The Green Libraries Scotland Grant Fund

Growing from the success of our COP26-inspired #CILIPSGoGreen collection and our support for CILIP’s Green Libraries Partnership, the Green Libraries Scotland Grant Fund was launched at our 2023 Annual Conference by CILIPS President Richard Aird. The Grant Fund offers small-scale grants to support libraries in Scotland with innovative projects designed to grow environmental understanding and action.

We are delighted to announce that the Green Libraries Scotland Grant Fund is now open for 2024!

Deadline for applications: 4pm on Friday 14th June 2024

Access our application guidelines

The Fund

With support from the CILIP Scotland Trustee Board, we are pleased to offer grants of up to £2,500 open to libraries of all sectors in Scotland seeking to grow environmental understanding and action.

Who is eligible to apply

• The grants are available for library services of all sectors in Scotland.
• We particularly welcome applications from library services with little or no prior experience of applying to similar grant funds.
• You may work with non-library service partners for your proposed project (for example, a local environmental organisation or community group) but the application must be made by a library service.
• The lead applicant must be a CILIP member.
• The application does not need to be completed by your Head of Library Service but must be approved by them before submission.

What you may apply for

• Your proposed project must make an innovative contribution to library-led environmental action and climate justice in Scotland, with the potential to have long-term impact. Please see our full assessment criteria below and consult our application guidelines for further details.
• Your application should give a clear indication of how you will spend the grant if successful. Decisions on final grant amounts rest with the selection committee.

Assessment Criteria

A selection committee including representatives from CILIPS, Green Libraries Scotland supporting organisations and sector experts will review all applications and assess them according to the following criteria:

1. The project shows innovation in its vision for library-led environmental action in Scotland.
2. The project has the potential to bring long-term value to the library service and the community it serves.
3. The project contributes to local climate justice, harnessing how libraries can champion underrepresented groups in and through environmental action.
4. The project demonstrates feasibility and the ability to deliver outputs (to library users and the CILIPS community) within the draft timescale provided.

For more information, please read our application guidelines or email Membership Officer Kirsten MacQuarrie at kirsten.macquarrie@cilips.org.uk.

Apply online now

Key Dates

Application Deadline: 4pm on Friday 14th June 2024

Applications open: Monday 11th March 2024

Deadline for applications: 4pm Friday 14th June 2024

Successful applicants notified: w/c Monday 1st July 2024

Project progress update: w/c Monday 7th October 2024 – Green Libraries Week

Projects completed by: Friday 31st May 2025

How to apply

• The application form is available online as a Google Form.
  • Please note that, if not signed into a Google account, the form may not save your answers automatically. If you wish to draft your answers and return to them later, we recommend saving them in a separate document (you are welcome to use this template featuring our five longform questions).
• If you require an alternative format for accessibility, please contact CILIPS (details also at the bottom of this page).
• After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation email from the CILIPS team within two working days. Please contact us at admin@cilips.org.uk if you have not received this.

Key Contacts

For further information about the Green Libraries Scotland Grant Fund, including accessibility requirements relevant to your application, or to join the Green Libraries Network, please contact CILIPS Membership Officer Kirsten MacQuarrie by email at kirsten.macquarrie@cilips.org.uk or via the contact details here.

British Sign Language (BSL) users can contact CILIPS via an online BSL/English interpreter – please click here to learn more about Contact Scotland, to make a call online or to download the free Contact Scotland BSL app.

Inspiration

For inspiration to support future applications, please visit the growing CILIPSGoGreen collection or watch Scotland’s Green Libraries Gathering:

Find out more about the successful recipients of the Green Libraries Grant Fund for English public libraries on the Green Libraries Partnership website, via the first Green Libraries webinar and via slides and videos from the first Green Libraries Conference.

Learn more in Welsh and English about the projects that successfully received funding from the Green Libraries Wales Small Grant Fund, supported by the Kathleen Cooks Panel.

Discover our four fantastic Green Libraries Scotland Fund projects for 2023-24 below: