Grants and Sponsored Programs

General Grant Information | How to Propose a Grant | Grant Writing Tips |

Library Grant Mailing List | Library Grant Newsletters | Grant Program Spreadsheet | Useful Links | Glossary

Grant Information

University Library faculty and staff members are involved in projects funded by grants from various organizations, both governmental and private. In addition, the Library often participates in grant proposals submitted by faculty members. The University Library contact for these projects is Jean Cooper, the Library Grants Officer (email: jlc5f@virginia.edu ; phone: 2-2743).

Grants that are true gifts (typically requiring no annual report) are handled by Hoke Perkins through the Library Development Office. Grants requiring a report are submitted to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) by Jean Cooper. Sometimes the distinction is not clear, so please discuss with both Hoke and Jean.

Jean Cooper
Library Grants Officer
POB 400114, Alderman Room 507
University of Virginia Library
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4114

How to Propose a Grant

If you have an idea for a grant, discuss your ideas with your department head and AUL. If they support the project, contact Jean Cooper and complete a copy of the Proposal Pre-Approval form. This form includes a Digital Checklist that you should answer to the best of your ability for evaluation by theDigital Initiatives group. After you complete the form, email or copy it to Jean, who will contact your department head and the Library Administration for the appropriate signatures (so that you don't have to worry about getting them!). Start the process well in advance - 3-6 months, if possible. Don't wait until the deadline!

Follow this same procedure if you have been contacted by an entity outside the Library and asked to participate in their project. Please let Jean know as soon as possible, so that she can contact the entity's grants officer and work with him or her in submitting the grant proposal.

Grant Administrative Information Form

While each sponsor will have detailed instructions on how a proposal should be submitted, there are common elements. A typical proposal will require a cover sheet summarizing the proposal, an abstract, a detailed narrative, methodology for carrying out the project, a budget, biographical sketches of participants and appropriate approvals from the University. Other requested information might include tax status of the University, financial and annual reports, statements of compliance with federal laws, suggestions for reviewers, and letters of support. All this paperwork may seem overwhelming. Jean's role is to help you with the details of formatting, budgeting, getting the proper approvals, and submitting the proposal to the potential sponsor.

Grant Writing Tips

Digital Checklist for Library Grantwriters

Library Grant Mailing List

The Library Grant Mailing List is intended for those Library staff members who are interested in more frequent communications about grant programs and grant deadlines. To subscribe or unsubscribe from the mailing list, go to: https://list.mail.virginia.edu/mailman/listinfo/libgrants

Library Grant Newsletters

November 2005

Grant Program Spreadsheet (updated 10/16/2007)

This spreadsheet contains information about some grant programs that are available to libraries and librarians. It is not comprehensive, and will be updated as I get more information.

Useful Links

Grant Advisor Plus (UVa subscription) - Searchable database with information on criteria and contact information for available grants from Federal and other funding agencies. Does not include NIH.

Grants.gov - Federal Grants Website

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

Library Grants (Internet Library for Librarians)

National Archives and Records Administration

National Endowment for the Humanities - Selected Current NEH Grant Programs with Deadlines and Descriptions (Dec. 2005)

U.S. Dept. of Education

U.S. Dept. of Labor Grants Programs

Virginia State Historic Preservation Grants

Glossary of Terms Used in Grant Proposals

PI: the Principal Investigator, i.e. the Project Director.

Sponsor: the agency or organization paying for the project.

Direct costs: costs that the sponsor will pay. They can include salaries and benefits, equipment, travel, consultant costs and contracted services.

Cost-shares: costs that the recipient contributes. For example, instead of asking the sponsor to pay for 10% of the PI's salary, we might agree to absorb that cost as our contribution and not charge the expense to the sponsor. Most sponsors require a certain level of cost-sharing.

Indirect costs: these costs are a percentage of the direct costs and cost-sharing that the sponsor will pay. Indirect costs are used to recover part of the cost of electricity, building maintenance, everyday supplies and general support to the project by other departments (e.g., resources available at the library). The University has specific negotiated indirect cost rates with some sponsors. The University redistributes this money to all departments in the form of Overhead. The Library receives a percentage of the indirect costs from all University grants.