Fundraising Grantmakers

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Scholarships | Program Grants | Collection Grants/Preservation | Construction Grants | Special Populations | Local | Other

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If you don't find a grant that fits your project idea below:

• Check out FC Search at the nearest MHLS member library that owns it
• Call the appropriate MHLS Staff person and we'll help you look for a funding opportunity.

Scholarships

• ALA Scholarships
• Ann Gibson Scholarship (Youth Services)
• Baker & Taylor Grant (Young Adult Librarians to attend ALA Conference)
• Bound to Stay Bound Scholarships-(Youth Services)
• Conference Scholarship Award (NYLA)
• Dewey Fellowship (NYLA Conference)
• Econo-Clad Award for Outstanding Reading or Literature Program for Children (to attend ALA Annual Conference)
• Frederic Melcher Scholarship for children's librarians (Youth Services)
• Fulbright Scholar Program
• LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund-The LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund is devoted to the support, maintenance, medical care, and welfare of librarians who are denied employment rights or discriminated against on the basis of sex, sexual preference, race, color, creed, or place of national origin or are threatened with loss of employment or discharged because of their stand for the cause of intellectual freedom, including promotion of freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and the freedom of librarians to select items for their collections.
• 3M/NMRT Professional Development Grant (New Members Round Table)
• NYLA/Lake Placid Scholarship
• Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers Awards-Four $600 grants will be awarded to selected children's librarians to encourage their attendance at the American Library Association conference held annually. December 1 deadline.
• Sagebrush/YALSA Award -The Sagebrush Corporation Award is designed to honor a member(s) of the Young Adult Library Services Association who has developed an outstanding reading or literature program for young adults. The award provides a grant of $1000 to support the winners attendance at the upcoming ALA Annual conference. December 1 deadline.
• Youth Services Section (YSS) of NYLA Scholarships-There are two awards. The Spring Conference Scholarship supports attendance at the annual YSS spring conference. Applicant may be a library school student, practicing librarian or paraprofessional or involved in youth services activity, such as author, illustrator, storyteller. The Ann Gibson Scholarship of $1,000 is awarded to someone in library school who has completed 18 credits and is planning to go into youth services.
  

Program Grants

• American Library Association
• Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy Grant
• Best Buy Children's Foundation-This foundation funds children's programs where they have a business presence (there are stores in Kingston and Poughkeepsie). Priority goes to programs in mentoring, leadership development and out-of-school educational opportunities. Programs should enhance kids' educational learning experiences through the of use innovative technology. Application guidelines online.
• Book Wholesalers Summer Reading Program Grant-Grant awards $3,000 to a library which develops an outstanding summer reading program theme and activities, with special consideration if program encourages participation by children with physical disabilities. Application due by December 1.. Must be member of ALSC by due date.
• Build-A-Bear
• Coming Up Taller - President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities
• Council on the Arts Grants - annual decentralization grants to promote community-based arts and cultural projects. Libraries may apply for up to $5,000 with the deadline usually occurring in the fall. Here are sites for the Councils within the Mid-Hudson Library System:
  • Columbia
  • Dutchess and Ulster
  • Greene
  • Putnam
• Dollar General Foundation-The Dollar General Literacy Foundation welcomes proposals from non-profit literacy providers on an annual basis. To place your name on the RFP mailing list for future RFPs, please send your organization's name, contact name, and mailing address to The Dollar General Literacy Foundation, P.O. Box 1064, Goodlettsville, TN 37072-1064.
• Experimental Television Center, LTD.
• Ezra Jack Keats Foundation
• Friends of Libraries USA
• Home Depot-Grants support programs for at-risk youth. Young people need safe places to play and learn, leadership programs that teach skills through community engagement and job readiness training. The Home Depot Foundation focuses support on programs that serve at-risk youth ages 12 to 18. For more information, contact hd_foundation@homedepot.com or call The Home Depot Foundation at 1-866-593-7019.
• LEGO Children's Fund- Fund provides grants to nonprofit organizations. Primary areas of support include: early childhood education and development, technology and communication projects that advance learning opportunities. Applications are considered from nonprofit organizations located anywhere within the United States, with emphasis on Connecticut and western Massachusetts. Requests are reviewed quarterly Visit the Fund's website to take the required eligibility quiz.
• Lower Hudson Conference of Historical Agencies and Museums
• Milagro Foundation-The foundation makes grants to community-based, grass- roots organizations that work with children and youth, especially those at risk and disadvantaged due to such factors as poor health, illiteracy, or insufficient educational and cultural opportunities. Milagro focuses upon three areas: (1) helping children and youth live healthy lives through education and prevention of disease; (2) helping live literate lives through learning; and (3) helping live culturally enriched lives through arts education. Application process is ongoing and awards range from $2,500-$5,000.
• MVP Community
• NEA Big Read
• NEH Challenge Grants
• NEH We the People Initiative
• New York Council for the Humanities
• New York Foundation for the Arts
• New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)
• Nickelodeon's Big Green Grants Program
• Office Depot-The company will give some monetary support, as well as specific supplies, to local 501(c)3 organizations which work to benefit children. Rolling deadline for applications.
• Pay It Forward Foundation Mini-Grants
• Planet Dog Foundation (program idea: therapy dogs reading to kids)
  
• Stewart's Shops Grants
• Target Store Grants (early childhood reading grants)
• Texaco Foundation
• Time Warner Foundation (national)
• Toys 'R Us Children's Fund-This Fund supports community programs that nurture and enhance the lives of children. The Reading Ready: Preparing Children to be Lifelong Readers program must be either directed at Parents as Teachers or Pre-Kindergarten Initiatives. Communities must have Toys "R" Us store in area. Rolling deadlines.
• Verizon Foundation
• The Walmart Foundation
• The Wallace Foundation

Collection Grants

• American Library Association
• Book Wholesalers Inc./YALSA Collection Development Grant (for YALSA members)
• Giant Step Award (for exemplary services to young people)
• Libri Foundation - BOOKS FOR CHILDREN PROGRAM
• The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, Inc. (books for at-risk children)
• NEH Reference Material Grants
• YALSA Great Book Giveaway

Preservation

• The Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations Peer Advisors for the Arts
• Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
• The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts
• Lower Hudson Conference of Historical Agencies and Museums
• The National Center for Preservation Technology and Training
• National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program
• NEH Grants to Preserve and Create Access to Humanities Collections
• NEH Preservation Assistance Grants
• NEH National Digital Newspaper Program
• National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)
• National Trust for Historic Preservation
• The Preservation League of New York State
• Save America's Treasures Grant Program

Construction Grants

• NYS Aid for Public Library Construction
• Legislative Member Item Program (MIP)
• The Kresge Foundation
  • Kresge Green Building Initiative
• J. Paul Getty Trust
• Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation
• National Trust for Historic Preservation
• NYSCA Architecture, Planning & Design
• NYSCA Capital Projects
• NYS Division of Housing & Community Renewal - Community Development
• The Preservation League of New York State
• USDA Rural Community Facilities Grant Program
• U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)
  • Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
    

Special Populations

• ALA's Spectrum Initiative (Scholarships)
• Guadalajara International Book Fair (Scholarship)
• IMLS Native American Library Services
• Lois Lenski Covey Foundation, Inc. The foundation annually awards grants to rural and urban public libraries serving at-risk children. The grants range from $500 to $5,000. Successful applicants have proposed purchases to update their collections generally or to expand their holdings in special areas. The Foundation welcomes applications from libraries with real need and limited book budgets. An application form is available from: Lois Lenski Foundation, Attn.: Arthur F. Abelman, Moses & Singer, 1301 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019-6076.
• AARP
• Spry Foundation

Other/General

• American Library Association
• Beaumont Foundation of America
• Ben & Jerry's Foundation
• Carnegie Corporation of New York (national)
• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
• Dyson Foundation
• Ford Foundation (national)
• Grants.gov
• Hannaford Corporation-The Hannaford Charitable Foundation provides financial support for programs and organizations, including libraries, dedicated to improving the communities in which the supermarket chain operates. Guidelines for applying are listed on the site. The application process is ongoing and very little paperwork seems to be required.
• Hudson River Valley Greenway
• IMLS National Leadership Grants for Libraries
• IMLS Librarians for the 21st Century
• MacArthur Foundation (national)
• National Award for Library Service (IMLS)
• Progressive Technology Project (national)
• Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program
• Toyota
• Wal Mart Foundation
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation (national)
• foundations.org
  

Local Grantmakers (by county): Columbia | Dutchess | Greene | Putnam | Ulster | Regional

Tips:

• State legislators are often a source of "grants-in-aid" or member item grants for localities, don't forget to ask!
• Use the Foundation Center's Foundation Finder

Columbia County

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Dutchess County

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation	Mission statement: To improve the quality of life in Berkshire, Litchfield, Columbia and Dutchess counties through organized philanthropy.
Community Foundation of Dutchess County
Dutchess County Arts Council	The Dutchess County Arts Council was established in 1964 as a private, nonprofit arts service organization to promote and coordinate cultural activity and development in Dutchess County.
Dutchess County Chambers of Commerce	This site provides a list of Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations in Dutchess County with contact information.
Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation	The Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC)-a private, not-for-profit, local development corporation-is the primary economic development entity for Dutchess County, New York.
Dutchess County's Largest Employers	"Find out more about the Leading Employers in Dutchess County by sector. The list includes the company name, location, product/service, division (e.g., manufacturing, health care, education, utilities, not-for-profit, etc.), NAICS code, employment, and union affiliation."
Dutchess County Legislature	This site lists the officials in the Dutchess County Legislature along with their contact information.
Hudson River Bank & Trust Company Foundation	The Hudson River Bank & Trust Company Foundation, is committed to providing funding to support charitable causes and community development activities in Columbia, Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Dutchess counties
IBM Community Page	"Over the last ten years, IBM has been one of the largest corporate contributors of cash, equipment, and people to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions across the U.S. and around the world. In all our efforts, we help people use information technology to improve the quality of life for themselves and others."
Jane W. Nuhn Charitable Trust	This link contains contact info only, furnished by the Foundation Center's Foundation Finder
McCann Foundation Inc	This link contains contact info only, furnished by the Foundation Center's Foundation Finder
Reader's Digest Foundation	The Reader’s Digest Foundation is a charitable, grant-making institution funded by contributions from The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. They support programs that prepare youngsters for the 21st century.
Thanksgiving Foundation	This link contains contact info only, furnished by the Foundation Center's Foundation Finder
United Way of Dutchess County	United Way’s locally raised funds are spent locally on a wide variety of community services, including after-school enrichment programs, child care, senior citizen health screenings, adult day care, life-sustaining meals and shelter, counseling and support for the chemically-dependent, Scouting, job training and more.

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Greene County

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Putnam County

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Ulster County

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last updated: December 2009