New York State Library

Division of Library Development

New York State Library: Library Services and Technology Act; Service Improvement Invitational Grant Program FY2008-2010

Guide to Preparing Your LSTA Service Improvement Invitational Grant Application

This information also available in .PDF

The Service Improvement Invitational Grant application documents are all on this website. The Guidelines and Instructions are available in both Word and HTML format. The forms are available only in Word and .PDF because HTML files do not always provide the correct pagination for the forms.

The Service Improvement Invitational Grant Program operates under the new LSTA Five-Year Plan, 2007-2012, which is also available on this website.  Note that these grants will be for two years and funds will be awarded over two years: half the funds awarded for the period April 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009 and the second funding cycle will be for April 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010.  As these are federal funds, there is no guarantee that the second year of the grant program will exactly match first year funding.

Funds CANNOT be carried over from one funding cycle to the next.  LSTA funds have a shelf life and must be used within their designated funding cycle.

Following are some key points about preparing and submitting an application.

  1. Read the Grant Guidelines carefully.  If you have questions about whether a project is fundable, call the State Library staff noted below.
  2. Download the grant application and grant application instructions.  The instructions will tell you all about the appropriate forms you will need, including the short Budget Form (FS-20).  The list of Congressional Districts and Agency Codes are provided as reference documents.
  3. The Library System Allocation table provides the funding amount that may be requested by each system.  School library systems and 3R’s systems cannot apply for individual system projects, but may apply for statewide grant projects.  Public library systems can apply for individual projects, but have the option to pool their funds for regional projects.
  4. Please note that the application questions are different from the regular grant program.  Question 5 requires a detailed budget narrative by the budget codes used on the FS-20 form.  There are no points for each question because this is not a competitive program.
  5. All applications require an application, budget, authentication form, and debarment certification form. A CIPA certification form may be required if you are purchasing a computer which will access the Internet.  Please see the specific information about CIPA on this website.
  6. The deadline for receipt in the State Library is 5:00 p.m. March 4, 2008.  If application deadlines are not met, the allocated amounts will be used in another part of the LSTA program.

For Assistance from Library Development

If you have questions about the forms or about downloading them, please contact Lorraine Deitz at (518) 474-1565.

If you have questions about the Program Guidelines or if you wish to discuss ideas for projects, please contact Mary Linda Todd.

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