2009 Improving Literacy Through School Libraries (LSL) grants

Here’s some information about the 2009 Improving Literacy Through School Libraries (LSL) grants.  

Purpose of the Grant:  Money awarded may be used for school library media centers on books, technology, professional development, and expanding access (like weekend hours).  http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/index.html

1st Eligibility Requirement:  Only local education agencies (LEA) may apply, the most common form of which is a school district.  Click here and read question #3 for a broader definition:  http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/faq.html.  After checking on the 2nd requirement, please consider forwarding this email to the person/people in charge of grants in your local school district.

2nd Eligibility Requirement:  At least 20% of students within the LEA must be from families with incomes below the poverty line.  Click on Oregon for a chart indicating which districts qualify:  http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/eligibility.html.  Data being used in the 2009 competition comes from the 2007 census.

Applications due March 6th:  Note that registration at grants.gov can take up to a week, so you might want to get applications in no later than the end of February.  ALA’s announcement about the 2009 LSL Grants has some specific information about applying, especially in paragraph #4:  http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1312.  Here’s the official application site:  http://www.ed.gov/programs/lsl/applicant.html.