Grants available for small-town libraries

Small-town public libraries will receive a helping hand thanks to the generosity of a lifelong educator. A donor-advised fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation, established by the late Shirley Kreutz Bennett of Lincoln, will provide matching grants for public libraries in Nebraska communities with a population of less than 3,000. Following Ms. Kreutz Bennett's wishes, a Fund Advisory Committee composed of her nieces and nephews will recommend grants in three areas: planning grants leading to accreditation; enhancement grants to improve library services and/or programs; and facilities grants for new facilities or the renovation, restoration or rehabilitation of current libraries. All grants will require a certain level of matching funds and evidence that the project has broad community support. Approximately $70,000 will be available each year. Grants will be awarded annually in each grantmaking area beginning in the spring of 2012. There are 228 libraries in Nebraska communities with populations under 3,000. Of those, 100 are not accredited by the Nebraska Library Commission. “Gaining accreditation is critical to our libraries. It opens the door to other outside funding,” said Jeff Yost, NCF President and CEO. “In many small towns, the library may be the only place where some people have access to the Internet. This is certainly the case in towns where consolidation has closed the local school. Shirley's legacy gift will help rural libraries adapt to significant changes over these next several years. It shows that she had great vision and commitment to people in our small communities,” Yost said. A life-long learner, Shirley Kreutz graduated from Harvard High School in 1941. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. She taught on both coasts before returning to Nebraska. Shirley was a retired Professor of Education at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Shirley’s nephew, Russell Kreutz, said education and self-improvement were important to her; she never stopped growing and was always up for a new challenge. She and her husband, Millard Bennett, a career pilot, were taking classes together right until the end of her life. “I think Shirley chose to help small-town libraries because she felt that this would be helping where the money was needed most,” Mr. Bennett said. “Shirley was able to travel the world, and I think she wanted to equip people who don’t have that opportunity, so they could have the world brought to them,” said Russell Kreutz, a member of the Fund Advisory Committee who will be involved in recommending grant recipients. Last year, donor-advised funds gave more than $3.8 million to charitable organizations through the Nebraska Community Foundation. “We are really excited to be helping Shirley's family develop a strategy to share her passion for learning, especially in places where funding continues to shrink,” said Yost. To avoid duplication and to attempt to leverage existing resources, the Nebraska Library Commission will assist the Nebraska Community Foundation and the Fund Advisory Committee with grantmaking. Grant seekers are encouraged to review the guidelines and application procedures at www.nebcommfound.org/fund/kreutzbennett. For more information, contact Sheri Hink, Outreach, Education and Events Manager, Nebraska Community Foundation, (402) 323-7347 or shink@nebcommfound.org.