Despite being one of our smaller grant programs, CLiF’s Spark grant plays an important role in helping our organization maintain and revive connections throughout Vermont and New Hampshire. Available to partners who have received a CLiF grant in the past, Spark provides $500 in funding with the goal of building enthusiasm around literacy activities. Because prior grantees are only eligible to apply once three years have passed since their last CLiF grant, Spark often serves as a reintroduction to all that CLiF has to offer. It is a valuable conduit for CLiF to re-engage with past partners, keep them looped in with our work, and help reignite literacy initiatives.
While $500 may seem like a relatively small sum to work with, our partners consistently report impactful results in keeping with the goals of the grant. With CLiF’s support, they are able to offer special programming that would otherwise not fit into their budgets; this, in turn, provides a welcome boost to literacy promotion efforts within their communities.
Here’s a sampling of a few grantees from the seven we funded in 2023-24:
Last spring, Oak Hill Children’s Center in Pownal, VT used Spark funds to host a family book giveaway and literacy event for children ages 2 months to 10 years old. Based on parent input, Oak Hill’s program included literacy activities based on a scavenger hunt. Each family received a book and accompanying item to encourage families to read and play together at home. After the event, Oak Hill Director Beth Travers Adolphus told CLiF:
“It was wonderful to see the children’s immediate interest in their new books – from toddlers working to turn the pages of board books to school agers excitedly reading to their parents. Watching the children and their families reading together was fantastic, as was the interaction between families as they explored literacy with their children.”
Winooski Memorial Library used Spark funds to invite author/illustrator Jason Chin to give a presentation in June 2024, kicking off the library’s summer reading program. Following the event, Library Director Nate Eddy shared:
“One of our youth who is an aspiring artist asked Jason if ‘practice makes perfect,’ and Jason responded, ‘no, practice makes progress.’ Hearing this from an established artist particularly resonated with this child who has gone on to repeat this advice to us and others.”
At Island Pond Public Library, Spark funds were used to create an interactive StoryWalk featuring Eric Carle’s Head to Toe. The grant also covered the purchase of 30 copies of the book to give away at special guided StoryWalk events for HeadStart Brighton and Brighton Elementary School pre-K students. Library Director Michelle Wilcox shared:
“As we were finishing the story walk with the HeadStart Brighton children and families, a grandmother said, ‘When will you have the next one ready?!’ She said her grandchild loved it. She later saw one of our staff members in the community and mentioned how much her grandchild and family enjoyed the experience and were looking forward to having another story in the park.”
In our current fiscal year we’ve expanded the grant program based on demand. Since October, CLiF has funded 12 Spark grants. Here’s a rundown of the 2024-25 grantees and planned use of funds:
New Hampshire
- Mansfield Public Library, Mansfield, NH
- Last CLiF grant: Rural Library, 2021-2022
- Book giveaway and events tied to town-wide reading of Mr. Popper’s Penguins
- Milton Elementary School, Milton, NH
- Last CLiF grant: Year of the Book, 2020-2021, Momentum, 2021-2022
- In-person author visit with Gina Perry
- James A. Tuttle Library, Antrim, NH
- Last CLiF grant: 2022
- In-person author/illustrator visit
- Whitefield Public Library, Whitefield, NH
- Last CLiF grant: Rural Library, 2021-2022
- In-person visit from storyteller Shawn Middleton
- William D. Weeks Memorial Library, Lancaster, NH
- Last CLiF grant: Summer Readers
- Family literacy days with sensory activities
Vermont
- Cabot Elementary School, Cabot, VT
- Last CLiF grant: Rural Library, 2017-2018
- Family book giveaway event
- Highgate Library & Community Center, Highgate, VT
- Last CLiF grant: Community Building, 2021
- Afterschool library program with activities and snacks
- Hitchcock Memorial Museum & Library, Westfield, VT
- Last CLiF grant: Rural Library Grant, 2015-2016
- In-person author visit with John Churchman, and new books for youth collection
- Lyndon Institute (LI), Lyndon Center, VT
- Last CLiF grant: 2010
- New books for the LI Family Resource Center preschool & HeadStart program and book giveaways
- Malletts Bay School, Colchester, VT
- Last CLiF grant: Community Building (Colchester School District), 2021
- Acquire linguistically diverse books appropriate for the age and reading levels of multilingual students in grades 3 to 5
- Stamford Community Library, Stamford, VT
- Last CLiF grant: Rural Library, 2019-2020
- In-person author/illustrator visit with John Steven Gurney
- South Londonderry Free Library, South Londonderry, VT
- Last CLiF grant: 2006
- Update picture book and early reader collection; book giveaways for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program
