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For Applicants What
types of programs does the NBSF support?
The NBSF makes grants to adult
literacy and adult basic education programs. The NBSF supports the following initiatives:
basic literacy, adult basic education, English-as-a-second-language, and family
literacy. The NBSF does not award grants to individuals. What activities
does the NBSF prefer not to fund?
Requests to provide books for lending
libraries or other resource centers where NBSF materials are not directly linked
to use with students receiving literacy instruction. Also, programs that request
NBSF materials to use strictly as free distribution items. What types
of educational materials are available through the NBSF?
New Readers Press,
ProLiteracy Worldwide's publishing division, provides the books and materials
for NBSF awards. These books are high quality instructional materials specially
written for literacy students and tutors. The NBSF does not provide titles outside
of those offered by NRP. What is the percentage of grant applications
that are funded?
The NBSF has an extremely high approval rate. Nearly
one out of every two applications is funded. What is the size of the
grants awarded annually?
NBSF grants have ranged from $500 to $2,000,
although greater or lesser funding amounts are considered. Grant requests significantly
over the $2,000 level are not typically funded. What is the cash-funding
component? Why does the NBSF require this as part of the grant award?
The cash-funding component is a direct payment to ProLiteracy Worldwide. These
funds are used to defray the administrative costs incurred for running the program
and help to keep the NBSF strong and viable. When is the deadline to
submit an application for the NBSF?
The NBSF is an annual program. Applications
are due April 14th. What are common NBSF application errors?
Failure to include the required application documentation such as a copy of the
financial statement. Another common error is when applicants fail to follow the
application instructions and do not include the required information for the two-page
proposal narrative. Who do I communicate with if I have questions or
concerns about completing my NBSF grant application?
You may e-mail questions
to the NBSF program administrator, Michele Diecuch, at mdiecuch@proliteracy.org,
or you may contact the administrator via phone at (315) 422-9121, x321. How
long will it take to receive a response once I've submitted my NBSF application?
Applicants are notified about the status of their request no later than June 30th.
Our preferred method of communicating to applicants is via e-mail. If an applicant
does not have e-mail they are notified in writing via U.S. mail as to the status
of their grant request. I've reviewed the NBSF guidelines and have found
that my project doesn't meet the NBSF criteria. Where else might I look for funding?
For additional literacy funding information visit the National Institute for Literacy
at www.nifl.gov. For a listing
of U.S. foundations and the areas they fund: Foundation Center at www.fdncenter.org
and the Council on Foundations at www.cof.org.
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