Category Archives: Grants

Public Libraries and Access to Justice Training–Applications Due December 11, 2009

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Public Libraries and Access to Justice Training

http://www.selfhelpsupport.org/libraries/
January 11-12, 2010, Austin, Texas
Training Description

With the economic downturn more people are turning to their public libraries to access online resources and as hubs of information.

With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the National Center for State Courts, the Center-hosted Self-Represented Litigation Network, in cooperation with the Legal Services Corporation, is presenting a two-day conference that addresses how public libraries can improve access to online legal information at libraries. The conference will be a unique opportunity for participants to meet with public librarians and with legal and court experts to discuss strategies for integrating access to legal information into their programs, including how to locate the best content and tools, how to talk about the content with library patrons, how to work with content partners to make sure that needed content is developed, how to share what they have learned statewide, and how to use successful programs to advocate for the importance of public libraries as gateways to government institutions.

The conference organizers will select between 10 and 15 teams of two to three people from across the country to attend the conference. Preference will generally be given to teams that include a person who plays a statewide library staff educational or organizational role; a local librarian with a strong interest in expanding the use of public libraries for access to justice; and one of the following: a legal aid staff member; a court online information expert; or a member of a self help center currently not using online tools to provide services. Applicant teams are encouraged to put together a group that will be the most effective in their area of service to spread the word in their states. The decision of the selection group will be final.

Download the instructions and application for applicant teams (PDF)

The deadline to apply is Friday, December 11, 2009.

Obama Pledges Support for Social Innovation, Encourages Public-Private Partnerships

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Obama Pledges Support for Social Innovation, Encourages
Public-Private Partnerships (7/02/09)

Foundation Center, Philanthropy News Digest, July 7, 2009

President Barack Obama has pledged that his administration will
do its part to support grassroots organizations that are suc-
cessful in their efforts to improve communities, the Associated
Press reports.

While announcing the launch of the Community Solutions Agenda at
a White House gathering last week, Obama issued a challenge to
government, business, foundations, and average citizens to come
together to identify and invest in promising solutions to the
nation’s toughest problems. The effort, which includes the White
House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation and a
$50 million Innovation Fund, is designed to help scale effective
nonprofit innovations and foster promising new ideas in educa-
tion, health care, energy, the economy, and other areas.

To that end, the Innovation Fund will work to leverage invest-
ments totaling $1 billion over five years in support of high-
impact social sector innovations. Administered by the Corporation
for National and Community Service, the fund will provide grants
to existing grantmaking institutions that in turn support inno-
vative, results-driven nonprofits. Grantmaking institutions and
their nonprofit grantees will be asked to match the fund’s
investments.

“Solutions to America’s challenges are being developed every day
at the grassroots,” Obama said during the White House gathering.
“Government shouldn’t be supplanting those efforts. It should be
supporting those efforts.”

“President Announces Community Solutions Agenda.” America Forward
Press Release 6/30/09.

http://pndapps.fdncenter.org/link/20012217/story

“PACE Releases Guide on Deliberative Democracy and Democratic Governance”

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“PACE Releases Guide on Deliberative Democracy and Democratic Governance”

April 30, 2009

As the philanthropic community grapples with the question of how to support innovative and effective forms of democratic governance, PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement) has released a guide that provides a detailed description of how local civic engagement has grown and developed over the past decade.

“Funding and Fostering Local Democracy: What Philanthropy Should Know about the Emerging Field of Deliberation and Democratic Governance” is a free, downloadable publication designed to inform the field of philanthropy. The strategies described in the guide—and the stories of how communities have used them to break policy deadlock, reduce tension and galvanize volunteerism—can help funders, public officials and community activists better understand the possibilities, and limitations, of various approaches to working with the public.

“As more and more foundations are making civic engagement a part of their funding priorities, they are also being presented with a whole new set of approaches and tools for engaging citizens at the local level,” says Chris Gates, the Executive Director of PACE, ‘This guide is an attempt to demystify the emerging field of deliberative democracy and help funders make more informed decisions about their support of this growing field.”

“Perhaps the most significant—and overlooked—recent development in the health of local democracy is the shift in citizen expectations, capacities and attitudes toward government,” argues Matt Leighninger, the director of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium and the author of this guide. “This guide illustrates how this shift is affecting public officials, foundations and nonprofit organizations, and how it has provoked a new generation of efforts to make local politics and local governance more participatory, deliberative and productive.”

The guide provides a list of some of the main organizations working in this field, describes some of the most influential models and processes, and provides examples of particularly significant democratic governance efforts. It also outlines some of the cutting-edge questions facing the field and provides a long list of resources to consult.

An electronic version of the guide is attached and we encourage you to share and forward.

PACE is an affinity group of the Council on Foundations, founded in 2005 to bring new philanthropic focus to the issues of civic engagement and democratic renewal.

For more information contact Chris Gates, Executive Director of PACE, at cgates@pacefunders.org or the author of the guide, Matt Leighninger, at mattleighninger@earthlink.net .

Herb Block Foundation Accepting Letters of Inquiry for Citizen Involvement Grant Program

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Herb Block Foundation Accepting Letters of Inquiry for Citizen Involvement Grant Program

Deadline: June 1, 2009

Through its Encouraging Citizen Involvement grant program, the Herb Block Foundation seeks to engage citizens in creating a responsible, responsive democratic government.

Proposals may focus on citizen education and greater voter participation in the electoral process. All projects must be nonpartisan and may not involve lobbying for specific legislation or candidates. Grants will not be made for capital or endowment programs, or for sectarian religious purposes.

Applicants must be nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations. Grants will range from $5,000 to $25,000 each for one year.

Visit the Herb Block Foundation Web site for complete program information.

More application information is available here.

Libraries as an Economic Stimulus

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[cross posted from Austin-Pacific.com]

Watching the CBS evening news last night, I was pleased to hear President-elect Obama refer to library closures as an example of how this economic downturn is hurting communities in his remarks to the National Governors Association.

“Jobs are being cut,” he said. “Programs for the needy are at risk. Libraries are being closed. Historic sites are being closed.”

The American Library Association didn’t miss a beat and immediatly applauded him for “recognizing the effect library closings have on communities” in the Washington Office’s blog, District Dispatch. The blog cites library contributions to the economic health of communities. For example:

  • 73 percent of libraries nationwide report that they are the only provider of free Internet access in their communities
  • that number is even higher in rural communities where 83 percent of libraries are the only free provider
  • Libraries offer job search workshop, skill development, small business development classes, and technology training.

(Read More)

New Gates Foundation Grants Seek Innovative Approaches to Using Community Libraries

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New Gates Foundation Grants Seek Innovative Approaches to Using
Community Libraries

An initial study of ICMA members found some communities using their
public libraries for compelling new projects, like providing services
for teen and immigrant residents and supporting recycling and public
safety. Over the next two years, with the help of the Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, ICMA intends to multiply those novel practices and
demonstrate the value of public libraries in supporting sustainable
communities.
In November 2008, local governments will be able to apply for an ICMA
Public Library Innovation Grant. Grants will be 18 months in length,
and will focus on using the public library to address community
priorities and issues. During the project, ICMA will provide a total of
$500,000 in Public Library Innovation Grants to cities, towns, and
counties. Individual grants will likely range from $25,000 to $75,000.
More than a year ago, ICMA began working with the Gates Foundation on
the Local Government and Public Libraries Initiative to engage local
government managers as leaders in support of public libraries. An ICMA
survey conducted in November 2007 indicated that less than half of the
responding local government managers reported that the chief
librarian/library director was a member of the local government
management team and only 41 percent reported weekly meetings with the
chief librarian/library director. These statistics suggested that for
many local government managers, libraries are not being used to
strategically address community needs. If local government managers
remain unaware of and uninvolved in the changing role of libraries,
these valuable community assets will be forced to tackle obstacles
alone and will struggle to meet broader community needs.
As a result, a 26-member ICMA advisory committee looked at a variety of
ways to strengthen the partnership between communities
and libraries. The committee identified areas where public libraries
could play a larger role in delivering services, including public
safety and disaster preparedness, sustainability, health, immigration,
civic engagement, and economic development. The advisory committee also
noted that a strong relationship between the library and the local
government manager is vital for the success of these services and
improves the overall health of the community.

All Innovation Grants will be anchored by a partnership between the
office of the chief administrative officer (city, county, and town
managers) and the public library, recognizing the importance of the
manager/librarian relationship to create and sustain change. The
grantees will be supported by a series of leadership workshops and
project coaching. The aim of the professional development component is
to solidify the partnership, ensure the short-term success of the
project, and secure new capacity for the awardees that will support the
long-term use of libraries in addressing community goals.
Applications for the Public Library Innovations Grants will be
available in November, and grants will be awarded in February
2009. ICMA members who would like to receive e-mail updates on the
program should contact Molly Donelan at mdonelan@icma.org.
For more information about ICMA’s Local Government and Public Libraries
Initiative, visit www.icma.org/public_libraries.