Grant Support Materials - General Information
Navigation
- Your ALA Contacts
- Important Dates
- Online Platforms
- Webinars
- Required Reporting
- Spending Grant Funds
- Participating in Grant Evaluations
Your ALA Contacts
If you have questions, please contact:
- Kaileen McGourty, Program Officer, publicprograms@ala.org and kmcgourty@ala.org
- For general grant or project questions and budget changes
- Samantha Oakley, Project Director, soakley@ala.org
- For questions about project evaluation and/or requests about major project changes
Important Dates
Round 2:
- March 5, 2024 at 1:00 to 2:00pm CT - Orientation Webinar
- March 14, 2024 at 1:00 to 2:30pm CT - Understanding Disability Webinar
- March 20, 2024 at 1:00 to 2:00pm CT - Improving Services, Facilities, & Programs for People with Disabilities Webinar
- March 28, 2024 at 1:00 to 2:00pm CT - Hosting Accessible Community Conversations Webinar
- By April 1, 2024 - Create an ALA Connect and ALA eLearning account. Review the account creation instructions in the Online Platforms section below.
- April 1, 2024 - Grant Implementation Period Starts
- By September 30, 2024 - Submit Interim Report
- March 31, 2025 - Grant Implementation Period Ends
- Ensure all grant funds are spent down
- April 30, 2025 - Submit Final Report
You can download an LTC Access Round 2 checklist to help keep track of all the important dates and tasks.
Round 1:
- May 3, 2023 12:00 to 1:00pm CT - Orientation Webinar
- May 10, 2023 12:00 to 1:30pm CT - Understanding Disability Webinar
- May 17, 2023 12:00 to 1:00pm CT - Improving Services, Facilities, & Programs for People with Disabilities Webinar
- May 24, 2024 11:00am to 12:00pm CT - Hosting Accessible Community Conversations Webinar
- By June 1, 2023 - Create an ALA Connect and ALA eLearning account
- June 1, 2023 - Grant Implementation Period Starts
- By November 30, 2023 - Submit Interim Report
- May 31, 2024 - Grant Implementation Period Ends
- Ensure all grant funds are spent down
- June 30, 2024 - Submit Final Report
You can download an LTC Access Round 1 checklist to help keep track of all the important dates and tasks.
Online Platforms
Over the course of this grant you will need access to three online platforms. We recommend bookmarking these login pages.
- ALA Apply is the platform you used to submit your application. This is where you completed your Grant Acceptance Form and it's where you will complete your Interim and Final reports. Login using the same username and password you used to submit the application.
- ALA Connect is an online platform for discussion and collaboration between ALA members. Whether you are an ALA member or not, LTC Access project directors will use this platform to communicate throughout the grant. Once you are a member of the discussion list, you will automatically receive any message a member sends to the community and may make posts yourself. You will need to create a free ALA Connect account by April 1 in order to access the LTC discussion group (be sure to agree to the term and conditions to complete activation.) you will receive an email invitation to join the LTC group when it launches. See detailed instructions here.
- ALA eLearning is the platform you will use to access the required Facilitation E-Course. You will need to create a free login to access the course. See detailed instructions here and learn more about our E-Learning here.
Webinars
Round 2
Orientation Webinar (March 5, 2024)
- Recording (60 minutes)
- Slide deck
Understanding Disability Webinar (March 14, 2024)
- Recording (90 minutes)
- Slide deck
Improving Services, Facilities & Programs for People with Disabilities Webinar (March 20, 2024)
- Recording (60 minutes)
- Slide deck
Hosting Accessible Community Conversations Webinar (March 28, 2024)
- Recording (60 minutes)
- Slide deck
Round 1
Orientation Webinar (May 3, 2023)
- Recording (60 minutes)
- Slide deck
Understanding Disability Webinar (May 10, 2023)
- Recording (90 minutes)
- Slide deck
Improving Services, Facilities, & Programs for People with Disabilities Webinar (May 17, 2023)
- Recording (60 minutes)
- Slide Deck
Hosting Accessible Community Conversations Webinar (May 24, 2023)
- Recording (60 minutes)
- Slide Deck
Required Reporting
Round 2
- Interim Report due by September 30, 2024 - this report will be completed after your conversation with the primary audience. This is where you share the feedback you receive regarding your project plans and inform us of any changes to your project in accordance with that feedback.
- This report will be assigned to your Follow Up Forms in ALA Apply.
- Final Report due by April 30, 2025.
- This report will be assigned to your Follow Up Forms in ALA Apply by October 1, 2024.
Round 1
- Interim Report due by November 30, 2023 - this report will be completed after your conversation with the primary audience. This is where you share the feedback you receive regarding your project plans and inform us of any changes to your project in accordance with that feedback.
- This report is assigned to your Follow Up Forms in ALA Apply.
- Final Report due by June 30, 2024
- This report has been assigned in ALA Apply.
- Preview a PDF version.
A budget variance request serves to inform us of any changes to the proposed budget that was approved in your application. This is only required if the changes to your budget cause a variance of 10% or more. This is not a request for additional funding, but rather a formal process to update and align your approved budget with the project's evolving needs. To complete a budget variance request, email the following to publicprograms@ala.org:
- The name of your grant (LTC Access)
- Your original budget (from your application)
- Your new budget
- A brief explanation of why the change is needed
Spending Grant Funds
LTC grant funds are restricted to project-related expenses. Eligible expenses may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Library staff time
- Honoraria for conversation participants
- Payment to project partners for reimbursement or direct funding of services and support provided (e.g., ASL interpreters, live captioners)
- Facility upgrades (e.g., automatic door openers, accessible signage, sensory space equipment)
- Tech equipment (e.g., Braillers, iPads, virtual meeting licenses)
- Books or other collection materials Training for library staff (e.g., disability inclusion training)
- Project supplies (e.g., markers, index cards, Post-its)
- Promotion and publicity
Grant funds may not be used to support indirect costs (e.g. general library administrative expenses) or as donations to other organizations.
Grant funds should not be spent on non-conversation related expenses until you receive feedback from the primary audience in your community conversation.
If your budget changes by 10% or more: Please be sure to submit a budget variance request to ALA by emailing publicprogram@ala.org with the subject line "LTC Access Budget Variance Request).
Participating in the Grant Evaluation
ALA is working with Knology, an independent project evaluator who is tasked with analyzing the overall impact and effectiveness of the LTC: Accessible Small and Rural Communities initiative. To help them measure this, you may be asked to tell them a bit about how your project is going. This may be done through invitations to complete short surveys or participate in phone interviews. These requests will be kept minimal and designed in a way to not take up a lot of your time. If you have any questions about the evaluation process, please contact Samantha Oakley (soakley@ala.org).
