Dollar General Summer Reading Grants
Deadline: February 28, 2012

Dollar General Literacy Foundation Summer Reading Grants provide funding to local nonprofit organizations and libraries to help with the implementation or expansion of summer reading programs. Programs must target Pre-K through 12th grade students who are new readers, below grade level readers or readers with learning disabilities.

Dollar General Adult Literacy Grants
Deadline: February 28, 2012

Dollar General Literacy Foundation Adult Literacy Grants award funding to nonprofit organizations that provide direct service to adults in need of literacy assistance. Organizations must provide help in one of the following instructional areas:

• Adult Basic Education
• General Education Diploma Preparation
• English Language Acquisition

Dollar General Family Literacy Grants
Deadline: February 28, 2012

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation Family Literacy Grants provide funding to family literacy service providers. The Foundation uses the federal government’s definition of family literacy when reviewing grant applications. Organizations applying for funding must have the following four components:Adult Education Instruction

• Children’s Education
• Parent and Child Together Time (PACT)
• Parenting Classes

Dollar General Youth Literacy Grants
Deadline: May 16, 2012

Dollar General Literacy Foundation Youth Literacy Grants provide funding to schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations to help students who are below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading. Grant funding is provided to assist in the following areas:

• Implementing new or expanding existing literacy programs
• Purchasing new technology or equipment to support literacy initiatives
• Purchasing books, materials or software for literacy programs

Over the past 30 years, iREAD has grown to become a leader of Summer Reading Program development by providing libraries with all of the resources they need to promote, launch, and execute great reading programs. Increasingly, iREAD themes and programs are being used year-round in schools and literacy programs. For more information, call 877-565-1896 or visit here.

The LIS endorsement prepares state-certified teachers to take positions in school media centers. To see the Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE) Endorsement Schedule for the February 1, 2012 changes, click here.

The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries makes grants of up to $6,000 to update, extend, and diversify the book collections of school libraries. All LBF grants are made to individual schools rather than to school districts, county systems, private organizations, foundations, or other entities. Only schools where a minimum of 50% of the student body qualify for the Free or Reduced Lunch (FRL) program are eligible to apply, with selection preference given to schools in which 90% or more of the students receive free or reduced lunches and are likely to have the fewest books and reading materials at home.

This year’s deadline to submit the grant application and signature page is December 30. For questions concerning the grant, please contact Robert Jones at rjones1@ilsos.net, 217-785-1168 or Becky Hunter at bhunter1@ilsos.net, 217-782-7849.

Return forms to Jeanne Urbanek, Illinois State Library, Gwendolyn Brooks Bldg., 300 S. Second St., Springfield, IL 62701-1796; or fax to 217-782-1877. Jeanne’s e-mail address is jurbanek@ilsos.net.

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For more information about upcoming webinars and links to join the events, click here.

Contact Lisa Perez at leperez333@gmail.com with questions.

Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, a division of state, local, or tribal government or a tax-exempt public library. Eligible applicants include literacy centers, libraries, museums, colleges and universities, and arts organizations. Grants will be awarded in varying amounts, from $2,500 to $20,000.

Community organizations participating in The Big Read will develop and produce a well-planned, well-attended, community-wide read with innovative, diverse programming, and widespread community involvement and participation. Grant activities last for up to one month and focus on a book or poet from The Big Read Library.

To access the guidelines and application, visit The Big Read website.

What is the absolute best avenue to getting teens involved and engaged at your school or public library? How can you encourage them to be peer reader advisors and library advocates in the community? Ultimately, if you want to encourage your teens to become lifelong readers, learners, and library users/supporters—and possibly even choose library work for their future career path—there is no better way to go than offering opportunities for active and involved teen library participation. In this webinar, you will explore ways teens can take part in your library, such as advisory groups, volunteering, short-term projects that use teen’s special skills, and partnering with adults. You’ll also get tips on planning, organizing, conducting, and evaluating teen participation. When you team up with teens at your library, it’s win-win! WebJunction is pleased to host this webinar in collaboration with the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

Presented by: Kelly M Johnson, Office Manager & T.A.G. Staff Liaison, Ketchikan Public Library (AK); and Diane Tuccillo, Teen Services Librarian, Poudre River Public Library District (CO), author of Library Teen Advisory Groups (Scarecrow, 2005) and Teen-Centered Library Service: Putting Youth Participation into Practice (Libraries Unlimited, 2010).

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This year’s deadline to submit the grant application and signature page is December 30, 2011.

Applications and all other information concerning the grant can be found via the Illinois State Library’s website by clicking here.

For questions concerning the grant, please contact Robert Jones at rjones1@ilsos.net, 217-785-1168 or Becky Hunter at bhunter1@ilsos.net, 217-782-7849.