State Association Conference Grants

State Association Conference Grant Application

Grants are awarded to encourage opportunities for continuing education for the MPLA membership through pre or post conferences at the annual meetings of state associations in the region. If a state does not offer pre/post conference programs, that state can be awarded a grant for a presentation of comparable significance during the conference.

Value of Grants

• Grants up to $500 will be awarded to state associations.
• Funding available to satisfy the grants is appropriated by the MPLA Board of Directors each year at the annual budget approval meeting.

Requirements for Application

• Applications will be accepted in the name of a state library association, information services association, or a unit thereof, which is affiliated with MPLA.
• Submission of the application must be authorized by the Board of Directors or governing committee of the state association in whose name the application is placed.
• As part of the application, the applicant must submit a narrative statement describing the proposed pre/post conference program and an itemized budget of expected expenses.
• The Mountain Plains Library Association must be identified as an assisting agency in pre/post conference publicity and during the pre/post conference.
• The application should be accompanied, whenever possible, by printed materials, such as publicity releases or samples of mass mailings, which describe the program.

Evaluation of Grant Applications

• The value of a grant application will be judged by the members of the MPLA Professional Development Committee on the basis of:
  1. Potential educational value for the intended audience.
  2. Degree of current need for training, study or evaluation in the subject area of the proposed pre-conference.
  3. Professional level of planning for implementation of the proposed pre/post conference.
Potential benefit for the members of the Mountain Plains Library Association.

Conditions of Grant

1. MPLA members attending the event for which the grant is awarded (pre, post, or regular conference) must receive the same discounted rates as members of the state association receiving the grant.
2. Officers of the recipient association must agree to give the MPLA Board of Directors, through the Professional Development Committee Chair, an evaluative report of the pre/post conference program as it occurred. For benefit of the MPLA membership, the evaluative report may be published in the MPLA Newsletter or other publications.
3. Upon receipt and approval of the complete evaluative report by the Chair of the MPLA Professional Development Committee no later than 2 months following the completion of the pre/post conference for which the grant was approved, the MPLA Executive Secretary will be notified to mail the grant check.

Application Procedures

1. Applications are available on the MPLA web site. If there is no access to the web site applications may be requested from the Chair of the Professional Development Committee, or from the MPLA Executive Secretary.
2. Completed applications may be submitted to the MPLA Executive Secretary at any time during the year. However, applications must be submitted by June 1 from those states which have Fall conferences and by February 1 from those states which have Spring conferences.
3. Selection of awards will be made by majority approval of the Professional Development Committee.
4. State associations are eligible to receive pre/post conference grants for a maximum of two consecutive years. After a subsequent year of ineligibility, the state association may again apply for pre/post conference grants.