Youth/Adult Library Services

Our free literacy programs and book giveaways inspire low-income, at-risk, and rural children throughout New Hampshire and Vermont to fall in love with books.Our programs include an application process for organizations that serve children who are at risk of growing up with low literacy skills. This helps us make sure that we support the children who need us most.

Our friends at CLiF have some grant and PD opportunities for you:

 

YEAR OF THE BOOK GRANT

This is CLiF’s largest and most comprehensive grant, offering $25,000 in literacy programming and new books over the course of the school year. The Year of the Book grant is awarded to public schools serving preschool-grade 6 that have demonstrated need and also show enthusiasm for building a culture of literacy. Learn more about this opportunity, eligibility, and information here. Deadline to apply is March 17, 2025.

 

SPARK GRANT

The Spark Grant provides $500 to past CLiF partners to support ongoing literacy goals. This includes an author/illustrator visit, giveaway books, library books, and/or family literacy events. You MUST have received a CLiF grant in 2022 or earlier in order to be eligible to apply. This grant is due on the first of every month, with rolling applications accepted until available funds are spent.

 

LITERACY ENRICHMENT GRANT

The Literacy Enrichment Grant offers up to $1000 in funding for project-oriented or experiential learning opportunities that bring literacy to life. Think fun, flexible, and creative! The deadline to apply for a Literacy Enrichment Grant is March 1, 2025

 

CLiF COMMUNITY LITERACY CONFERENCE

Save the date for our annual Community Literacy Conference on April 4, 2025 at the Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee, VT. Stay tuned for registration, agenda, and event details!

 

Questions? Contact Cassie Willner at cassie@clifonline.org or 802-244-0944.

 

 

Applications now open for Penguin Random House and United for Libraries Grants for Friends Groups

Grants of $500 and $1,000, along with book donations and free virtual training, will be awarded to small and rural libraries; applications close Feb. 18

United for Libraries and Penguin Random House have partnered for a new grant opportunity for Friends of Libraries in small and rural communities across the U.S. Grants of $500 and $1,000 (totaling $25,000), will be awarded to support libraries in need. Sign up for grant information sessions and/or training

These funds will assist Friends of Library groups with priority projects. In-kind book donation grants of $500 will also be awarded to 20 libraries to purchase Penguin Random House titles. Applications will close Feb. 18, 2025.

Each grant recipient will also receive complimentary eLearning from United for Libraries. This includes a year of access to United for Libraries Learning Live monthly webinars, which present in-depth training to library Trustees/Board Members, Friends, Foundations, advocates, and those who work with them, and training on how to leverage the grant funds to build support for the library and the Friends group.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for a cash or in-kind grant, Friends groups must support a rural/small U.S. library in the 50 states, District of Columbia, or U.S. territories (Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) with a legal service area population of 25,000 or less, and in any area 5+ miles outside of a U.S. Census defined urban area (as defined by the Institute of Museum and Library Services IMLS). A library that meets the same eligibility and is able to demonstrate it has started the process of forming a Friends group will also be eligible.

How to apply

The grant application is open now through Feb. 18, 2025.

• The application is hosted on the ALA Apply platform.
• Download a PDF of the application questions. Please note that (1) this contains all questions, you will only answer those applicable to the specific grant for which you are applying ($500, $1,000, or $500 in-kind), and (2) all applications must be submitted online.
• You will need to create an account on the ALA Apply platform if you do not have one already. This account is different than your ALA website or membership account.
• You can save the application and return later to complete. Be sure to submit the application once you have finalized all information.
• Refer to the Dec. 18 information session Frequently Asked Questions for details about the grants, eligibility, and more. If you need additional assistance, please email united@ala.org or call (312) 280-2161.

Grants will be administered by United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, whose mission is to support those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for all types of libraries. Grant funding is provided by Penguin Random House.

Learn more about this grant opportunity on the United for Libraries website, or sign up to receive updates.

SCHEDULE

January 29, 2025: Optional "Question & Answer" webinar for potential applicants 2 p.m ET | 11 a.m. PT. (The webinar will be recorded and available for viewing soon after the event.) — Register Here

March 5, 2025: Application deadline: 5:00 p.m. ET | 2:00 p.m. PT — Apply Now

Mid-May 2025: Selected and non-selected applicants will be notified of their status via email.

June 11, 2025: Deadline for selected applicants to complete and return the MOU (memorandum of understanding) and vendor forms to AARP.

June 25, 2025 (Tentative): Public announcement of selected grantees and the date upon which the projects can begin.

December 15, 2025: Deadline for the project's completion.

December 31, 2025: Deadline for submitting the After-Action Report.

Flagship Grants
Flagship AARP Community Challenge grants have ranged from several hundred dollars for smaller, short-term activities to tens of thousands of dollars for larger projects. Since 2017, AARP has funded projects with an average grant amount of $10,000 to $12,000. Nine out of 10 grants (or 92 percent) are for $20,000 or less.

In 2025, grants will not exceed $25,000. (AARP also reserves the right to award compelling projects of any dollar amount.)

We are accepting applications for projects that benefit residents — especially those age 50 and older — in the following categories: 

• Creating vibrant public places that improve open spaces, parks and access to other amenities. 

• Delivering a range of transportation and mobility options that increase connectivity, walkability, bikeability and access to public and private transit 

• Supporting a range of housing options that increases the availability of accessible and affordable choices 

• Increasing digital connections and enhancing digital literacy skills of residents 

• Supporting community resilience through investments that improve disaster management, preparedness and mitigation for residents

Capacity-Building Microgrants 
Combining $2,500 grants with additional resources (such as webinars, cohort learning opportunities, up to 2 hours of one-on-one coaching with leading national nonprofit organizations and AARP publications), this grant opportunity will accept applications for projects that benefit residents — especially those age 50 and older — in the following categories: 

• NEW! Disaster Preparedness Training: Implement disaster preparedness training programs and resources for residents, especially those age 50-plus, with support from SBP and using the AARP Disaster Resilience Tool Kit. 

• Walk Audits: Implement walk audit assessments to enhance safety and walkability in communities, especially for people age 50-plus, with support from America Walks and using the AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit.  

• Bike Audits: Implement bike audits to enhance safety and bikeability in communities, especially for people age 50-plus, with support from The League of American Bicyclists and using the AARP Bike Audit Tool Kit.  

• HomeFit Guide Modifications: Implement education, simple home modifications and accessible safety solutions to create and maintain “lifelong homes,” especially for people age 50-plus, with support from the RL Mace Universal Design Institute and using the AARP HomeFit Guide. 

Demonstration Grants 
This opportunity funds projects that encourage the replication of promising local efforts. Grants tend to fall between $10,000 and $20,000 and will not exceed $25,000. 

The demonstration grant opportunity will accept applications for projects that benefit residents, especially those age 50 and older, in the following categories: 

• NEW! Enhancing pedestrian safety by creating safer streets and sidewalks, with a focus on people age 50-plus, with funding support from Toyota Motor North America.  

• NEW! Expanding high-speed internet (broadband) access and adoption, with a focus on people age 50-plus, with funding support from Microsoft. 

• Reconnecting communities divided by infrastructure, with a focus on people age 50-plus, as highlighted in the award-winning AARP Livable Communities article series Before the Highway. 

• Implementing housing design competitions that increase community understanding and encourage policies that enable greater choice in housing, with a focus on people age 50-plus, by using the AARP Housing Design Competition Tool Kit. 

*************CALL FOR APPLICATION***********

Do you want to collect and share important stories in your community, both current and past, but not sure where to start? Do you have a great idea for a community archive project but need funding and support? Apply to the Scaling Community Through Archives cohort! 

The Scaling Community Through Archives project team is excited to announce that we are now accepting applications for the project learning cohort. Eight public library staff will be selected to participate in the cohort which will provide stipends, mentoring, and resources for developing or expanding a community archives project in the selected participant's community.

Benefits to cohort participants

A stipend of $7,000 will be provided to each organization selected to participate in the cohort, to support their experience in implementing their project. Participants will also receive an additional $2,000 in funding, which they can use to support travel costs to the in-person training which will occur from September 9-11, 2025 in Seattle, WA.

Additionally, cohort participants will receive support and guidance from the project team as they implement their project through monthly check-in meetings and additional opportunities for mentoring and learning with the other cohort participants.

Application and Decision Timeline

The deadline for applications is April 1, 2025. Applications will be reviewed by the project team with decisions sent to applicants in early May 2025.

All public library staff are eligible to apply including librarians, archivists, paraprofessionals, and others. No prior community archives experience or training is required.

Additional details about the project, benefits, application, and signing up for information sessions be found at the following:

https://tascha.uw.edu/cohort-applications-now-open-for-scaling-community-archives-project/

This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services LG-256575-OLS-24.

*************

Chris Jowaisas
Senior Research Scientist
Technology & Social Change (TASCHA) Group
Information School, University of Washington
chrisjow@uw.edu

• The Library Corporation extensive list of grants for libraries.
• Library Grants blog is a good source of grant information.
• Junior Library Guild also highlights a variety of grants to bolster the development of collections.
• The Dollar General Literacy Foundation offers grants for programs that support literacy, serving students of all ages within Dollar General home town communities. 
• FINRA Foundation Library Grants Program – This grant program supports public libraries and academic libraries in their efforts to meet financial and/or investor education needs at the community level by providing high-quality education, services, and resources. The program also aims to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion in access to personal finance education and information. 
• Jan Stauber-Sherlock Holmes Literacy Grant The purpose of this grant is to foster a love of reading for students, specifically by introducing them to Sherlock Holmes books. The target audience is elementary, middle, and high schools in the USA and Canada. Applications for this grant can be submitted at any point throughout the year, and you can earn up to $1,000.
• Peggy Barber Tribute Grant The Peggy Barber grant is associated with the American Library Association (ALA). Each year, the ALA chooses to focus the grant on a specific type of library programming. For example, this year, the grant focuses on programming related to increasing access for underserved groups or new library users. One unique feature of this library grant is that it is not school-specific, any type of literacy program can apply. Applications for this grant will reopen in December 2023. The maximum grant amount is $2,500.
• The Pilcrow Foundation offers grants to rural libraries in the US that have suffered loss and damage due to recent natural disasters as well as help for libraries experiencing budgetary declines due to reduced or eliminated funding. 
• Walmart offers grants of up to $5,000 to local nonprofit organizations within the service area of an individual Walmart or Sam’s Club store. Project should benefit the community at large. Eligible nonprofit organizations must operate on the local level or be an affiliate/chapter of a larger organization that operates locally and directly benefit the service area of the store from which they are requesting funding. https://walmart.org/how-we-give/local-community-grants (Personal note: the best way to get this grant is to build a relationship with the local store manager. Some managers are happy to approve these grants. Others just let the applications languish. They have to sign off on the application before it moves up the chain.)

GetEdFunding.com

Who We Are

GetEdFunding is your grant finding resource wizard, dedicated to helping educators, schools, and institutions identify the funding they need in budget-tight times.
 

What We Do

GetEdFunding hosts thousands of education grants, including funding opportunities for public and private preK–12 schools and districts; awards for outstanding professionals; grants for teachers, media specialists, and administrators; higher education institutions; and nonprofit organizations offering educational programs.

 

List of funding alerts that may be of interest

The BOOST Funding page is a comprehensive compilation of available funding opportunities including grants, scholarships, awards, and contests to support your school and/or programs. We encourage you to visit our site often for updates and opportunities.

 

T-Mobile is offering up to $50,000 to bring community projects to life in rural areas. The funding is meant to foster local connections, like technology upgrades, outdoor spaces, the arts, and community centers. Check out the T-Mobile grant page to learn more.