Library Innovation Lab - Grantee Guidebook
This guidebook leads California Humanities’ LIL Grant recipients in managing their grant. Grantees should reference their grant agreement for full details and terms of the grant. Below is a checklist outlining major steps.
California Humanities Contact Information
Primary Contact: Felicia Kelley, Project and Evaluation Director, fkelley@calhum.org
Grants Manager: Brett Connor, bconnor@calhum.org
Associate Program Officer: Kirsten Vega, kvega@calhum.org
RESOURCES & HOMEWORK FOLDER - CLICK HERE - |
Award and R&D Phase (March – July) | |
□ Signed Grant Agreement | The grant agreement will be sent to you electronically via AdobeSign. Follow the instructions in the email communication, and the signed agreement will be submitted to us automatically. Upon receipt, you will receive the first $1000 installment of your award. |
□ Announce Award | After California Humanities’ announcement, announce your grant award using the LIL Press Release Template. Connect with California Humanities on social media and use social media badges. (See Logos & Publicity Materials for social media badges and social media sites). |
□ Thank You Letter to Elected Officials (optional) | Send a thank you letter (template here) to Congressional Representatives (find them here) and elected officials. Send a copy to Felicia Kelley. |
Interim Report Requirements | |
| Overview | Your initial “deliverable” for the first part of the Library Innovation Lab program is a short description of your “prototype” (the project you plan to “test” this fall) and a related budget. Please submit the below requirements via the grant portal no later than August 2 using the log-in information used when you applied. Once logged in, you will see a “Start” button on the grant you were awarded, which will take you to the tasks that you must complete. If you have any problems accessing the portal, please contact grants@calhum.org for assistance. The report must be approved by the Authorizing Official designated in your application. Remember the report is not submitted to California Humanities until you see “Submitted!” onscreen. You must submit this Interim Report no later than August 2. |
| □ Prototype Project Plan | Please develop your written project plan in response to the s below, not exceeding three pages (you do not need to repeat the s), and name your document “[Your Library] Prototype Project Plan”.
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| □ Project Budget Form | Participating libraries may receive up to $5,000 total in grant funds for this program (including the $1,000 already disbursed). The total amount requested must be matched at a 1:1 minimum ratio with cash or in-kind contributions from non-federal sources secured by December 31. Unspent, unassigned, or unmatched funds should be returned to California Humanities, not banked for future use. An updated expenditures report, showing how you spent grant funds and other resources, will be requested as part of the final report. Please use this Excel budget template to develop your proposed budget for this project that shows all related expenses California Humanities funds may be used to support eligible project-related activities and expenses, including honoraria for speakers or presenters, staffing costs, programming expenses including travel (current IRS rates), supplies and materials, equipment, publicity, promotion, venue rental, refreshments and hospitality, etc. within the grant period. Some restrictions apply, including a 10% cap on indirect costs or organizational overhead. Here is an EXAMPLE of a completed budget form. |
| □ Supplemental Materials (optional) | If you would like to provide supplemental materials (copies of surveys, other documents), please compile into one PDF file named “[Your Library] Supplemental Materials”, and then upload to the appropriate task. |
| □ Project Plan Form & Certification | Complete the online form that asks for a short description of your project. In 150 words or less, describe your project (activities, events, etc.), the general time frame and location(s) of these, some key objectives, and the target audience(s) you want to reach. (You can copy and edit from the information you provide in the Summary section of your Plan – see above.) This task also requires your Authorizing Official to approve and sign this Interim Report. There are specific how-to instructions described in the task. |
Programming Period (August – December) | |
□ Publicize Your Programs | Publicize your programs, using acknowledgment language and logos on your publicity materials. Please send copies to Felicia Kelley. Tag California Humanities using social media handles (See Logos & Publicity Materials). Adapt and re-issue your press release, now with details about your programs. (LIL Press Release Template) Send online calendar listing details of project-related public events in advance of your events to Felicia Kelley (use this form). |
□ Invite Elected Officials to Public Programs (optional, but encouraged) | Invite state and federal representatives’ district offices to your events, and let us know if any attend. |
□ Use Audience Surveys | Collect between 30 and 100 surveys (total) at project-related events. You will submit these as part of your Final Report. See survey templates and links on the Programming Tools & Surveys page. |
□ Public Programming Worksheet | Record your events and attendance using the Public Programming Worksheet. Find the template and instructions on the Programming Tools & Surveys page. You will submit summarized information from this log as part of your Final Report. |
□ Acknowledge Support from California Humanities | Use our logo and the approved credit line and disclaimer statement on any print or digital program materials (brochures, publications, websites, media products). Acknowledge California Humanities support verbally at events. (See Logos & Publicity Materials) |
| Final Report Requirements | |
| Overview | Submit all components of the Final Report on the grant portal no later than Feb 1. Hardcopies of any materials should be mailed to: California Humanities 538 9th Street, Suite 210 Oakland, CA 94607 Attn: LIL Final Report |
| □ Project Director Self-Evaluation Survey | In addition to providing a short description of your project, this is a set of questions about your experience developing and managing this project and participating in the LIL program. See a PDF sample of the questions here. |
| □ Final Budget Form | Participating libraries have received up to $5,000 total in grant funds for this program (including the $1,000 originally disbursed). The total amount requested must be matched with an equivalent amount of cash or in-kind contributions from non-federal sources secured by December 31. Unspent or unmatched funds should be returned to California Humanities as part of your final report (no later than March 31), not banked for future use. California Humanities funds may be used to support eligible project-related activities and expenses, including honoraria for speakers or presenters, staffing costs, programming expenses including travel (current IRS rates), equipment, publicity, promotion, venue rental, refreshments and hospitality, etc., within the grant period. Some restrictions apply, including a 10% cap on indirect costs or organizational overhead (see your grant agreement for details). Please use this Excel budget template for your Final Budget Report. (TIP: Rather than starting from scratch, edit the budget file you created for the Interim Report.) Upload your budget form labeled “[Your Library] Final Budget”. Here is an EXAMPLE of a completed final budget form. |
| □ Project Director Impact Narrative | Share a story that communicates the impact and significance of your project to a public audience. You might focus on a particular event, experience, or activity that took place during your project, or you might provide a broader overview of your accomplishments. If you provide a story, it may be shared on our website or social media, incorporated into reports or publications or disseminated in other ways to diverse audiences. Please write simply and directly, using concrete and vivid language to make your experience come to life and only provide information you feel comfortable sharing with the public. If helpful, you might use a such as:
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| □ Completed Audience Surveys | Collect between 30 and 100 completed surveys, either in hard-copy or taken online. Hard-copy surveys should be scanned into a single PDF and uploaded to the portal. If this is not possible, hard copies can be mailed (see above). |
| □ Programming Activities & Attendance | Enter summary information from the programming log you started filling out when your programming began. |
| □ Publicity & Marketing Collateral | Flyers, posters, press releases, etc. showing acknowledgement of California Humanities' support. This should be scanned to a PDF and uploaded to the portal. If this is not possible, hard copies can be mailed (see above). |
| □ Tangible Products Produced | Please provide a digital copy of any website content or videos on a flash drive or DVD. This should include acknowledgement of California Humanities' support and disclaimer (for any content product). |
| □ Authorizing Official Certification | This task asks for the Authorizing Official to approve and sign this Final Report. There are specific how-to instructions described in the task. |
Beyond the Grant Period | |
| □ Share Project-Related Event Information (if applicable) | If you continue to hold public programs related to your project, continue to send details about project-related public events both before and after to Felicia Kelley and tag us on social media. Continue to update your Public Programming Log. |
□ Thank You to Elected Officials (optional) | Send a second thank you letter to your Congressional Representatives (find them here) and Elected Officials, copying Felicia Kelley. |
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