IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant: Call for Proposals

In 2016, IRRT members and supporters established the IRRT Endowment. Interest from this Endowment will be used to fund member-initiated proposals for international activities and initiatives which contribute to ALA’s role in international librarianship. Funding goals are to provide support for international projects or partnerships; promote a global dialogue about librarianship; increase visibility of international opportunities for U.S. and international librarians, and encourage international collaboration in librarianship.

Examples of proposals that could be considered for funding include, but are not limited to:

• Support for travel that is necessary to advance an international project or partnership*
• Funds to support Sister Library initiatives
• Funds to support the development and distribution of training or publicity materials in support of an international initiative

*In general money for travel will be applied to in-country travel (this may include lodging, transportation, etc. when an individual works on a project in another country or when an individual brings a librarian from another country to the U.S. for a project).

The amount available for grants may vary each year, and IRRT may choose to provide one or more grants from available funds. The maximum grant amount per proposal will be $1000.

Proposals must be submitted by a current IRRT member in good standing (two or more years).  Individual IRRT members may submit or support only one proposal per year. Apply using the IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant Proposal Form  (Word format). Send the completed form to the International Relations Office by e-mail at intl@ala.org. Proposals must be submitted by January 1st; they will be reviewed by the IRRT Endowment Committee at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.

Proposal Criteria:

1. The proposal must be submitted by an IRRT member in good standing.
2. The proposal must support programming or activities that advance the IRRT Mission and/or ALA’s international strategic goals.
3. The proposal must involve collaboration or engagement with librarians from more than one country.
4. In most cases, the proposal must support an activity that will be completed within one year of award date.
5. Recipients agree to send a report by then end of the year indicating:
   a.    A description of how the project was carried out
   b.    An evaluation of the project, describing successes and challenges
   c.    An accounting of how funds were spent
   d.    Photos and quotes from project participants about the project
6. Recipients agree to submit an article to IRRT’s publication, International Leads, within 3 months of completing the project.
7. Recipients agree to acknowledge the IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant on publicity, reports, and other documentation related to the project.

Funds will not be awarded to support purchase of books or materials for a specific library, for conference travel not tied to a funded initiative, or for volunteer work for an established program.

Notification process:
Individuals submitting nominations will be notified of a decision within 15 days of the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The Committee may elect to offer partial grants in response to a proposal.
Successful nominations will be announced at the International Librarians Reception on the Monday evening of the ALA Annual Conference.

Full details and the grant proposal form are available on the IRRT website.