Funding Sources for Youth Services
 

What are some grant sources?

This is a big topic, but here’s a start.

• The Library Grants blog is a great place to start. The bloggers post a new grant appropriate for libraries every week or so; it includes many aimed at youth programs.
• The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) offers a wide range of grants, scholarships, stipends and more to librarians who serve young adults.
• The Association for Library Service for Children (ALSC) also offers many grants and awards.
• The Scholastic website offers a long list of grants for libraries.
• The Colorado AfterSchool Network provides resources for after-school funding opportunities available to Colorado organizations.

Just a few of the many specific national grant programs for youth programs and collections:

• Target
• The Libri Foundation
• W. K. Kellogg Foundation
• We the People Bookshelf (National Endowment for the Humanities & ALA)
• Coming Up Taller Awards
• Wells Fargo
• Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy
• Corporation for National & Community Service

There are some fantastic local/statewide/regional organizations that offer grant programs, too (these are statewide; there are many more regional and local opportunities):

• The Daniels Fund
• Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation
• Colorado Rockies Charity Fund, a fund of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation
• Gates Family Foundation
• Schlessman Family Foundation
• Kinder Morgan Foundation
• Anschutz Family Foundation
• Colorado Humanities Council
• El Pomar Foundation

What resources are available to learn more about grants?

There are many online resources that provide basic grant writing steps and tips, like:

• Grant Proposal Writing Tips from Corporation for Public Broadcasting
• The Foundation Center offers free webinars on grant writing basics.
• Colorado Grants
• Grants for libraries: A how-to-do-it manual by Stephanie K. Gerding, Pamela H. MacKellar. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2006.
  • Available through the CO Department of Education’s Professional Collection!

How can we seek in-kind contributions?

Depending on your library’s situation, it may be best to work closely with your Friends group on these ideas.

• Approach local businesses for in-kind donations, or ask for discounts. Try for everything from pizzas for an end of the SRP teen party to discounts on books to gift certificates to free/ reduced cost ads in the newspaper or radio.
• Ask local organizations, like Kiwanis, Rotary Club, Lions Club, churches, etc, to donate volunteer time or items like bikes and office supplies.
• Seek volunteer help all over your community, including high schools!
• For large events, like an SRP, author programs, or movie series, ask for community sponsors; these can be individuals, businesses, nonprofits, or other organizations.
• Create a wish list or needs list and advertise it in your newsletter, website, and flyers. The list can include specific items like a laminator or large screen monitor, a call for volunteers for an event, or general or specific craft supplies. If you don’t mind receiving gently used items, include that info for a better success rate. For specific items, this approach sometimes works better than a general call for cash donations.