Library of Rhode Island (LORI) Learning Grant 2020 Application

Part 1: Applicant Information

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Library Name	Click here to enter text.
DUNS Number	Click here to enter text.
Director	Click here to enter text.
Address	Click here to enter text.
City, Zip	Click here to enter text.
Website URL	Click here to enter text.
Project Director	Click here to enter text.
Project Director Title	Click here to enter text.
Project Director Email	Click here to enter text.
Project Director Phone	Click here to enter text.
Grant Type	Select Grant Type
Project Time Span Project must conclude, and all funds expended, by August 31, 2020.	Click to enter start date.-Click to enter end date.
Total Grant Request	$ Click here to enter amount.

The library named above certifies and assures that:

–	It is a certified member of the Library of Rhode Island (LORI) network administered by the

Office of Library and Information Services.

–	This proposal is submitted as described in Parts 1-6 of the LORI Learning Grant Application.

Any additional costs for the project as described are understood to be the sole responsibility of the applicant. The library shall comply with all grant requirements, including deadlines and reporting, as described in LORI Learning Grant Program 2020 documentation.

–	All funds will be expended by August 31, 2020 and the final report will be delivered by

September 30, 2020.

Library Director	Date

Part 1A: Project Partner

If there is a partner organization, submit one form per partner. Paid vendors are not partners.

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Organization Name	Click here to enter text.
Organization Director	Click here to enter text.
Organization Contact and Title (if different than director)	Click here to enter text.
Organization Contact Email	Click here to enter text.
Organization Contact Phone	Click here to enter text.
Organization Web Site	Click here to enter text.
Partner Role Briefly describe partner role.	Click here to enter text.

For the following sections, refer to the Application Instructions and Process.
For Definitions of Terms used in the Application, see the Appendix at the end of the Application.

Part 2: Project Description

Provide a brief general description of the project. Maximum length: 160 words.

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Part 3: Project Purpose

The purpose relates to the library’s mission (or long-range plan) and defines the audience, outcomes, and services of the project. Describe the need you identified and purpose or goal of the project. Indicate how the targeted audience will benefit. If the project addresses inclusion, describe how it does so.

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Part 4: Project Design

Describe the activities planned, when they will happen, and what resources (services, educators/speakers/consultants, supplies, etc.) will be needed. Indicate the expertise of the educators/speakers/consultants along with any expected actions/contributions to the project.

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Part 5: Evaluation

Describe how you will evaluate the project. The Definition of Terms includes information on evaluation and related outcomes and outputs.

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6: Project Budget

Instructions: Complete the Budget Form with estimated costs. Enter Amounts requested in Grant Request column. If applicable, include any funding from outside sources in the Cash Match column (not required). Totals will calculate automatically. List educational presenters with expertise in presenting informative, engaging programs as consultants. Amounts for Consultants (Table 1) and Other Costs (Table 2) will be calculated in their respective tables and carried to the Project Costs.

Budget Item	Grant	Cash Match (not required)
A. Supplies
B. Software
C. Services (describe in narrative)
D. Educators/Speakers/Consultants (itemize in Table 1)	$0.00
E. Other Costs (item in Table 2)	$0.00
F. Participant Stipends (for Connected Learning teen interns only)
Total Project Costs	$0.00	$0.00

Table 1: Educators/Speakers/Consultants
Consultant Name
Service
Cost
Consultant Name
Service
Cost
Total Consultant Costs	$0.00

Table 2: Describe Other Costs
Total Other Costs	$0.00

Use the text block in this section to briefly describe the purpose of the budget items, only if the purpose of a budget item is not clear from parts 1-5 of this application.

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Appendix: Definitions of Terms

The following are definitions for terms used in the LORI Learning Grant Program. For additional help, see the Grants.gov online glossary

Activities: Actions through which the objectives and goals of a grant are accomplished and/or deliverables are created. Activities are specific and concrete actions that comprise the plan to achieve the goal.

Allowable Costs: Determination of costs allowable under a federal award or subgrant are made in accordance with the government-wide cost principles in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards set forth in 2 CFR Part 200. Refer to the IMLS Tip Sheet for Allowable Costs; contact OLIS if you have any questions about allowable costs.

Anecdotal reports: Can be obtained through interviews with or open-ended surveys completed by project participants. An anecdote is a brief description of a participant’s response, not necessarily based on objective information.

Cash Match: Includes direct costs committed by the applicant or partner organization and sponsoring organizations, to the extent that such costs are committed as part of the grant funded project. The funds are necessary and reasonable for accomplishment of project or program objectives. A cash match is not required for a LORI Learning Grant.

Consultant: For purposes of the LORI Learning Grant, refer to educational presenters and speakers with expertise in presenting informative and engaging programs as consultants. In the Project Design section of the application, describe the expertise of the consultant along with their expected actions/contributions to the project. (Enter fees for consultants in the Budget Form.)

Consultant Fees: Includes all projected expenses related to acquiring the expertise of a consultant for a specific activity within the project. Costs may include fees and support services obtained directly from the consultant. If a consultant will be paid with grant funds, the applicant should have a written agreement with the consultant defining scope of work and payment to ensure that all parties agree on what is expected.

Data sources: Tools and resources for information that will demonstrate what happened to your target audience; sources of information about conditions being measured. (For example, pre-post test scores, surveys, attendance records, program records, assessment reports, records from other organizations, observations, etc.)

Disallowed costs: Grant expenses that are not eligible for reimbursement under OLIS or Federal policies for use of grant funds. Contact OLIS if you have questions.

Encumbered funds: Funds are encumbered when a record is entered into an accounting ledger which represents a planned or obligated expenditure. Funds that are “encumbered” are set aside and counted as an obligation. For LORI Learning Grant purposes, grant funds may be considered encumbered when a formal agreement to purchase goods or services has been entered, such as submitting an order to a vendor or entering a contract for services.

Evaluation plan: A clear representation of the links between the programs or projects activities, the results these activities are expected to produce, and how the results will be measured. See also Outcomes and Outputs.

Goals: Goals are broad but clear statements that articulate the desired result of your efforts. Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable (achievable), relevant, and time-bound (SMART). Activities are specific and concrete actions that comprise the plan to achieve the goal.

Obligated funds: see Encumbered.

Other Operational Expenses: Items budgeted for that are necessary for the execution of the grant project but not included in Budget Form or Table 1. Contact OLIS with questions.

Outcomes: Knowledge transferred, or behaviors changed, that is, the good that is done as evidenced by the target audiences changed or improved skills, attitudes, knowledge, behaviors, status, or life conditions brought about by experiencing a program. Outcomes may be immediate, intermediate, or long-term. Outcomes rarely include institutional benefits, outcomes generally benefit people.

Grant projects have outcomes, but specific activities conducted as a part of the project may also have measurable outcomes. Some activity outcomes can be measured by using the surveys provided by OLIS which are based on models provided by IMLS or by using the Public Library Association’s “Project Outcome” surveys. The surveys are intended to measure participants’ perspectives about what they learned by participating in the activity. Contact OLIS for information about when to use surveys.

Outputs: the amount of something produced, that is, how much is done. Outputs are measurable or countable.

What are the differences between outputs and outcomes? Outputs are measures of the volume of a program's activity, e.g., number of products created or delivered, number of people served or who attended a program, or number of activities carried out. Think of outputs as the things counted as part of the evaluation process. Outputs are almost always numbers: the number of loans, the number of ILLs, the number of attendees, the number of publications, or the number of times a workshop was presented.

Outcomes, by contrast, are how people benefitted by experiencing the project outputs, e.g., how a person benefited by attending one of the workshops.

Some examples of Outputs:

20 individuals completed training

4 public programs were offered

15 backpacks were checked out by 8 families

7 workshops were offered in the new Makerspace

Some examples of Outcomes:

The 20-library staff that completed the training either agreed or strongly agreed that they intend to apply what they learned.

After attending a public program, 70% of attendees reported that they learned something by participating in the library activity.

Through Connected Learning, youth can confidently use maker space tools to create tangible content based on their own designs.

After completing training, library staff have the skills to creatively engage patrons in library programming.

When preparing reports for OLIS, LORI grantees are encouraged to include anecdotal reports to support outcomes. Use the section on the grant final report form for anecdotes.

Program: Programs are designed to produce outcomes (changes in attitudes, behaviors, knowledge; or to increase skills and abilities based on assumed need). Programs generally have a definite beginning and end. Outcomes can be tracked using instruments such as surveys, e.g., Public Library Association’s Project Outcome or IMLS surveys provided by OLIS.

Project cost: Project cost means the total of allowable costs incurred under a LORI Grant, including any cost sharing and any third-party contributions such as those from a project partner.

Services: Includes subscriptions, training or registration fees. Also includes cost of services provided by a contractor or a vendor. A contracted service differs from a consultant: a consultant is paid for providing expertise; a contracted service is a one time or ongoing provision of goods or services by a vendor (e.g., a contactor/vendor delivers and installs equipment as part of a purchase).

Supplies/Materials: Includes all projected costs for supplies and materials that will be purchased specifically for project use. Include software if a single software purchase results in a perpetual license for the product; otherwise software is a service.

Unallowable costs: see Disallowed costs.

Unobligated balance: Unobligated balance means the amount of funds under a LORI Grant that the grantee has not obligated (spent). The amount is computed by subtracting the cumulative amount of the grantee’s unliquidated obligations and expenditures of funds under the LORI Grant from the cumulative amount of the funds that OLIS authorized the grantee to obligate (spend).