes and budgets for in the application.

4. Watch a webinar produced by the Utah Education Policy Center discussing the topic of data collection and use.

5. Make reasonable efforts to increase access to underrepresented student groups disproportionality affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, including those from underserved racial and ethnic groups, children from low-income families, children with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, children experiencing homelessness, and youth in foster care.

6. Implement public health protocols during programming to maintain the health and safety of program participants and staff.

C. Allowable Expenditures. A grantee may only use program funds for allowable costs, as defined in the federal grant funds Uniform Guidance (2 C.F.R. Part 200), which includes the requirement that costs be reasonable and necessary for the accomplishment of program objectives.

The following is an abbreviated list of allowable grant expenses. It is not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive. Applicants should contact the ICfL if they are unsure if their proposed idea/expenditure is allowable.

1. Compensation including salaries and wages for staff involved in opening the school library, and planning, preparing for, and providing summer learning and enrichment programs. This is intended to support the school library with additional salary funds necessary to expand services or complete project objectives, not replace existing salaries.

2. Materials and supplies for summer learning and enrichment programs including technology and assistive technology devices.

3. Materials and supplies such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), cleaning, and sanitizing supplies necessary for safely conducting summer learning activities.

4. Training and education costs for staff, including related travel expenses. Costs must be directly related to the purpose and successful fulfillment of this grant.

5. Professional and consultant services such as those for translation, tutoring, guest speakers, or community partner programming.

6. Services to increase summer learning or make learning opportunities more accessible such as those used for technological connectivity and subscriptions. Grant funds may only be used to pay for services provided during the official grant period.

7. Advertising or publicity specifically related to the grant for (1) program outreach specific to the grant such as publishing dates and times of activities; (2) recruitment of personnel to carry out the grant; and (3) procurement of goods or services to implement the grant.

D. Non-Allowable Expenditures. The following is an abbreviated list of non-allowable grant expenses. It is not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive. Applicants should contact the ICfL if they are unsure if a cost is allowable. The following items are not allowable grant expenses:

1. Food and beverages. However, if a partner organization provides food, or the purchase of food is funded through another source, the grantee can use staff time paid for with grant funds to prepare or distribute the food to participants. Food is allowable if used primarily as a supply in a learning activity.

2. Capital expenditures related to the purchase of real property, buildings, or motor vehicles.

3. Construction expenditures related to the improvement or expansion of buildings and facilities.

4. Advertising or publicity not related directly to the programs carried out though the grant.

5. Costs of promotional items and memorabilia, including models, gifts, and souvenirs.

E. Reporting Requirements. The library agrees to:

1. Document grant expenditures through receipts, payroll reports, accounting system reports, and/or invoices. Spending documentation must be submitted with the final report. Any grant funds not accounted for through documented spending must be returned to the ICfL.

2. Collect program data required by the ICfL or our funding partners, the Idaho State Board of Education and the U.S. Department of Education.

3. Facilitate surveys and/or site visits by the Idaho Out of School Network (ION) or their subcontractor for program evaluation purposes.

4. Submit final report by August 30, 2024.

F. Records Retention. The grantee must retain grant records for a period of three years following the end of the award period. Records include the grant application/agreement, award letter, correspondence, reports, financial records, and receipts.

G. Acknowledgement. This grant is administered by the Idaho Commission for Libraries and was made possible in part by the Idaho State Board of Education and the U.S. Department of Education. Please acknowledge these funding sources in signage, brochures, websites, press releases, and public events funded by this grant.

H. Funding Availability. The ICfL plans to disburse funds to awarded libraries at the beginning of the grant period. Disbursement of awards is conditional upon ICfL’s receipt of ARP ESSER funds from the Idaho State Board of Education and U.S. Department of Education. If ARP ESSER funds become unavailable to the ICfL for any reason, the ICfL reserves the right to delay or withhold funding from awarded libraries, or cancel this grant program. The ICfL will notify awarded libraries in writing if funding becomes unavailable. Grantees are advised not to incur post-award grant expenses until they receive written confirmation that the ICfL is disbursing funds to them.

Application Instructions – Year 2

The online application must be completed in one sitting and cannot be saved for completion at a later time. We suggest drafting responses in a separate document prior to completing the online form. The application must be signed and submitted with an electronic signature on or before November 15, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. MT. This application will serve as your official grant agreement if you are notified in writing that you have been approved for funding. The ICfL will notify all applicants whether or not they were selected for funding.

If you have questions about the application process, please contact either of the following staff members at the Idaho Commission for Libraries:

Application Questions

A. Descriptive Title of Your Proposed Project.

B. Describe the need for increased summer learning opportunities for youth within your community. Please include the needs of one or more of the student groups listed in the authorizing legislation for this funding source including youth from underserved racial and ethnic groups, children from low-income families, children with disabilities, English learners, migrant students, children experiencing homelessness, and youth in foster care.

C. Describe your preliminary plan for opening your school library during the summer of 2024. What are your proposed days and hours of operation. Do you plan to staff the library with a current staff member or hire an additional position?

D. In addition to opening the library, do you plan to use the grant to provide summer learning and enrichment programs hosted by the library? If so, briefly describe your proposed programs.

E. Requested Funding Amount and Proposed Budget.

Questions? Contact ICfL:

If you have questions about the grant application, allowable expenditures, or any other grant related questions, please contact Talela Florko, Grants/Contracts Officer, at talela.florko@libraries.idaho.gov, (208) 639-4158 or Jeannie Standal, School Library Consultant, jeannie.standal@libraries.idaho.gov, (208) 639-4139

Jeannie Standal

Jeannie Standal

School Library Consultant
Email / 208-639-4139
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