Mohawk Valley Library System

Category: Grants & Awards

  • Grant Opportunity – ALDI Smart Kids Program

    ALDI Smart Kids is a program dedicated to supporting the health and wellness of the children in the communities ALDI serves. In our service area, there are ALDI stores in Johnstown, Amsterdam, Glenville and Schenectady. The program supports local community organizations that encourage kids to be active in the areas of education, physical activity, nutrition, socializing and the arts. Program support ranges from monetary donations to ALDI gift cards, in amounts from $100 to $5000.

    Eligible organizations must have a 501(c)(3) to qualify. Applications are accepted through an online from between February 1 and December 15 each year and are awarded on a rolling basis. Visit https://corporate.aldi.us/en/corporate-responsibility/aldi-smart-kids/ for complete details and links to the application.

  • Grant Opportunity – CDLC Regional Collections Grants

    The Capital District Library Council invites applications for CDLC’s 2021 Regional Collections grants through March 01, 2022.

    If your library has items to catalog, images to digitize and add to New York Heritage, or newspapers to contribute to the NYS Historic Newspapers, apply! All CDLC member institutions, including individual public and school libraries, are eligible to apply.

    Projects considered for funding should improve access to collections and content or raise the visibility of regional collections.

    Priority will be given to projects that:

    • Highlight undiscovered collections in our region
    • Align with CDLC’s strategic goals
    • Have matching funds
    • Are collaborative efforts between two or more CDLC members
    • Are composed of a complete digital collection
    • Are submitted by first-time applicants
    • Are composed of long and complete runs of newspapers that are on microfilm

    Other types of proposals may be considered.

    Past winners and projects are listed here.

    Applications are welcome from recipients of current Regional Collections Grants. Please note that unless an extension is requested and approved, all projects must be completed by June 30, 2023, or award money will be forfeited.

    Grant applications must be received by the application deadline, March 01, 2022, to be considered.

    Go here for additional grant information including an application and worksheet. 

    This grant is funded through the New York State Regional Bibliographic Databases (RBDB) Program. Established in 1984 as part of New York State Education Law, funds from this program may be used for a variety of purposes to support regional resource sharing and automation that follow the New York State RBDB Guidelines. Review these guidelines which include the criteria for the areas in which we are awarding grants, as well as expenses not allowed.

    Contact Kari Kakeh with any questions about the application process.

  • Grant Opportunity – The Pilcrow Foundation

    The Pilcrow Foundation supports rural public library communities through the Children’s Book Project. Libraries qualify for the Children’s Book Project grant on an individual basis. To qualify for the grant, libraries must be located in a rural area within the 50 United States, have a limited operating budget, have an active children’s department, and raise $200-$400 through a local sponsor. Libraries with total operating budgets of less than $50,000 will receive funding priority; however, town libraries with total operating budgets over $150,000 may also apply for grants. Annual application deadlines for grant cycles are April 1 and October 1 with notification of award by email on April 15 and October 15. We are not able to notify librarians who do not receive a grant. Please visit our Rural Public Libraries Grant page for more information about the matching grant. https://thepilcrowfoundation.org/childrens-book-project/

  • Grant Opportunity – Dollar General Literacy Foundation

    The Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s Adult Literacy Grants, Family Literacy Grants, and Summer Reading Grants are accepting applications through Feb. 17 (by 10:00 p.m. Central).The Dollar General Literacy Foundation provides grant funding to support literacy and education initiatives serving individuals of all ages. The Foundation funds nonprofit organizations, schools and libraries within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores in the states in which they operate. Learn more about grant eligibility and the application process.

  • Grant Opportunity – Inclusive Financial Literacy Programming Kit for Kids

    Up to 100 public and school libraries will be selected to receive an Inclusive Financial Literacy Programming Kit to help them provide diverse financial literacy titles and programming for children and young people in their communities.

    Each kit will contain:

    • The Inclusive Financial Literacy book list, developed by a team of librarian advisors in collaboration with ALA and the FINRA Foundation, with corresponding best practices and programming ideas for public and school libraries
    • One copy of Rainy Day Ready: Financial Literacy Programs and Tools edited by Melanie Welch and Patrick Hogan for the ALA Public Programs Office (ALA Editions, 2020), a ready-to-use guide for library staff with 16 model financial capability programs
    • One print copy of five books from the book list for libraries to add to their circulating collection

    Public and school libraries (serving children in grades K–8) located in the U.S. and U.S. territories are eligible for this opportunity.

    Application Information

    To be considered for one of the 100 programming kits, you must complete an online application. The application will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Please only submit one application per library or branch.

    ALA will accept applications for this opportunity from November 10, 2021, to January 3, 2022. Each eligible request will be reviewed by a panel of librarians, FINRA Foundation staff and ALA staff.

    Key Dates and Contact Info

    • Application Deadline: January 3, 2022
    • Award Notification: January 2022
    • Programming Kits Distributed: February–March 2022

    If you have questions about the exhibition or the application, contact:

    American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office
    1-800-545-2433, ext. 5045
    publicprograms@ala.org