{"id":14353,"date":"2016-11-05T00:01:20","date_gmt":"2016-11-05T04:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=14353"},"modified":"2016-11-03T09:37:07","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T13:37:07","slug":"alsccandlewick-press-light-way-outreach-underserved-grant-now-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2016\/11\/alsccandlewick-press-light-way-outreach-underserved-grant-now-open\/","title":{"rendered":"The ALSC\/Candlewick Press \u201cLight the Way: Outreach to the Underserved\u201d Grant is now open!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For many public libraries, grants are a vital revenue stream. And when funding is limited, grants become highly competitive. Every library and even every grant writer has their own strategy. I encourage everyone to try their hand at grant writing, even if you\u2019ve never written one\u00a0before. As the facilitator of your program, you are best equipped to tell that program\u2019s story, and convey your library\u2019s need.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>What type of program are you trying to fund? Research what grants are available to you, and make sure that what you\u2019re asking for fits the selection criteria of the grant being awarded. If you have a program that fits the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ala.org\/alsc\/awardsgrants\/profawards\/candlewicklighttheway\">\u201cLight the Way\u201d <\/a>grant, I encourage you to review our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ala.org\/alsc\/awardsgrants\/profawards\/candlewicklighttheway\/Current_Winner\">previous grant winners<\/a> to see if you can identify what made that winning program stand out from the rest of the applicants.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few tips to consider when grant writing. Work with your program staff to be sure your information is up to date and relevant. Avoid rhetoric and hyperbole. Try to provide anecdotes and testimonies that demonstrate need or previous success. Be specific about outputs and outcomes. The proposal should explicitly state expected practical, tangible outcomes. Don\u2019t be afraid to be realistic about your expectations! Make sure to adhere to the formatting and content requirements laid out in the grant application instructions. Proposals not meeting the stated requirements will often not be considered.<\/p>\n<p>Do your research! There are countless publications that can help you through the grant writing process, several are published by ALA.<\/p>\n<p>Is our \u201cLight the Way\u201d grant not the best fit? Check out these other amazing opportunities:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ezra-jack-keats.org\/section\/ezra-jack-keats-mini-grant-program-for-public-libraries-public-schools\/\">Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Mini-Grants<\/a> offers funding of up to $500 to provide creative, innovative programs that support or extend the Common Core Standards in education.<\/li>\n<li>Need help developing your collection? <a href=\"http:\/\/www.librifoundation.org\/#GUIDE\">The Libri Foundation<\/a> was established in 1989 for the sole purpose of helping rural libraries acquire new, quality, hardcover children&#8217;s books they could not otherwise afford to buy.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.neabigread.org\/application_process.php\">NEA Big Read<\/a> is accepting applications from libraries and non-profit organizations to develop community-wide reading programs between September 2017 and June 2018. NEA Big Read is a national program that broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lisalibraries.org\/frames.html\">The Lisa Libraries<\/a> donates new children&#8217;s books and small libraries to organizations that work with kids in poor and under-served areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Best of luck with your submissions!<\/p>\n<p><em>Lesley Mason is the Library Director for the Caldwell County Public Library. She is currently the chair of the ALCS\u2019s Library Service to Special Population Children and Their Caregivers Committee. She earned her Master\u2019s Degree in Library Science from Clarion University. She specializes in Early Literacy and can be reached at lmason@caldwellcountync.org<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For many public libraries, grants are a vital revenue stream. And when funding is limited, grants become highly competitive. Every library and even every grant writer has their own strategy. I encourage everyone to try their hand at grant writing, even if you\u2019ve never written one\u00a0before. As the facilitator of your program, you are best equipped to tell that program\u2019s story, and convey your library\u2019s need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":164,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[269,98],"tags":[721,426],"class_list":["post-14353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogger-library-service-to-underserved-children-and-caregivers-committee","category-grants-and-fundraising","tag-grant-writing","tag-grants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/164"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14353\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}