National Leadership Grants (Libraries)

National Leadership Grants support projects that have the potential to elevate museum and library practice. The Institute seeks to advance the ability of museums and libraries to preserve culture, heritage and knowledge while enhancing learning. IMLS welcomes proposals that promote the skills necessary to develop 21st century communities, citizens, and workers. Successful proposals will have national impact and generate results—new tools, research, models, services, practices, or alliances—that can be widely adapted or replicated to extend the benefit of federal investment.

Amount: $50,000 - $1m (3 years)

Date due: February 1, 2010

Competitive applications describe projects that will produce programs, collections, research findings, and/or tools that will have strategic impact, demonstrate innovation, produce models for collaboration, and actively disseminate project results.  Four categories are represented: advancing digital resources, research, demonstration, and library-museum collaboration.


For more information, click here.

ALA Research Grant

The American Library Association's Office for Research and Statistics is accepting applications for the Carroll Preston Baber Research Grant. The grant is given to one or more librarians or library educators conducting innovative research that could lead to an improvement in services to any specified group of people.

Amount: $3,000

Date due: December 1, 2009

A grant of up to $3,000 will be given to a proposed project that aims to answer a question of vital importance to the national library community. Any ALA member may apply, and the jury welcomes projects that involve both a practicing librarian and a researcher.

For more information, click here.

Big Read Program Offers Grants

The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, is accepting applications from nonprofit organizations to conduct month-long community-wide reads between September 2010 and June 2011. The Big Read is a national program designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture.

Amount: $2,500 to $20,000

Date due: February 2, 2010

Organizations selected to participate in the program will receive a grant ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 each, access to online training resources, educational and promotional materials, inclusion of the organization and activities on the Big Read Web site, and the prestige of participating in a highly visible national program. Approximately seventy-five organizations from across the United States will be selected to participate.

Grants must be matched at least one-to-one with non-federal funds. Grant funds may be used for expenses such as book purchases, speaker fees and travel, salaries, advertising, and venue rental. Applicants can select one of the thirty-one available reading choices.

For more information, click here.