IMLS: Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums CFDA 45.312

The citizens and communities served by libraries, archives, and museums now are offered an increasing variety of choice for information sources and services. In this environment, cultural heritage organizations are challenged to respond to changing user needs and expectations, and to make more productive use of the money, staff, and other resources they are given to serve their users. Innovation will be a key determinant of their success. The IMLS Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums are a new IMLS funding opportunity within the National Leadership Grants program. These grants encourage libraries, archives, and museums to challenge existing assumptions about how they operate and the services they provide. These small grants support the deployment, testing, and evaluation of promising and groundbreaking new tools, products, services, or organizational practices. Applicants may propose activities or approaches that involve risk, as long as the risk is balanced by significant potential for improvement in the ways cultural heritage institutions serve their communities. Successful proposals will address problems, challenges, or needs of broad relevance to libraries, archives, and/or museums, will test innovative responses to these problems, and will make the findings of these tests widely and openly accessible. Applications are due November 15, 2010.

Document Type: Grants Notice
Funding Opportunity Number: SPARKS-FY11
Opportunity Category: Discretionary
Posted Date: Sep 09, 2010
Creation Date: Sep 09, 2010
Original Closing Date for Applications: Nov 15, 2010
Current Closing Date for Applications: Nov 15, 2010
Archive Date: Dec 15, 2010
Funding Instrument Type: Grant

Category of Funding Activity: Arts (see "Cultural Affairs" in CFDA)
Education
Humanities (see "Cultural Affairs" in CFDA)

Category Explanation:
Expected Number of Awards:
Estimated Total Program Funding:
Award Ceiling: $25,000
Award Floor: $10,000
CFDA Number(s): 45.312 -- National Leadership Grants
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

Eligible Applicants
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Additional Information on Eligibility:
See http://www.imls.gov/applicants/guidelines/sparks_1.shtm#elig for specific eligibility requirements for libraries, archives, and museums.

http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/SparksIgnition.shtm