Purpose
The iREAD Summer Reading Grant for ILA Small and Rural Libraries is a dedicated funding initiative designated to support the implementation and enhancement of summer reading programs in small and rural libraries in Illinois.
Administered by the Illinois Library Association (ILA) and presented by the ILA Small and Rural Libraries Forum and the ILA iREAD Committee, this grant aims to promote accessibility, literacy, and foster a love of reading. The grant is geared towards ILA small and rural libraries that represent underserved communities and libraries that have a financial need in order to conduct an engaging summer reading program.
The grant is a benefit to ILA Institutional Members that meet the criteria and eligibility requirements below.
Grant
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Ten grants of $250 each will be awarded per calendar year
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The grants will be issued in the form of a credit code that can only be redeemed at the iREAD store for purchasing resources and materials of the library's choosing
View more information on the iREAD 2025 theme here.
Criteria and Eligibility Requirements
- Applicants must be Small and Rural Libraries in Illinois
The applicant's library must serve a population of less than 8,000 people in a rural area. Preference is given to libraries serving under 5,000 people in a rural area and libraries with financial need to conduct a summer reading program.
- To be awarded the grant, libraries must be a current ILA Institutional Member
- Only one grant per library will be awarded per year
- Eligible libraries cannot be awarded the grant in two consecutive years
Recipient and affiliated library names may be used in publicity related to the grant. Grant recipients will be required to provide a brief description (between 300 and 500 words) highlighting the benefits they received from the grant and photos of their summer reading program. The recipients agree that this summary may be published in the ILA Reporter and may be used for future grant promotional materials.
Deadline to submit a grant application: Monday, September 30, by 5 pm.
Applicants will be notified of the results via email by October 20, 2024.
Note: If you are submitting an application for this grant, please do not purchase iREAD materials for 2025 until you receive a notification about your grant status by ILA. If you decide to place an order anyway, please use the bill me later option so that if you have been selected as a grant recipient, we can apply the funding towards your order.
If you have any questions, please email ila@ila.org.
2024 Grant Recipients
Deer Creek District Library
Four Star Public Library District, Mendon
Galva Public Library District
Lewistown Carnegie Public Library District
Martin Township Public Library, Colfax
Mississippi Valley Library District, Collinsville
Nokomis Public Library
Paw Paw Public Library District
Rick Warren Memorial Public Library District, Elkville
Williamsfield Public Library
iREAD Summer Reading Programs
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