IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant-Call for Proposals

In 2016, IRRT members and supporters established the IRRT Mission Enhancement Endowment. Interest from
the endowment will be used to fund member-initiated proposals for international projects which contribute to
ALA’s role in international librarianship. Goals for the funding are to provide support for international projects
or partnerships; promote a global dialogue about librarianship; increase visibility of international
opportunities for U.S. and international librarians and encourage international collaboration in librarianship.
Examples of proposals that could be considered for funding include, but are not limited to:

Support for travel which is necessary to advance an international project.
Funds to support collaborative sister library projects.
Funds to support the development and distribution of training or publicity materials in support of an
international project.

The amount available for grants may vary each year. IRRT may choose to use available funds to provide one or
more grants of varying amounts. The maximum grant amount per proposal will be $1,000.00.

Proposal Process:

Individual IRRT members may submit or support only one proposal per year. Use of the IRRT Mission
Enhancement Grant Proposal Form is required. Once complete, the form may be sent to the International
Relations Office by e-mail only. Proposals are due no later than January 5, 2026, and will be reviewed by the
IRRT Endowment and Fundraising Committee.

Criteria:

The proposal must be submitted by a current IRRT member. Length of IRRT membership will be
considered when reviewing applications. [Note that ALA international members are considered IRRT
members when joining ALA.]
The proposal must support projects that advance the IRRT Mission and/or ALA’s international strategic
goals and must include concrete outcomes.
The proposal must involve collaboration or engagement with librarians from more than one country.
The proposal must support a project that will be completed within one year of award date.
Proposals must include an anticipated budget with details on how the award will be spent. In addition,
awards will not support purchase of books or materials for a specific library, conference travel
unrelated to a project supported by the Mission Enhancement Grant, or volunteer work for an
established program.
Proposals may be re-submitted for consideration in a consecutive year if work is ongoing.
Recipients agree to send a report by the end of the year indicating:
a. A description of how the project was carried out
b. Concrete outcomes c. An evaluation of the project related to the outcomes, describing successes and challenges
d. Photos and quotes from project participants about the project
e. A separate document that provides an accounting of how funds were spent
Recipients agree to submit an article to IRRT’s publication, International Leads, within 3 months of
completing the project.
Recipients agree to acknowledge the IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant on publicity, reports, and other
documentation related to the project.

All documents required in the criteria, including the form, must be submitted for your application to be
considered for the grant.

Reports and IRRT articles will be posted on the IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant web site.

All proposals are submitted to the ALA International Relations Office for review by the IRRT Endowment
Committee. Applicants may be contacted for additional information.

Notification process:

Individuals submitting nominations will be notified of a decision by February 27th. The Committee may elect
to offer partial grants in response to a proposal.

In addition, grants may be announced in a variety of IRRT communication channels and shared with ALA’s
Communications Office.

Please download the IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant Proposal Form here or copy it from below.

IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant - Proposal Form

Proposal title: __________________________________________________________

Name and contact information of IRRT member submitting grant proposal:
Name:
Job Title:
Organization:
Address:
Phone Number:
E-mail:
ALA Member Number:
ALA Member since (for international members):
IRRT member since:
Name and contact information for individual(s) or an organization to receive funds (if different from above):
Name:
Job Title:
Organization:
Address:
Phone Number:
E-mail:
IRRT member since:
Add additional names to the end of the form if necessary.

With this form, please send a proposal narrative of no more than two pages. The narrative should include a description
of the project, expected outcomes, a timeline for implementation, a budget detailing how funds will be used, and
information about any additional funding support for the proposal. The submitter and any individuals responsible for
use of the funds must provide a CV or resume.

Additional supporting documentation such as letters of invitation or support, project materials, or web links may be sent
with required materials. The proposal must be received by the International Relations Office by January 5, 2026, to be
considered. Send proposals to intl@ala.org. Questions may be sent to Delin Guerra at intl@ala.org who will forward
them to the Chair of the Endowment Committee.

Past winners

2024 IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant Winner: “Towards an Innovative Future: Driving Library Transformation through Collaboration II Inter-American Symposium of Libraries on Access to Information and Literacy”- Haydee Hodis, Supervisor, Springfield City Library, Springfield, MA, USA.

2023 IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant Winner: “Capacity Building for LIS Professionals in Cambodia and Maldives through Continuing Professional Development (CPD)”. Dr. Shrianjani (Gina) De Alwis Jayasuriy

Press release:

2022 IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant winner :ASEAN "Best Practices" Sister Library Partnership

2021 IRRT Mission Enhancement Grant winner: Nciaragua 3D printing project (Press Release)