RRLC offers special project grants to members who want to undertake a project that will help their organization fulfill its mission; projects with a potential impact on the larger RRLC community are given first priority. The Special Project Grant is for small projects of no more than $5,000.
Grant Application Period is now open! Applications are due 12/09/2024. The total number of grants awarded will be based on the available funding.
Download the Application & Guidelines
ELIGIBILITY
Membership: All applicants must be dues paying members of RRLC. See our website for a list of member libraries. NOTE: Individual school and public libraries, while not dues paying members of RRLC, are considered members through their library system. You must be authorized by your organization to submit an application on behalf of your organization.
SPECIAL PROJECT GRANT REQUIREMENTS
- Available to Full and Affiliate members; Individual members are not eligible to apply
- Individual school and public libraries may apply with approval of the system director
- Project funds may not be used to pay current staff salaries; funds may be used to add hours to part time staff, hire additional staff, or pay contractors/consultants
- RRLC may publish information about the project and its results on our web site and social media channels
RRLC will award grants based on the available funding and the project’s potential impact on the institution and the larger community.
GRANT TIMELINE:
October 21, 2024: Application Period is Open
December 9, 2024: Application with required documentation is due
January 16, 2025: Board of Trustees makes final award selections
January 20, 2025: Grant awardees notified this week
January 31, 2025: Grant acceptance letters due; award payments sent
July 31, 2025: Mid-year progress reports due
January 1, 2026: Project completion; final reports due
Contact Tina Broomfield with questions.
We look forward to receiving your application soon!
The 2024 Special Project Grant winners are:
- French Road Elementary School – Ocean Exploration
The goal of the project is to deepen students understanding of the ocean and its animal inhabitants. Students will research ocean zones, habitats and the animals in those habitats. They will work as a group to create an animal that could live in the habitat’s environment. Students use a graphic organizer to record facts about their habitat and to make their zone poster for technology. The students will use Book Creator to make a digital book entry about their animal. Books, supplies, and knowledge gained through this project could be shared with others in the school community. - Gates Chili High School – Library Makerspace
This project will transform a vacant cafe within the library into a dynamic collaborative makerspace. This makerspace will serve as a hub for creativity, providing students in grades 9-12 with the resources and environment needed to explore, innovate, and collaborate on various projects. This will serve as a space where teachers, students, and community members can come together and work on projects. - Literacy Rochester – Traveling Digital Classes within the Monroe County Libraries
Through this grant laptops will be purchased that will then be used to provide digital literacy classes to libraries throughout Monroe County. The goal of these traveling classes is to help community members learn digital skills through class topics such as Basic Computer Skills, Internet Skills, MyCare & MyChart, Resume Building, etc. - Frank DiMino Casa Italian Library at Nazareth University – Frank DiMino Casa Italiana Library Cataloging
The Frank DiMino Casa Italiana Library Cataloging Project is the result of a collaboration between the Frank DiMino Casa Italiana and the Lorette Wilmot Library. So far more than 1,750 books in the collection are cataloged (primarily by students). The goal of this collaborative project is for all 5,000 (plus) items in the Casa Italiana’s current library collection to be made accessible via an online library catalog where members of the Nazareth and greater Rochester community can find books and DVDs specific to Italian history and culture that they can check-out for both academic and personal use. - Fraser Hall Library, SUNY Geneseo – Noteworthy: a picture book and educational text about belonging
This grant will support SUNY Geneseo along with author Dr. Meredith Harrigan in the publication of a multi-faceted, open access, illustrated book project about personal journey, belonging, inquiry, applied learning, and a girl searching for her lost smile in a community park. The project challengers readers to critically examine the concept of belonging and how people can support belonging-related needs in various spaces. - Pine Brook Elementary School – Supporting Literacy for our ENL Learners
This grant will help to build a collection of books to support ENL (English as a New Language) students as well as celebrate and promote diverse cultures and languages. The grant will enable the library to purchase books in needed primary languages such as Ukrainian, Arabic, Spanish, and Dair which will in turn support and welcome students in their new setting. - Rochester Institute of Technology Archives – Exploring the Urbanarium: A Deep Dive into Rochester’s Visionary Past
This grant will help to fund a multi-phase public history initiative aimed at critically examining and celebrating the significant history of the Urbanarium in order to revive the spirit of the original projects from the 1970’s, engage communities and foster dialogue around urban development, education, and the socio-cultural fabric of Rochester. - Smt. Gnanapoorani Madhvanath Memorial Library – SGM Memorial Library Cataloging Initiative
This grant will help fund the cataloging and preservation of the SGM Memorial Library’s extensive collection of rare and hard to find books related to Hinduism. The projects goal is to broaden the reach of culturally significant resources and promote educational opportunities for patrons.