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Funding Opportunities for Libraries: How to Write a Grant

The CMU Libraries grant management support the research and training of Library staff and faculty; and process related to finding opportunities, project submission, and post award management.

Grant Writing Resources

How to Create Fundable Grant Proposals: ASERL Grantwriting Series- December 9, 2020 (Announcement) (Recording)  

Do you know any library employees who are eager to acquire grant funds to support creative projects that otherwise could not happen without external funds? Are there questions about where and how to get started, and what steps can prevent folks from reinventing the wheel? Do you think there are enough interested library employees who want to start a coordinated grantseeking effort?

Building on 15 years of developing workflows and systems for managing all aspects of library grantseeking at the University of Arizona and University of Florida, this grant webinar series shares best practices including checklist examples for guidelines and workflows, funding alerts describing funding opportunities for libraries, and templates for sharing submitted and pending proposals with library employees. Behind the scenes stories will divulge unusual ways ideas were generated for fundable projects, and how ideas developed through engagement with a diverse array of experts and assets. Stories share details of what happened after project teams received their awards, and ways by which teams managed to complete projects successfully. Featured projects highlight a variety of grant-funded activities including outreach, digitization, training, acquisition of materials, planning and collaborations with diverse partners and for diverse materials.

 Bess de Farber serves as the grants' manager for the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida Libraries and held the same position at the University of Arizona Libraries. She has provided grantsmanship instruction to hundreds of library staff, nonprofit and academic professionals, artists, and university students in the past 30 years, and has led efforts to secure millions in grant funding for nonprofits and academic libraries. She is the author of Collaborative Grant-Seeking: A Practical Guide for Librarians (2016), and co-author of Collaborating with Strangers: Facilitating Workshops in Libraries, Classes, and Nonprofits (2017).

How do you go from an idea to a successful project within an academic library, where resources are limited, and competing priorities make certain projects unattainable? Perhaps you have identified an opportunity to support your library in advancing its capacity or improving its services to patrons and the broader com

Collaborative Grant-Seeking - 02/12/2016
This webinar outlines time-tested steps for establishing a culture of grantsmanship, developed at the University of Florida, for professionalizing the pursuit of grants by librarians and staff. (Video)

 

(Resources credit: Bess De Farber, University of Florida)

Grant training resources

Proposal Development Support and Resources

Hanover Research logo

CMU is contracting with Hanover Research to provide a suite of resources and support to CMU investigators at all global campuses who are seeking external funding. Support resources include:

  • Proposal Review and Revision Support
  • Grantsmanship Training
  • Identification of Funding Opportunities  

Learn more about utilizing Hanover here.