Funds received from a private foundation (such as the Council on Library and Information Resources) or government-sponsored organization (such as the National Endowment for the Humanities) by an individual, group, or institution in support of a worthy project or cause is known as a grant. In most cases, the recipient must compete for grant funds by submitting a proposal.
Grantsmanship is the art of successfully obtaining and administering grants and grants-in-aid, including the ability to recognize when an idea is fundable, locate funding sources, research the information necessary to fill out the application, establish a realistic timetable, write the proposal, and manage the grant process once funding is approved. When grant funding is a high priority, you may wish to consider working with a trained and experienced grants administrator to help teaching faculty and librarians negotiate the process.
Resources
- Annual Register of Grant Support
- Information on funding sources published by Information Today.
- The Foundation Directory
- published annually by The Foundation Center
- Grants.gov
- For federal grant opportunities. Maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Library Grants
- A blog for anyone interested in library grant opportunities.
The Idaho Commission for Libraries offers monetary grants to libraries, including:
- Continuing Education Grants,
- LSTA Grants,
- Mini-Access Grants,
- First-Time Conference Attendee Grants.
For more information on ICfL monetary grants, contact:
Annie Gaines, Continuing Education Consultant
annie.gaines@libraries.idaho.gov | (208) 639-4151
Information about E-rate and Broadband Grants can be found here.
For more information on E-rate and Broadband Grants, contact:
Doug Baker, Library Technology Consultant
doug.baker@libraries.idaho.gov | (208) 639-4173
Grant opportunities are announced on the LibIdaho listserv as well as on ICfL blog posts.