Community-Wide Reading Programs

Posted by on June 2, 2006

Big Read Accepting Applications for Community-Wide Reading Programs
Deadline: September 12, 2006

The Big Read (<a href="http://www.neabigread.org/">http://www.neabigread.org/</a>), an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (<a href="http://www.nea.gov/">http://www.nea.gov/</a>) in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (<a href="http://www.imls.gov/">http://www.imls.gov/</a>), aims to revitalize the role of literature in American popular culture and introduce its transformative power into the lives of ordinary Americans. Created by the NEA in cooperation with Arts Midwest (<a href="http://www.artsmidwest.org/">http://www.artsmidwest.org/</a>), the program will engage libraries and other community and school partners across the United States to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment.

Participating organizations will select a book from the program’s list and produce a highly participatory community-wide read with innovative and diverse programming between January 2007 and June 2007. Events should promote active participation, involve the local library where there is one, and occur in a variety of locations. A successful community-wide read will be approximately one month in duration.

Grants will generally range from $10,000 to $20,000 and require a match of at least one-to-one with non-federal funds. The program also will provide educational and promotional materials.

To be eligible, organizations must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or division of state, local, or tribal government; possess a demonstrated capacity to plan and implement a well-planned, well-attended, community-wide event with a diverse range of programming; and demonstrate a commitment to expanding and diversifying a reading audience.

Approximately one hundred organizations of varying sizes in all fifty states will be selected through two selection cycles to participate in the Big Read in 2007. In the first selection cycle, approximately fifty organizations will be selected to participate between January and June 2007.

Visit the Big Read Web site for the Request for Proposals, which includes guidelines, eligibility requirements, selection criteria, and proposal materials.

RFP Link: <a href="http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10002615/neabigread">http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10002615/neabigread</a>

For additional RFPs in Arts and Culture, visit:
<a href="http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml">http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_arts.jhtml</a>