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For All Libraries:

The William G. Kelley Foundation funds local Opportunity Grants for organizations that support the disabled with assistive technology or universal design. The Foundation accepts applications on a rolling basis from non-profit organizations (this includes academic, public, and school libraries) that provide support to individuals with physical challenges. Projects aiming to foster inclusion of people with challenges through accessibility and universal design will be given priority.

Groups located in Essex or Middlesex counties of Massachusetts are invited to send a letter of inquiry to the foundation, with detailed plans for a project which will be fully or partially funded by the grant. Groups should also include proof of non-profit status and a copy of their annual budget.

One $2,000 project grant will also be available to a non-profit organization that provides support to individuals with physical challenges. (There is no application form for this $2,000 grant.) Projects aiming to foster inclusion of people with challenges through accessibility and universal design will be given priority.

See: www.williamgkelley.org/news_events.htm for more information.

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Reference Materials Grants support projects that create reference works and research tools.

Some eligible projects include:

  • databases and electronic archives that codify and integrate humanities materials, or provide bibliographical control of a subject or field;
  • print and online encyclopedias about various fields in the humanities or about a particular area or subject;
  • descriptive catalogs that provide detailed information about humanities materials.

The deadline is July 15. More information is available at: www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/referencematerials.html.

For Academic Libraries:

The ALA Office for Diversity Grant consists of a one-time $2000 annual award for original research and a $500 travel grant to attend and present at ALA Annual Conference. Three grants are awarded each year. The 2006-2007 Diversity Research Grant Topics are:

  • An Active Learning and Service Approach to Diversity in Small or Rural Libraries
  • Emerging Technologies and Services to Diverse Populations
  • The Role of the Diversity Committee, Liaison, or Officer in the Creation of Institutional Change in Libraries

The deadline for submitting proposals is April 15. See: www.ala.org/ala/diversity/divresearchgrants/diversityresearch.htm.

For School Libraries:

The U.S. Department of Education announces the 2006 Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program competition. Application information is available at: www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/applicant.html. The deadline for applications is April 11 and must be submitted electronically at: www.grants.gov.

Eligible applicants include communities in which at least 20 percent of the students served are from families with incomes below the poverty line based on the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Information on the poverty level in each district can be found at: www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/eligibility.html. Approximately $19 million will be available for funding, and an estimated 100 grants will be awarded under this competition.