NAHSL: Professional Development - NAHSL Impact Grant

The NAHSL Impact Grant is intended to provide NAHSL members with funding to undertake initiatives that will have a positive and sustainable impact on their libraries or the profession. Initiatives should fall into one of the following categories:

• DEIJ – Projects that advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
• Wellness – Projects that promote health and wellness among librarians, staff, students, and patients.
• Accessibility – Projects that improve the accessibility of physical or digital library spaces.
• OER/OA – Projects that create, remix, or utilize open educational resources or promote the use of open access.

Examples of potential projects that could be funded by this grant include research, programming, creation of media or materials, technology improvements, improvements to physical spaces, and more.

NAHSL Membership

Applicants must be a current members of NAHSL and have paid their dues no later than March 15 of the current year. Membership will be verified by the Membership Chair. 

Dollar Amount

A maximum of $1000 may be awarded per project per year. The award will not exceed the actual cost of the project. Funds may not be used to pay for salaries, wages, conference registrations, travel, or indirect costs. Projects must be completed within 12 months of funds being awarded.

Because the amount of awards available per year may be limited, potential applicants are encouraged to contact the Professional Development Chair prior to submitting an application.

Annual NAHSL award limits apply. A NAHSL member can only receive this grant once every three years.

Award Guidelines

Applications will be assessed based on their applicability to the above categories and their long-term, sustainable impact on a library or the profession as a whole. Other factors include levels of institutional support, and the project’s ability to be completed within budget.

Deadline for Application

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Please allow for up to six weeks for the NAHSL Professional Development Committee to respond to your application.

Dissemination

Grant recipients are expected to provide a summary of the project for the NAHSL blog at project completion. Additionally, they are required to present their project (via a poster, lightning talk, presentation, published article, or other form) at a NAHSL Annual Meeting or another NAHSL event within one year of completing the project. The presentation should demonstrate how the use of the grant funds benefited their institution, their colleagues and/or the profession, and assess the impact of the award project.