FAQ's - Readers' Choice Grant

1. Who is eligible for this grant?
Any Illinois library that is registered for the Monarch, Bluestem, Rebecca Caudill, or Abraham Lincoln award program. You must be registered for the appropriate year. Make sure that the registration is sent in if you have this done through your business office and do not directly register yourself. The $10.00 fee is meant to allow you access to the award materials and the voting; it is not a fee to apply for the grant. However, if you are not registered, you will be ineligible for a grant.

2. Do I need to be a member of AISLE to apply for a Readers' Choice grant?
No, we encourage all public and private schools as well as public libraries to apply.

3. What does the grant provide?
Each recipient will receive one set of unprocessed award books.

4. Where does the money for this grant come from?
This grant is being funded by the AISLE/LBSS Endowment Fund established in 2007 from the assets of the former Library Book Selection Service.

5. When is the application deadline?
By midnight on April 30.

6. How do I submit the application?
The application is completely online. Please print out the guidelines, checklist, and rubric pages to refer to while filling out the application.

7. How and when will I know if I will receive a grant?
Recipients will be posted on this website by August 1st.

8. Can I still apply for a Readers' Choice grant if I don't plan on adding all of the books from the list to the collection?
Look at the lists as they are announced and apply for the grant only if you plan on using more than ¾ of the titles. Please keep in mind this is a competitive grant and many schools will use all of the titles on the list with their students.

9. I have a K-8 building with 600 students and a total budget of $2000.00. I want to apply for the Monarch Award Grant to serve 300 K-3 students. How do I report my book budget on the application?
Estimate the amount of your budget you spend on books for your K-3 students. Include only the amount spent for books for primary students on the application.

10. What were the main reasons for not getting a grant approved in the last round?
Reasons for not receiving a grant include the following:

   - Identical applications for multiple buildings in the same district
   - Program descriptions too general — do not address all the issues in the guidelines

11. May I submit the same application for multiple buildings in my district?
No. Each application must be tailored to each specific building. However, keep in mind that we will try to spread the grants out to as many different districts around the state as we can.

12. Do I have to create a new project each year?
No, but successful projects tend to grow each year. Your project could be a continuation of activities you have found successful in previous years.

13. May I apply for a grant two years in a row?
Yes. For example, if you were awarded a Monarch set this year, you may apply for the Monarch set again next year.

14. I have been awarded a Readers' Choice grant and have changed jobs over the summer. Can I still accept the books for my new school?
The grant application and criteria were written for the winning library. The books need to go to the school they were originally awarded to.

15. Where will the books be delivered?
Tell us where you want your books delivered. Also, give us only the primary shipping address for your district (not a post office box.)

16. Why do you need our summer address?
We will be sending you a letter regarding your grant status during the summer. Please be sure your contact information is accurate.

17. Need more information?
Send an email message to execsecretary@aisled.org or call the number below.