PURSUE THE FUNDING
Issues
of Importance
Grant funding may be available to support the needs of your digital projects.
Federal agencies such as the Institute for Museum and Library Services
(IMLS), National Leadership Grant program
offers dedicated funds to support digital projects in libraries and museums.
In Washington State additional IMLS funds are available through grant
programs administered by the Washington State Library to assist libraries
to complete digital projects.
Writing good grant
applications takes experience and planning. Most funding agencies are
impressed by well thought out, well planned projects that meet one or
more of the funding criteria. It is important to do your homework ahead
of writing the grant proposal. Grant requests that clearly prove a need
that is documented with survey information or statistical facts is well
received. Most government granting agencies such as IMLS, the National
Endowment for the Humanities,
(NEH) and the State Library have staff available to assist you with questions
concerning your grant application. Make use of that resource, it can save
you time and prevent many mistakes in your grant application.
The national funding agencies and the Washington State Library grant funding programs favor collaboration in digital projects. Partnering between museums, heritage organizations and libraries or between libraries is a goal of the funding programs. For libraries of all sizes digital projects that feature collaboration in the use of collections, sharing of staff expertise, or building common access to digital collections are given priority for funding programs.
Grant funding for a pilot project or a development project is a good way to get started building your organization's digital collections. Over time library and heritage organizations will need to develop resources within organizational budgets to conduct digital projects. Plans will have to be made to manage and provide resources for digital collections just as print based collections and museum collections are funded.
Options to consider:
When
beginning to assemble the materials to write a grant request, ask the
funding agencies if they can provide examples of successful grant proposals
from past grant cycles. Often you can get many useful ideas from reading
a few successful grant proposals. Consider how you will support your request
with statistics. Use local examples of the need you will address. Provide
specific information on the impact of the project. Seek community support
in the form of partnerships or contributions of time, volunteers or in-kind
resources whenever possible. The grant proposal should be built around
a clear set of needs and goals, with logical steps outlined and described
that move toward meeting the need or solving the problem.
Some granting agencies
offer planning grants. Consider pursuing funds to complete a planning
cycle before pursuing a larger grant to support a complex digital project.
When using a consultant to help prepare a grant proposal, examine examples
of successful grants written by the consultant. Ask for and contact references.
Good writing skills are essential. Consultants can be useful in helping
to focus and clarify a grant project. A consultant could be a wise investment
if you are considering a complex or multi-phased grant proposal.
- Follow grant guidelines closely. Meet each requirement and don't leave out any steps
- Ask several people to review your grant for common sense and clarity before you submit it.
- Make sure your grant application contains a clear and logical budget, with narrative description that explains the costs in each category.
- Supply documentation on how the costs were determined
- Gather statistics to support your request
- Do a survey of stakeholders when possible to demonstrate the need for the project.
- Be sure to include information on how you will evaluate the success of the project.
- Be sure to indicate how your project will meet state or national standards and digital guidelines.
- Review the list of projects (http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/new_imls.htm#grants) that have recently been funded by NEH, IMLS and the State Library to determine if your project will meet the funding criteria.
For insights into
the funding process for digital projects at IMLS see
"Digitization Grants and How to Get One: Advice from the Director,
Office of Library Services, Institute of Museum and Library Services"
in the October
15 edition of "RLG DigiNews", the bimonthly Web-based newsletter
of the
Research Libraries Group. The Research Libraries Group (RLG) is a not-for-profit
membership corporation devoted to the mission of "improving access
to information that supports research and learning."
http://www.rlg.org/preserv/diginews/diginews4-5.html
