ARPA Competitive Grant

Application window for this grant is now closed.

Grantees - See Manage your ARPA Grant for important information.

The State Library of Oregon is excited to announce American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Grants, a new grant opportunity for eligible Oregon libraries, museums, and tribes. These funds will help libraries, museums, tribes, and their partners respond directly and immediately to community needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each eligible entity may submit only ONE APPLICATION. However, you may include multiple projects on the same application, up to the maximum dollar amount.

TIMELINE

HOW TO APPLY

Step 1: Prepare

• Review background & program goals
• Review eligibility & requirements
• Review allowable activities & expenditures
• Review evaluation criteria
• Decide if you want to apply for a small grant ($1,000 - $20,000) or a large grant ($20,000 - $150,000), and preview the applicable grant application
• Review the recorded information sessions (if you were not able to attend live)

Step 2: Start your application

The application is completed through our online grants portal.

• You will need to create an account if you do not already have one.
• You may save your work, log out, and come back to your application at any time before submitting.
• View the applicant tutorial for details on using the system.

Step 3: Submit your application

Applications must be submitted by June 30, 2021 at 5pm. Applications that are left incomplete in the system or not submitted by the deadline will be considered abandoned requests and will not be considered for funding.

Background & Program Goals

Background

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded the State Library funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). IMLS directed that these funds be used to achieve the American Rescue Plan Act’s purposes in alignment with the goals of the State Library’s LSTA Five-Year Plan. This funding is to help communities respond directly and immediately to the pandemic, as well as to related economic and community needs through equitable approaches.

IMLS’ top spending priorities are:

• First, to support digital inclusion efforts to enable libraries, museums, and tribes to reach residents such as through internet hotspots, accessible Wi-Fi, and digital content and related resources, particularly in support of education, health, and workforce development needs.
• Second, to provide rapid emergency relief to libraries, museums, and tribes, allowing them to safely respond to the pandemic and implement public health protocols.

Program Goals

The State Library invites proposals addressing one or more of the following focal areas:

• Connectivity
• Digital Equity and Inclusion
• Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism
• Workforce Development
• Needs Arising from the Pandemic

Note: See our list of Possible Projects for examples in each of these areas. The purpose of a project cannot predominantly be staff training since the intent of these funds is immediate and direct community impact.

Priority will be given to projects that target communities that have been historically or are currently being underserved, as identified in the State of Oregon Equity Framework in COVID-19 Response and Recovery. This includes the following Oregonians:

• Native Americans, members of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes, American Indians, Alaska Natives
• Black, Africans, African Americans
• Latinx, Hispanic
• Asian, Pacific Islanders
• Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers
• Undocumented, DREAMers
• Linguistically diverse
• People with disabilities
• LGBTQ+
• Aging/older adults
• Socioeconomically disadvantaged
• Farmworkers, migrant workers
• Living in rural parts of the state
• Digitally disadvantaged

Note: This list is not all-inclusive.

Eligibility & Requirements

Who may apply

• Legally established public libraries and public library systems
• Academic libraries at public and (nonprofit) private colleges and universities in Oregon
• Federally recognized tribes in the state of Oregon
• Special libraries in Oregon (governments or nonprofits only), including county law libraries
• Oregon public school districts, non-profit private schools and public charter schools that have a library facility and some level of FTE of paid library staff at each participating library
• Oregon museums that meet certain minimum requirements (based on pre-pandemic services)
• Public or private nonprofits formed primarily for the purpose of providing library service to a community
• Networks, cooperatives, professional associations, and their subunits that serve any of the organizations listed above
• Organizations (governments or nonprofits only) partnering with libraries, museums, or tribes addressing any of the focal areas

Note: Each entity may submit only one application. However, you may include multiple projects on the same application, up to the maximum dollar amount.

How much you can apply for

• Small grants: Applicants may request between $1,000 and $20,000. For these, funds will be distributed in advance and recipients will be expected to commit to spending the entire grant amount.
• Large grants: Applicants may request between $20,000 and $150,000. These grants will generally be distributed on a reimbursement basis, although the State Library may make exceptions for organizations for which this would pose a hardship.

Note: No matching funds are required. Applicants are encouraged to include indirect costs in their proposals. (Indirect costs are those that cannot be readily identified with just one project; for example, office supplies, office space expenses, administrative or financial operations for an entire organization. You may claim up to 10% in addition to the project total, unless your organization has a previously negotiated indirect cost rate with a federal agency.)

What you will be required to do, if awarded a grant

• Acknowledge the funding source on any public-facing information or resources purchases made with these grant funds.
• Submit a brief midterm report to the State Library by March 31, 2022
• Spend ALL grant funds and submit receipts for purchases by August 31, 2022. NO EXTENSIONS WILL BE PERMITTED.
• Submit a final report to the State Library by August 31, 2022.

Allowable Activities & Expenditures

The ARPA grants program is intended to help communities respond directly and immediately to the pandemic, as well as to related economic and community needs through equitable approaches. Projects must address one or more of the following focal areas:

• Connectivity
• Digital Equity and Inclusion
• Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism
• Workforce Development
• Needs Arising from the Pandemic

Note: See our list of Possible Projects for examples in each of these areas. The purpose of a project cannot predominantly be staff training since the intent of these funds is immediate and direct community impact.

Grant funds may be spent on:

• Accessories and supplies that are necessary to support the project
• Hardware, software, and/or technology necessary to support the project
• Consulting or contractual services
• Salaries and benefits for temporary staff (or additional hours for existing staff) to be employed for the project
• Travel and/or training expenses related to the project for project staff
• Subscriptions and licenses within the grant period that support digital inclusion efforts

Note: Public libraries, elementary school libraries, and secondary school libraries applying to use funds for devices that access the Internet and/or for direct costs associated with accessing the Internet must certify CIPA compliance.

These costs are NOT allowed:

• Operational costs
• Replacement of revenue lost due to the pandemic
• Prizes or incentives
• Lobbying or political advocacy
• Fundraising
• Construction or remodeling, including the following:
  • Hiring contractors in a construction trade (e.g. builders, carpenters)
  • Trenching for cabling, such as for laying fiber
  • Permanent outdoor structures (e.g. gazebos on concrete pads)
  • Permanent fixtures to the interior or exterior of buildings (e.g. awnings, fixed shelving)
  • Projects that require getting building permits and/or having building inspections

Note: This is not an exhaustive list; see our Allowable Cost Guide for more details.

Evaluation Criteria

Priority will be given to projects that target communities that have been historically or are currently being underserved, as identified in the State of Oregon Equity Framework in COVID-19 Response and Recovery. This includes the following Oregonians:

• Native Americans, members of Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes, American Indians, Alaska Natives
• Black, Africans, African Americans
• Latinx, Hispanic
• Asian, Pacific Islanders
• Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers
• Undocumented, DREAMers
• Linguistically diverse
• People with disabilities
• LGBTQ+
• Aging/older adults
• Socioeconomically disadvantaged
• Farmworkers, migrant workers
• Living in rural parts of the state
• Digitally disadvantaged

Note: This list is not all-inclusive.

Applications will also be evaluated using the following criteria:

• Need
  • Application demonstrates how the project will address an identified need
  • Project targets communities that have been historically and are currently being underserved
  • For large grants: Application presents strong rationale for the project
• Feasibility
  • Project is doable within grant period
  • For large grants: Appropriate people and agencies are involved
• Impact
  • Project will benefit the target audience
  • For large grants: Project has potential to generate significant impact
• Financials
  • Budget is linked to activities
  • Budget contains reasonable cost estimates

Possible Projects

The ARPA grants program is intended to help communities respond directly and immediately to the pandemic, as well as to related economic and community needs through equitable approaches.

Projects must address one or more of the focal areas, and the purpose of a project cannot predominantly be staff training (since the intent of these funds is immediate and direct community impact).

Here is a list of ideas to get you thinking about the possibilities; it is not required that you choose any of these projects.

Connectivity

• Lending devices/hotspots to eliminate barriers to technology
• Utilizing technology and software to expand virtual and in-person programming and training for customers
• Acquiring equipment to enhance your building’s Wi-Fi, including extending access outdoors
• Collaborating to provide Wi-Fi in key community spaces
• Establishing dedicated areas for health, legal, and other confidential virtual appointments

Digital Equity and Inclusion

• Projects that bring services out of the building and into the community (ex: pop-up libraries/exhibits, outreach vehicles, mobile labs)
• Digital literacy programs and training
• Digital Navigators, trained staff, and/or paid consultants to assist Oregonians with digital literacy and broadband adoption
• Establishing or refreshing ADA workstations
• Making digital programs or exhibits accessible
• Increasing access to print collections (ex: postage for mailing books to patrons, equipment for scanning items for interlibrary loan or course reserve)
• Increasing online collections [Note: subscriptions cannot extend beyond grant period]
• Enhancing online access to collections

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism

• Collaborations with community organizations that represent & serve people who are or have been marginalized/underserved
• Hosting social workers and/or community health workers in the library
• Translation services for websites, marketing materials, etc.
• Outreach & communications that target communities that are or have been underserved and marginalized
• Public facing EDI-focused community training
• Giveaways of culturally-specific books
• Creation of exhibits highlighting communities that are or have been underserved and marginalized

Workforce Development

• Collaborations with workforce development community organizations
• Lending devices with preloaded employment content
• Hosting Career Navigators in the library and/or outreach vehicles
• Developing workforce training spaces or workstations
• Public programming and training for workforce development skills
• Promoting workforce development resources and collections

Needs Arising from the Pandemic

• Equipment and supplies to facilitate outdoor programming (picnic tables, outdoor charging stations, Summer Reading program supplies, etc.)
• Equipment and furnishings to facilitate social distancing indoors (touchless bottle fillers, lockers, kiosks, etc.)
• Outfitting public meeting rooms to conduct hybrid meetings
• Hiring a consultant for disaster planning
• Programs and services that address patrons’ pandemic needs (e.g. embedded social workers, workshops on how to apply for benefits, etc.)