An updated toolkit for winning grants

CHICAGO — Newly updated and comprehensive, the third edition of “Winning Grants,” published by ALA Neal-Schuman, is a must-have for library directors, grant writers, board members, consultants, and anyone navigating the intricacies of library grant funding. Whether you're starting from scratch and don't know where to begin, or you're an experienced grant writer looking to tap into new funding sources, you’ll find this best-selling book an invaluable resource. A well-respected library grants expert with a keen knowledge of the current state of libraries’ needs and funder priorities, Stephanie K. Gerding:

• explains the grant process cycle and outlines a clear path to success;
• shares inspiring grant success stories in action from diverse libraries;
• presents a Grant Proposal Deconstruction template, new to this edition, that distills the often-complex grant proposal guidelines into a succinct outline that will help you ensure eligibility, track important details, and measure compliance;
• offers guidance on gathering knowledge and conducting research, with updated resource lists and a comprehensive list of the various types of library funders;
• covers every stage of planning, including how to cultivate community involvement, methods for needs assessment, advice on organizing the grant team, and exercises to help you write realistic goals and objectives;
• provides insightful tips for proposal writing, such as where to find the best statistics and census data to support your statement of needs;
• features ready-to-use tools such as grant project and needs statement worksheets, budget templates, a decision matrix, and grant partnership documents;
• advises how to announce a successful grant to the community, and other first steps of implementation, including the basic principles of project management; and
• provides guidance on what to do when you're turned down and how to conduct an effective evaluation that keeps the process moving forward.

Gerding (she/her), MLIS, is a sought-out library grant expert with success as a grant writer, reviewer, funder, evaluation and needs assessment methodologist, and project manager. Her career includes grant roles with State Libraries, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, library schools, university, corporate, and public libraries, and consulting with organizations including ALA, COSLA, PLA, ARSL, TechSoup, and CALL Academy. She has been awarded national grants and has been a program coordinator and evaluator for many grant-funded projects. She manages the Library Grants Blog and has authored over 40 articles on library grants and fundraising. Her other books include “The Accidental Technology Trainer.”

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