Big Read Program

Posted by on October 26, 2009

Big Read Program Offers Grants to Support Community Reading Projects
Deadline: February 2, 2009

The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts Midwest, is accepting applications from nonprofit organizations to conduct month-long community-wide reads between September 2010 and June 2011.

The Big Read is a national program designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture. Organizations selected to participate in the program will receive a grant ranging from $2,500 to $20,000 each, access to online training resources, educational and promotional materials, inclusion of the organization and activities on the Big Read Web site, and the prestige of participating in a highly visible national program. Approximately seventy-five organizations from across the United States will be selected to participate.

Grants must be matched at least one-to-one with non-federal funds. Grant funds may be used for expenses such as book purchases, speaker fees and travel, salaries, advertising, and venue rental.

Applicant organizations must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; a division of state, local, or tribal government; or a tax-exempt public library. Eligible applicants include such organizations as literary centers, libraries, museums, colleges and universities, art centers, historical societies, arts councils, tribal governments, humanities councils, literary festivals, and arts organizations. Applicant organizations must partner with a library (if the applicant organization itself is not a library). K-12 schools and school districts, whether public or private, may not be lead applicants but are strongly encouraged to partner with libraries, literary centers, museums, and other eligible applicants.

Applicants can select one of the thirty-one available reading choices.

Visit the Big Read Web site for complete program information.

http://neabigread.org/application_process.php