Big Read Now Accepting Grant Applications

The National Endowment for the Arts has just announced the timeline for their next round of Big Read grants. If you would like to do a Big Read program in your communite between September 2008 and June 2009 the deadline for grant applications is January 11, 2008. (They have switched to an annual grant cycle instead of twice per year.)

It was a Big Read grant that supported The Big Read: New Hampshire Reads Fahrenheit 451. I would encourage New Hampshire communities to consider applying for a Big Read grant for their community. If you are considering this and have questions about our experiences please email me. The Center for the Book at the NH State Library will not be submitting a Big Read application in this grant cycle.

Here is the official announcement:

The Big Read, a national program to encourage literary reading and revitalize the role of literature in American culture, is accepting applications from non-profit organizations to conduct month-long, community-wide reads between September 2008 and June 2009. Organizations selected to participate in The Big Read will receive a grant ranging from $2,500 to $20,000, financial support to attend the national orientation meeting, educational and promotional materials for broad distribution, Organizer’s Guide for developing and managing Big Read activities, inclusion of your organization and activities on The Big Read Web site, and the prestige of participating in a highly visible national initiative. Approximately 300 organizations of varying sizes across the country will be selected for this cycle. To download the Guidelines & Applications go to http://www.neabigread.org/ Questions? Call Arts Midwest at 612.341.0755 or email BigRead@artsmidwest.org