Organizations selected to participate in The Big Read will receive a grant, financial support to attend a national orientation meeting, educational and promotional materials for broad distribution, an Organizer's Guide for developing and managing Big Read activities, inclusion of the organization and activities on The Big Read Web site, and the prestige of participating in a highly visible national initiative. All grantees selected to participate will have the distinction of using the brand The Big Read.

Grant size

Applicants may apply for grants ranging from $2,500 to $20,000. Generally, grant size will be determined based on community population, the number of activities planned, and the overall strength of the application. For example, the suggested grant range for a small community with fewer than 50,000 people is $2,500-$7,500; the suggested grant range for a major metropolitan community with more than 500,000 people is $7,500-$20,000. Grants must be matched at least 1 to 1 with nonfederal funds. Grant funds may be used for such expenses as book purchases, speaker fees and travel, salaries, advertising, and venue rental. Please see the Project Budget Instructions for more information.  

Available book titles: September 2008 – June 2009 programming

Applicant organizations must select one of the following 22 books for their programming prior to applying to The Big Read:

• Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• My Ántonia by Willa Cather
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
• The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
• A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
• Washington Square by Henry James
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
• The Call of the Wild by Jack London
• The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz *
• The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
• The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick
• Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
• The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
• The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
• The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
• Old School by Tobias Wolff

* For information on participating in a special cultural exchange initiative with Egypt, please see The Big Read Egypt/U.S. Guidelines & Application.

PROGRAM PLANS

Programming should strive to involve the entire community, especially lapsed and/or reluctant readers, to counter the downward trend facing literary reading. While The Big Read welcomes frequent readers as participants, applicant organizations should pay significant attention to reaching deep into their communities to engage individuals for whom literary reading is not a regular activity. The NEA study Reading at Risk indicates that only slightly more than one-third of adult American males now read literature. It is therefore especially important to engage adolescent males in your Big Read programming.

Community organizations participating in The Big Read shall develop and produce a well-planned, well-attended, community-wide read with innovative, diverse programming, and widespread community involvement and participation. The ideal Big Read program should be approximately one month in duration and must occur between September 2008 and June 2009. A successful Big Read will a) reach lapsed and/or reluctant readers, b) possess a wide range of imaginative activities, and c) occur in a variety of locations. Successful applicants' programming will occur in various venues beyond libraries to encourage participation by diverse audiences and reluctant readers.

Activities should include:

• A kick-off event to launch the program locally;
• At least one keynote session on the book (e.g., lecture by key biographer, panel discussion, or author reading);
• A minimum of two to three special events involving other kinds of programming (e.g., screenings of the film version of the book, or a theatrical reading);
• A minimum of 10 to 50 book discussions in varied locations, including libraries, bookstores, and museums, that attract diverse audiences.

The number of activities planned should correlate with your community population. Please note: organizations are responsible for seeking legal permissions for certain activities and promotional materials.

PARTNERSHIPS

Successful programs involve a variety of partnerships with diverse local organizations to broaden audience outreach and deepen participation, especially reaching lapsed and/or reluctant readers.

Applicant organizations must partner with a library (if the applicant itself is not a library). Other collaborating organizations might include bookstores, museums, arts organizations, local businesses, chambers of commerce, community service organizations, community centers, youth groups, senior centers, schools, community colleges, universities, prisons, neighborhood associations, and social service organizations.

The Big Read also serves military personnel and their families. Where available, community organizations are encouraged to involve military installations as active partners in Big Read programs.

INVOLVEMENT WITH SCHOOLS

Literary reading is fading as a meaningful activity for younger people. The NEA study Reading at Risk indicates that only slightly more than one-third of adult American males now read literature. It is therefore especially important to engage adolescent males in Big Read programming. Involvement of middle and high schools is essential to meeting the goals of The Big Read.

Participating community organizations should partner with local schools capable of integrating The Big Read materials in classrooms, involving students in school-based Big Read activities, and/or involving students in local programming. Prior to applying, community organizations should develop program plans with school leaders, such as teachers, school librarians, English department chairs, principals, superintendents, or curriculum specialists.

K-12 schools and school districts, whether public or private, may not be the lead applicant, but are encouraged to partner with libraries, literary centers, museums, and other eligible applicants.

MEDIA, PUBLIC RELATIONS, AND PROMOTION

In order to ensure a large audience and strong participation in your activities, applicant organizations must successfully and widely promote The Big Read. Prior to applying, community organizations should work with local print and broadcast (radio and TV) media to identify each outlet's specific commitments to cover and promote The Big Read. Applicants most likely to be funded will show media as an integral partner in their Big Read program. The highest scored applications will be those that demonstrate strong media (especially TV and radio) partnerships. In particular, applications should indicate how media partners plan to actively participate, support, and promote The Big Read.

Community organizations selected to participate in The Big Read should actively generate media attention through partnerships with local TV, radio, and print media and through other promotion and public relations efforts.

PUBLIC OFFICIALS

The awareness of and meaningful participation in The Big Read by elected public officials will benefit your programming and the future of The Big Read.

Participating community organizations should actively involve local, state, or federal public officials (e.g., mayors, city council members, state legislators, Members of Congress).

EDUCATIONAL AND PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS

One of the major benefits of The Big Read for community organizations is the availability of high-quality educational and promotional materials provided in large quantities at no cost to participating community organizations.

Participating community organizations must distribute and use the following educational and promotional materials provided by the program.

• Reader's Guides: 16-page booklets containing an introduction to the featured book, historical context, author background, information about related works, and discussion questions that can be widely distributed throughout your community.
• Spanish translations of Reader's Guides: Spanish versions of the Reader's Guides available for Bless Me, Ultima; Fahrenheit 451; The Call of the Wild; The Grapes of Wrath; To Kill a Mockingbird; and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
• Teacher's Guides: 20-page booklets containing a variety of lesson plans and other teacher resources for high schools or middle schools that can be used in the classroom and/or by the school library media specialist. (Lesson plans from the Teacher's Guides may also be downloaded from the Web site.)
• Audio Guides: 30-minute CDs featuring interviews with notable literary and public figures about the book for radio promotion and classroom use.
• Public service announcements: 30-second television and radio spots available for a variety of Big Read books.
• Banners, posters, and bookmarks for promotional and marketing purposes.
• Additional educational or promotional materials as provided.

Participating community organizations also contribute to and promote The Big Read Web site, www.NEABigRead.org.

ADDITIONAL GRANT REQUIREMENTS

All Big Read organizations must:

• Call their program The Big Read.
• Match the grant at least 1 to 1 with nonfederal funds. For example, if an organization receives a $5,000 Big Read grant, the total eligible project costs must be at least $10,000 and the organization must provide at least $5,000 toward the project from nonfederal sources. Applications showing a variety of matching sources will be more favorably considered.
• Participate in a two-day national orientation meeting in Minneapolis June 8-9, 2008. Two representatives from the community organization must attend this meeting, along with a partner librarian (if the library is not the lead applicant). The Big Read will cover all allowable expenses associated with community organizers' travel and participation in this meeting.
• Comply with all crediting requirements. This includes consistent crediting of The Big Read, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and any additional sponsors.
• Comply with all reporting and evaluation requirements. Organizations will be required to submit programming calendars before and during their community read activities; submit a final report with statistics and narrative about their programming.
• Work closely with the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Midwest, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
• Comply with all federal granting regulations, including providing organizational audit information if required by federal law.

ELIGIBILITY

1. Applicant organizations must be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or a division of state, local, or tribal government. Eligible applicants include such organizations as literary centers, libraries, museums, colleges and universities, art centers, historical societies, arts councils, tribal governments, humanities councils, literary festivals, and arts organizations.
2. Applicant organizations must partner with a library (if the applicant organization itself is not a library).
3. K-12 schools and school districts, whether public or private, may not be the lead applicant, but are encouraged to partner with libraries, literary centers, museums, and other eligible applicants.

Note: Applications from intermediary or umbrella organizations with general or vague plans lacking local impact will not be competitive.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Approximately 300 organizations from across the country will be selected by a panel of experts to participate in this cycle of The Big Read. Selections and grant awards will be based on the following:

1. Quality of outlined plans to develop and implement an innovative community-wide reading program of approximately one month in duration that a) reaches lapsed and/or reluctant readers, as well as those who read frequently, b) possesses a wide range of imaginative activities, and c) occurs in a variety of locations.
2. Quality of partnerships with a wide variety of local organizations, such as libraries, bookstores, museums, arts organizations, military installations, local businesses, chambers of commerce, community service organizations, community centers, youth groups, senior centers, schools, community colleges, universities, prisons, neighborhood associations, and social service organizations.
3. Quality of plans to engage with middle and high schools, school libraries, and school districts in integrating Big Read program activities and materials, and involving students in Big Read programming.
4. Quality of plans with specific media outlets to promote events aggressively using TV, radio, print media, and other promotional and public relations efforts.
5. Plans to actively involve local, state, or federal public officials.
6. Well-conceived budget showing required match and effective use of funds.

SELECTION TIMELINE

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Complete and submit online eGRANT application at www.NEABigRead.org. Specific instructions for using eGRANT are available online.
• Send additional materials as outlined below.
• Pages beyond the requested length will not be distributed to the panel for review.

Application requirements submitted through eGRANT

1. Four-page application narrative as outlined below.
   • Create in Word using 11-point type, single-spaced, 1” margins.
   • Include organization's name at the top of each page and page number at the bottom of each page.
   • Repeat points #a-f and g, if applicable, in your narrative response.
   a) Describe your program plans: the number, locations, and types of activities. Describe your intended audience for these events, how your organization will engage audiences that are diverse within the context of your community, and how you will reach lapsed and/or reluctant literary readers. Explain how you plan to staff this program.
   b) Outline the specific partners with whom you plan to collaborate and describe the nature of those collaborations. For applicants that are not libraries, describe your partnership with a library.
   c) Describe how you plan to work with schools, school libraries, and school districts in your area to integrate the materials into the classroom, and how you plan to involve students, especially adolescent males, in program activities.
   d) Outline in detail your media partners and promotion plans. Indicate which partners and plans are confirmed. Describe how media partners will actively participate, support, and promote The Big Read.
   e) Outline specific local, state, or federal public officials who intend to participate as well as plans to involve other officials.
   f) Briefly discuss why you wish to participate in The Big Read.
   g) If you have participated in The Big Read previously, describe your experiences, both positive and negative, and how you will build on past programming.
2. One-page organizational description, including your mission, principal activities, and the make-up of the community you serve. Describe any past programming that demonstrates your ability to develop and manage a successful Big Read program.
   • Create in Word using 11-point type, single-spaced, 1” margins.
3. One-page (total) biographical descriptions of the principal project leaders.
   • Create in Word using 11-point type, single-spaced, 1” margins.
4. One-page organizational budget.
   • Use the downloadable form provided through eGRANT.
5. Two-page project budget.
   • Use the downloadable Project Budget Instructions and form provided through eGRANT.
6. Certification page.
   • Download from eGRANT.

Additional materials

• Collate additional materials in the order requested.
• Do not use staples or place your materials in binders or folders.

1. Copy of your organization's federal tax exempt ruling under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or documentation indicating that your organization is a division of state, local, or tribal government. Sales tax exemption certificates and copies of ordinances are not qualified documents. Please check with your finance department for correct documentation or call Arts Midwest for assistance in identifying the correct documentation.
2. Signed certification page downloaded from eGRANT.
3. Three one-page letters of support from potential partners. Panelists will review only three letters.

application DEADLINE

All eGRANT applications must be submitted electronically to Arts Midwest on or before 4:00 p.m. CST on February 12, 2008.

Additional materials, as listed above, must be received in the mail by Arts Midwest on or before 4:00 p.m. CST on February 12, 2008. This is not a postmark deadline. The additional materials may not be e-mailed or faxed.

Please send your additional materials to:

The Big Read
Arts Midwest
2908 Hennepin Avenue, Suite 200
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612.341.0755

QUESTIONS

Please call Arts Midwest at 612.341.0755 or e-mail to TheBigRead@artsmidwest.org.