Collaborative Grantseeking for Library Staff: A Step-by-Step, Practical Course for Creating Fundable Proposals

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Course Description

Ready to level up your library’s future? It’s time to think beyond the stacks and step into the world of grantseeking—a dynamic, collaborative process that transforms bold ideas into funded realities. Grantseeking isn’t just about writing proposals; it’s about teamwork, creativity, and strategy. Think of it as a library-wide adventure: bringing staff together to scout out new funding opportunities, spark project ideas, plan innovative proposals, forge powerful partnerships with other organizations, and build the internal systems that keep successful proposals flowing. Say goodbye to wasted efforts. Say hello to confidence, efficiency, and lasting success in your library’s grantseeking journey.

Course Overview

This first-of-its-kind ALA self-paced eCourse provides a comprehensive foundation in collaborative grantseeking, proposal development, and submission. You’ll discover practical strategies for launching a strong, sustainable program that expands resources and multiplies your library’s impact. No experience required, as this course is built for everyone: newcomers who want to crack the grantseeking code, seasoned grant writers seeking fresh collaborative frameworks, and leaders eager to empower their teams with new tools for external funding success.

Not sure if this course is for you? You can view the first module for free.

Instructors

Your guides are Bess de Farber and Dr. Sophia Acord who together bring over 45 years of groundbreaking experience designing grantseeking systems that have been tested—and proven—in libraries as well as nonprofit, higher ed., and cultural organizations. With their insight, you’ll gain personal knowledge, skills, and a replicable system for repeated success at the organizational level.

Learning Materials

Each module includes engaging short video presentations, targeted readings, real examples of funded grant proposals, reusable templates, and activities designed to translate theory into action.

Emails and office hours: The author-instructors of this course will respond to emails and offer optional office hours to address questions about course content and activities. Specifics about office hours will be established after enrollment.

What You’ll Learn

Move through 10 interactive modules at your own pace and learn how to:

  • Navigate the grant process step-by-step from searching opportunities to submission, avoiding common pitfalls.
  • Build and sustain a collaborative grantseeking program grounded in partnerships, asset mapping, and community development practices.
  • Find and identify the best funding opportunities for your goals. 
  • Turn grant guidelines into practical checklists for strong applications.
  • Identify, plan, and design projects and project teams that align with funder priorities.
  • Use templates to communicate effectively with funders and your administrators for feedback and proposal support.
  • Write clear, compelling, and fundable grant proposals with strong narratives, budgets, and supporting materials.
  • Manage awarded grants effectively, including reporting, evaluation, and sustaining impacts.

About the Instructors

Bess de Farber, MNM, has had four careers: as a musician and arts administrator; as a program officer managing grant awards for arts and cultural, social services, and human and race relations; as a nonprofit management consultant; and as an academic research development professional. She has provided collaborative grantseeking training to thousands of library staff, nonprofit and academic professionals, artists, and university students in the past 32 years and has led efforts to secure millions for nonprofits and academic libraries. Her CoLAB Workshops have served more than 3,800 participants from a minimum of 14 to over 120 per workshop. Bess is the author of Collaborative Grant-Seeking: A Practical Guide for Librarians and Creating Fundable Grant Proposals: Profiles of Innovative Partnerships as well as coauthor of Collaborating with Strangers: Facilitating Workshops in Libraries, Classes, and Nonprofits. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Nonprofit Management from Florida Atlantic University.

Sophia K. Acord, PhD, has over 20 years of leadership in higher education research, teaching, and administration in the social sciences, humanities, and arts disciplines. A cultural sociologist by training, Acord’s publications include work on community-based collections, scholarly communications, sociology of the arts, mobile technologies, and qualitative research methods. Her collaborative partnerships have been funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Sciences, American Council of Learned Societies, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, Florida Humanities, and Southeastern Consortium. She was a founding editor of the peer-reviewed open-access journal Music and Arts in Action. Acord holds a PhD and MRes in Sociology from the University of Exeter and a BA from Swarthmore College.

If you have questions or requests regarding accessibility, contact us at ce@ala.org or at 312-280-5100.

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