Libraries Transforming Communities (LTC): Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities.
Donor Name: American Library Association
State: All States
County: All Counties
Territory: American Samoa, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and U.S. Virgin Islands
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/28/2023
Size of the Grant: $20,000
Details:
Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with community members — be they library patrons, residents, faculty, students, or partner organizations — to address issues for the betterment of the community.
Through these grants, ALA strives to:
- Increase the accessibility of library facilities, services, and programs for people with disabilities in small and rural communities.
- Support libraries’ community engagement efforts by providing resources to help them to work with impacted populations to guide the improvement of library services.
Funding Information
- Up to 300 libraries will be selected in this application period (November 2022 to February 2023). ALA will make up to 250 awards of $10,000 to eligible institutions. For applicants interested in undertaking a more ambitious project, ALA will make up to 50 awards of $20,000. Applicants interested in receiving a larger grant must complete an extended version of the application. These proposals will first be considered for an award of $20,000; if not selected for funding at the higher level, the proposal will be considered for a $10,000 award.
- Libraries selected for funding will receive:
- $10,000 or $20,000 to support costs related to their community engagement project.
- Virtual training to assist project directors in developing their community engagement, facilitation, and disability service skills
- A suite of online resources developed to support local programs, including template press releases, social media messaging, logos, digital promotional materials, and template letters that can be used to notify local leaders/officials about the library’s project
- Technical and project support from the ALA Public Programs Office throughout the grant term, such as access to:
- Online learning opportunities for grantees intended to assist project directors in promoting their project, completing grant reporting requirements and participating in evaluation
- Community of practice for project directors and staff.
Eligibility Criteria
- This opportunity is open to any type of library in the U.S. and U.S. territories that serves a small and rural community.
- The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) defines libraries serving small and rural communities as those located in an area that’s more than, or equal to, five miles from an urbanized area and with a population of 25,000 or less.
- Only complete and eligible applications that are received on time will be reviewed.
For more information, visit American Library Association.
