Call for Applications for 2012 Gretchen Walsh Book Donation Award
The African Studies Association offers an annual grant program to assist book donation projects with shipping costs to send books to African libraries and schools. The Africana Librarians Council, Gretchen Walsh Book Donation Committee reads grant proposals and makes recommendations to ASA.
Successful awards are usually small grants in amounts from $200 to $1000. Past awards are listed here. Those applying for partial funding of a project should clearly show how additional funding will be solicited.
The grants are intended to encourage
innovative projects that incorporate essential elements, including:
1. Recipient participation
Book donation programs should reflect a partnership between institutions in Africa and the US with a liaison contact from each institution. While large scale donations of container-loads of books can be effective, the ASA is trying to fill a perceived gap by increasing the number of small to medium-sized projects that focus on specific, articulated needs. Community based, grassroot project involvement with benefit to broad, non-sectarian populations are encouraged.
2. High quality materials
While books need not be new, they should be in good condition and relevant to the recipient’s needs.
Books can be procured from libraries’ duplicates, personal libraries, books stores, students and publishers.
3. Attention to details of logistics The project plan should include a place to store books as they are being collected, a means of reviewing the books for
physical quality and relevance to the recipient’s request, materials and staff for packing, a means of shipping to Africa, and all necessary paperwork for customs and shipping. The ASA cannot offer any services in arranging shipping or other logistics. Our role is to supply funding to the greatest
extent possible.
Applications for Funding
1. Project description: Send a 1-3 page description covering: the recipient and relationship to donor the materials requested (specific titles or subject
areas) the number of books, and means of obtaining them shipping and other logistical plans status of the project—-is it already underway, or just
in the idea stage? who will administer the project? Who is the liaison
in Africa?
2. Budget
What are total costs of the project?
How much is the request to the ASA?
How will ASA funds be used? For partial funding requests, how will other funds be solicited?
3. Deadline
Applications must be sent on or before May 31st to the office of the ASA Secretariat at secretariat@africanstudies.org
Those that are awarded are expected to provide a report on the project and a brief summary for ASA News at the project’s completion. Photographs,
websites, digitized information related to project progress is encouraged and may be used for development purposes by ASA or ALC.
More information available here http://tinyurl.com/c3ga6kd
Application deadline for the 2012 cycle is May 31, 2012.
