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Trustees, Friends, & Foundations |
May 2026 |  |
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Welcome to the Trustees, Friends, & Foundations Newsletter!
A monthly update on items relevant to those
who work as or with Library Trustees, Friends, and Foundations. | |
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| April 20, 2026
“'As we look toward the next 250 years, the choice is ours. We can let our libraries fade, viewed as charming relics of a bygone era. Or, we can choose to invest in them as a bedrock of our future. Let us decide, right now, that they are not optional. They are the very breath of a free society and they are worth fighting for.'
—ALA President Sam Helmick...
ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, the second highest ever documented by ALA.
Read more about censorship challenges, literacy efforts, and federal library advocacy in the State of America's Libraries: A Snapshot of 2025." |
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| May 14, 2026
"America’s network of libraries is vast, with 9,000 systems serving 155 million registered users. But that network is also under threat. While some communities are investing in modern new libraries, others are letting their branches crumble. Funding cutbacks for affordable housing or mental health services have led many low-income or unhoused people to use libraries as places of shelter. And widening polarization over social issues has sparked debates within some communities about whether some books should be banned as offensive.
Despite the challenges, libraries play a civic role that many see as more vital than ever..." |
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Sign Up with the Virginia Library Association as an Advocate!
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Click HERE and sign up for the VLA Advocacy Center Mailing List to make sure you're receiving Virginia action alerts and updates on policy issues related to the library field. This will help you keep abreast of legislation that could affect your local library and community.
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UNITED FOR LIBRARIES RESOURCES |
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Virginia library staff and stakeholders (folks like
you!) have access to a whole host of resources from United for Libraries.
Click to get the CHEAT SHEET signed up and in.
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Already signed up? Click HERE to access everything through the ALA eLearning Platform! |
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On hiatus from June through August |
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Registration Now Open: July 28-30, 2026
This interactive three-day virtual event will feature expert speakers on current topics facing library Trustees, Friends, Foundations, and staff who work with them. - Participate in live Q&A sessions with presenters.
- Enjoy exclusive access to keynote speakers and authors.
- Receive a certificate of attendance (for live participation or on-demand viewing).
Free registration for Virginia library stakeholders
courtesy of the Library of Virginia! -- Click HERE to register |
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| Tips for Effective Communication |
Effective communication is one of the most important — and challenging — parts of being a government supervisor. However, team and arguably mission success depends on supervisors being able to communicate deliverables, objectives, and goals in a clear, concise manner. Whether it’s via email, phone, virtual meeting, or presentation, you need to make sure you’re being heard, loud and clear. Join us for a virtual discussion focused on tips to help you be a more effective communicator.
(Occurs: 5.26.26 - 4p) |
| Register Here
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Fundraising Across Generations |
Boomers will carry philanthropy until 2035. Then what?! We’ve got less than a decade to replace these donors, who tend to give bigger gifts and donate on a more frequent basis. We need to start building our donor pipeline now, which means cultivating new relationships with donors from Gen X, Millennials/Gen Y, and Gen Z. Join Sarah Lange for this webinar to help you effectively build a “farm team” for the future. Participants will identify the characteristics of each generation, understand how each generation approaches philanthropy, and gain actionable strategies for effective engagement.
(Occurs: 5.27.26 - 2p) |
| Register Here
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Measuring Trust: How to Collect Meaningful and Actionable Data |
Trust is such an important part of a library’s work – being a trusted member of the community, promoting trust in the community. But measuring trust is a tricky task. Our partners at IREX have spent lots of time thinking about how to do just that. Join us to hear IREX and several libraries discuss experiments they ran with trust-building programs. Learn how they collected data and what the data told them, and leave with some tips and tools for measuring trust in your library.
(Occurs: 5.28.26 - 3p) |
| Register Here
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Trustee, Friends, and Foundation members have access to the Library of Virginia's Niche Academy, an online learning platform.
Featured Course:
Everyday Advocacy: Making Your Voice Count for Libraries (2-Hour Webinar - Recorded 4.28.26)
Advocacy can feel intimidating, especially when terms like lobbying, grassroots, compliance, and 501(c)(3) rules get mixed together. The truth: advocacy is much broader than lobbying, and libraries and their partners are already doing it in more ways than they may realize.
In this interactive two-hour webinar, participants will build a clear, practical understanding of what advocacy includes, what it does not include, and how nonprofit libraries can confidently engage in advocacy while staying within legal and ethical guidelines. We will demystify the basics of lobbying rules for 501(c)(3) organizations, explore the many forms advocacy can take, and highlight real-world examples of how libraries across the country have successfully strengthened public support.
The session will also focus on the shared roles of staff, boards, foundations, volunteers, and community partners in advancing library missions. Breakout discussions and hands-on activities will give participants time to reflect, learn from one another, and identify advocacy approaches that fit their own context.
Attendees will leave with greater clarity, increased confidence, and practical tools to support libraries through everyday advocacy. (Please note, if you register with a non-library-issued e-mail address, someone from the Library of Virginia will follow up with you to confirm that you are affiliated with a Virginia library before you can access the content.)
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Trust for Civic Life - Civic Hubs Grant
20-25 grants per year, each for $250,000-$500,000, for a three (3)- year period. Trust for Civic Life funds community-led, locally grounded projects in rural areas that bring people together to solve shared problems and strengthen everyday civic life. Focuses on rural communities specifically in the Black Belt, Central Appalachia, Tribal Lands, Southwest Border, and communities in economic and demographic transition in the rural U.S. Typical projects include creating or expanding "civic hubs" and local programs that convene residents across differences, host community events, activate public spaces, support youth leadership, and foster collaboration among local organizations, governments, and residents.
Application Open: February - June 2026 Awarded: July 2026 |
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Lois Lenski Covey Foundation Bookmobile Grants [Annual]
Grants range from $500 to $3000 and are specifically for book purchases; they cannot be used for administrative or operational purposes. Provides grants for purchasing children's fiction or non-fiction books. Hardcopy application only.
Application Closes: All applications must be postmarked by August 15 Awarded: Annually, by mid-October |
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Journey For Good Foundation [3x/Year]
Grants range from $7,500 to $32,500 towards addressing the root causes of poverty. Funding focuses on improving access to food, stable housing, education, workforce development, and support for veterans and their families. One application per organization per calendar year.
Application Deadline: January 15, May 15, September 15 Awarded: Rolling |
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Walmart Spark Good Local Grants [Quarterly]
Grants from $250 to $5000 awarded to address specific community needs. Projects must align with focus areas of Creating Opportunity, Advancing Sustainability, Strengthening Community, and/or Centering Racial Equity. Applicants must be within the service area of a Walmart store, Sam's Club, or distribution center.
Application Open: Runs on a quarterly basis Notification: Not stated |
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T-Mobile Hometown Grants [Quarterly]
Up to $50,000 for shovel-ready, physical builds or improvements that can be completed within 12 months of receiving grant funds. For communities with a population of 50,000 or less.
Application Open: Runs on a quarterly basis; portal closes on the last day of each quarter and reopens on the first of the month of the new quarter Notification: Within 60 days after entries have closed for the quarter |
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Bolger Foundation - Capital Improvement Grants [Spring & Fall]
Grants of $10,000 to $250,000 are provided for capital projects that will have an ongoing impact, such as constructing new facilities, acquiring land, or expanding existing structures; upgrading or improving current buildings and/or grounds; and purchasing significant and long-lasting equipment, e.g., new computers or other technology. Only 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are eligible.
Application Open: Runs twice per year -- Spring: Open from November 1 - February 1 // Fall: Open from June 1 - September 1 Notification: Within six (6) weeks after the conclusion of each application period |
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Community Heart & Soul Planning, Technical Assistance, and Seed Grant Program [Rolling]
Community Heart & Soul is a community development process that engages residents in identifying what matters most to the community and how to build lasting change. Activities and objectives are determined by communities, and projects have included volunteerism, leadership, business development, healthcare access, social programs, transportation, broadband, and emergency preparedness, among others. Grants are $10,000 but require a $10,000 cash match from the participating municipality or partnering organization.
Application Open: Rolling application process |
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Click on the image to learn more about each title, and then use your local library to request them from the Library of Virginia.
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"More and more I realize my responsibility to guard our library. It stands as a symbol of freedom and understandng, of service to all, a fine piece of democracy."
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- Dorothy Reeder, director of the American Library in Paris, in May 1940, just before France fell to Nazi forces in WWII. Americans had been advised to return to the US, but Reeder and her colleagues held their posts, even after German authorities banned books and prohibited Jewish subscribers from entering the building.
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This newsletter is brought to you by the Library Development division of the Library of Virginia. Funding for this is provided through the Virginia General Assembly and the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
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