The Illinois State Library is inviting librarians, literacy professionals and interested members of the public to nominate themselves as volunteers to review FY 2014 Adult Literacy Grant applications. The Adult Literacy Grant program includes Adult Volunteer Literacy, Penny Severns Family Literacy and Workplace Skills Enhancement grants. If your agency is applying for any of the FY2014 Adult Literacy grant categories, you are not eligible to become a volunteer reviewer.
Persons selected as volunteer reviewers will be required to complete a Conflict of Interest form, an Ethics Certification form, and an Open Meetings Act certification. Reviewers review each grant application on its own merit, and keep all applications and comments confidential. Literacy staff from the Illinois State Library will provide training in late March or early April. From late April until early June, reviewers will independently read, score and write comments about applications using a published rubric. Fifty to one hundred applications will be evaluated by each reviewer.
A volunteer review committee meeting may take place in mid-June consisting of in-person meetings and videoconferencing. Volunteer grant reviewer recommendations and comments will then be compiled and shared with the Literacy Advisory Board, whose members will make recommendations to Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White. Any meetings of the volunteer reviewers will be open and subject to the Open Meetings Act. There is no pay or honorarium, but reviewers will be reimbursed according to State of Illinois travel regulations and rates for hotel, mileage and a per diem for the review session in Springfield or travel to various videoconference sites throughout the state.
Interested persons should compose a brief letter of application including name, home address, phone, fax, email address, place of employment (library, community-based organization, or another type of organization) and employer address. Briefly explain why you would like to be a grant reviewer. Be specific in explaining your knowledge of adult literacy. Email the letter of application to Cyndy Colletti at ccolletti@ilsos.net on or before March 1.
The Illinois State Library strives to maintain a reputation of objectivity, fairness and equity in its grant programs. Funding for Adult Literacy grants is awarded by the Illinois State Library, a division of the office of Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White, using state funds.
