Keyword

Question

Answer

Assistance

Can you help us ascertain our free and reduced lunch level?

First, talk with your principal.  He or she should have the information readily available.  If not, check with your district office.  If that doesn't work, consult the following website: www.nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/

We are concerned that bold, bullets, underlines, and other formatting will not translate from our word processing program to the on-line application form.

The formatting may not translate. Do not use bold, bullets, or underlines. Keep the formatting simple. We recommend you use Microsoft Word for best compatibility with this application.

Can we put information in “quotation marks”?

No. Do not use quotation marks.

Award

Is a Laura Bush Foundation Grant considered a federal grant?

No.  The LBF is an independent foundation. It is supported by donated money.

 Is there a time-frame for spending funds awarded?

Yes.  The funds must be spent within 180 days of notification of the award.

How many grants are awarded?

The number of grants awarded is a function of the amount of money available from the endowment.  In 2003, 131 grants were awarded out of nearly 6,000 applicants.

What is the evaluation program? (no. 18)

The LBF may collect additional information to help improve its efforts.

Definitions

Book

A hardbound print or Braille volume to be added to either the circulating or reference section of the school library collection. Please note that the definition does not include  
·                    Electronic or digital books  
·                    Books-on-tape  
·                    Audio or video tape  
·                    CD-ROM  
·                    DVD  
·                    Any student or teacher guide to the book, whether offered in print or another media  
·                    Any test, quiz, workbook, or exercise book, whether offered in print or another media.

Library

A library is a uniquely designated space in which books and other materials systematically classified and arranged by subject and type are stored and used by the students and adults in a school.

Please note that the definition does not include either classroom sets of books, collections of books stored in a room that are not organized and classified in a systematic way, or collections of books on rolling carts of any description.

Only schools that have a library that meets this definition may apply for a LBF grant.

Librarian 

For the purposes of the LBF grant application only, a librarian is the person designated by the school administration as responsible for the collection, care, and use of the materials housed in the dedicated space of the library.  Ideally, this person is a certificated school librarian.  Realizing, however, that conditions in a given school might require that a teacher, aide, paraprofessional, or other person take this responsibility, the operative part of the definition resides in the word “responsible.”  Only schools that have a person assigned responsibility for the library may apply for a LBF grant.

Eligibility

Can private schools apply?

Yes

Can we apply if we have no library?

Not usually.  The purpose of the LBF for America's Libraries is to enhance operating school libraries.  Please see the definition of "library" elsewhere in this information packet.  The LBF does not fund class sets of books, books for classroom collections, nor informal book collections that are not organized and classified.

If your school is in the process of developing its first library, the application must be submitted by the person already identified as the individual who will be responsible for the library.

Can we apply if we do not have a librarian?

No.  You must have a person designated as the "school librarian."  He or she does not necessarily have to be a certificated librarian, but must be identified as the person responsible for the library.  Please see the definitions of "library" and "librarian" elsewhere in this information packet.

The county library serves as our school library.  Are we eligible to apply?

Yes.  Please be aware, however, that all else being equal, preference is given to stand-alone school libraries.

Can a library project for public housing residents apply?

No.  While we hope to be able to support such worthwhile projects in the future, the LBF at present can only fund school library enhancements.

Can schools outside the national capital region apply?

Yes.  Schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, all American territories, and Department of Defense schools in other countries are eligible to apply.

Can home-schoolers apply?

No.  Please see the definitions of "school," "library," and "librarian" elsewhere in this information packet.

 Can public/rural libraries apply?

No.  While we hope to be able to support such worthwhile and important institutions in the future, the LBF at present can only fund school library enhancements.

Can alternative learning academies, not stand-alone schools, apply?

Not if the school in which they are embedded has a school library.  If the school does not have a library, they may be eligible to apply if they themselves have a facility and operation that meets the definition of a library and have a person whose function meets the definition of a librarian found elsewhere in this information packet.

May a library submit more than one application if it serves more than one constituency?  For example, if the library serves both a middle school and a high school?

Each library, regardless of the variety of constituents it may serve, is limited to one application per year.

Can more than one school in a district apply?

Yes.  LBF grants are awarded to individual schools and not to districts.  All the schools in a given district are welcome to apply.

I cannot get the FRL% from my school.

You might be able to get the information from: www.nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/

Why does the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries target only schools with a very high percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch?

The Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries understands that most schools need money for books and that school and library budgets are often inadequate.  However, because the Foundation is new and because funds are limited, we are targeting the nation's neediest schools and students for grants.  In order to establish need, the committee is using the widely known and reported "free and reduced price lunch percentage" as its criteria for establishing need.

Information submitted  

Should we include tables, charts, or other information in attachments?

No.  Please enter all relevant information into the form provided.  Please do not send any additional information as an attachment.

How specific should we be in describing the books to be purchased?

Please limit your description only to types or categories of books to be purchased.  Please do not list specific titles.

I already submitted the application but need to add or change some information. Is there a way to do that?

No. The submission is final. Duplicate submissions will not be considered.

I want a copy of my application. How can I get one?

We suggest you compose each section of the application into a Word document and then copy it to the appropriate sections of the application. Save your Word file. If you are using a PC, you can save the completed application by using the following steps before you submit the application: Hit File, Save As, Save As Type: web page. Be sure you know to WHERE you saved it to be able to find it again. You might just save it to desktop.

I saved the application and came back to it later to finish but it will not submit properly.

Some of my content does not appear in the box.

Information submitted - budget

 How specific should we be in budget information?

Please submit two pieces of budget information:  (1) How many dollars you spent on books in previous years from all sources, and (2) how many dollars you expect to spend on books this year from all sources.  Please see the definition of a "book" elsewhere in this information packet.

When you ask for our budget figures, do you want us to include all sources, such as Title VI, other grants or donations, proceeds from book fairs, etc.?

Yes.  Please submit two pieces of budget information:  (1) How many dollars you spent on books in previous years from all sources, and (2) how many dollars you expect to spend on books this year from all sources.  Please see the definition of a "book" elsewhere in this information packet.

We're confused over the definition of the "book budget."  Does that include the entire library budget?  Does it include the textbook budget?

The book budget refers to the number of dollars spent on books from all sources for the school library.  It does not include classroom textbooks used in the school, nor any personnel or operating costs associated with the library apart from book purchases.

Request - purchase

 Can we include processing costs as part of our requested amount?

All grant dollars are to be spent for books alone.  Funds may be used to purchase books that are pre-processed.

Can we purchase Accelerated Reader tests with grant funds?

No.  All grant dollars are to be spent for books alone.  Please see the definition of a "book" elsewhere in this information packet.

Can the funds be used to purchase digital books?

No.  LBF funds can be used only to purchase print or Braille volumes.  Please see the definition of "book" elsewhere in this information packet.

Can we use the funds to purchase cassettes to accompany books (ESOL)?

No.  LBF funds can be used only to purchase print or Braille volumes.  Please see the definition of "book" elsewhere in this information packet.

Can the LBF funds be used to purchase shelving, CD-Roms, audio or video tapes, DVDs, or classroom books?

No.  LBF funds can be used only to purchase print or Braille volumes for the school library.  Please see the definition of "book" elsewhere in this information packet.

Submission

Can paraprofessionals apply?

Yes, but only if that paraprofessional is designated by the administration as the person responsible for operating the library. Please see the definition of "librarian".

Whose permission do we need in order to apply?  The district's?  The state's?

Permission to apply must be determined by the school wishing to submit an application.  If you have questions about this, please check with your district office regarding any pertinent grant application policies or regulations it may have.  The LBF does not require that the district, the county, the state, or any other agency approve any application.  The LBF's focus is on the individual school.

Can I get the principal’s permission later?

No. The Principal must agree to submission of the LBF grant proposal.

Can applications be submitted via email?

No.  All applications must be submitted via the on-line application form.

Can changes be made once the application is submitted?

No.  An application is final once it has been submitted.

Can an application be sent from a home computer or must it be sent from a school computer?

Your application can be submitted using any computer to which you have access.

Must the application be written by a school employee?

The application must be submitted by the person who has been designated as the school's librarian.  Please see the definition of "librarian" elsewhere in this information packet.

Missed the deadline for submission

No submissions will be accepted after the deadline.

I did not get email confirmation of submission

Most likely, you typed the wrong email address on the application. It is automatically generated and sent to the address exactly as it appeared on the application.

Technical

Access to the application timed out before I sent it. I lost my information.

Prepare and save your answers in Microsoft Word. Then copy and paste the content to the appropriate boxes.

Access to the application timed out before I sent it. Why?

Your internet provider may have timed you out. There may have been a power surge. Or many other reasons could cause this. To avoid losing your information, prepare and save your answers in Microsoft Word. Then copy and paste the content to the appropriate boxes.

I cannot see all of the text in the box.

Use the scroll bar on the side of the box to see more text.

A word count in Word spell-check is different from what the counter shows.

The counter shows characters and spaces, not words.

I get an error message on the numbers boxes.

You cannot use commas or spaces.

I get an error message that data is missing.

Your cursor is returned to the place you are required to fill in something.

I got a Virus alert

Your network may not allow you access into our site during high alert times. The LBF server is well protected from virus. The problem is most likely the applicant’s.