Please thoroughly read the guidelines below before applying. A link to the online application is available at the end of the FAQ.

Applying for a Grant

Project Guidelines
Snapdragon does NOT fund the purchase of any of the following; project proposals should not request funding for:
    • Books for students to keep permanently
    • Author visits
    • Staff hours or professional development books for teachers (including “Novel Study” guides about fiction texts, or books on literacy development, etc.)
    • Refreshments, space or furniture rentals (event space)
    • Shelving, tables, chairs or other furniture, seating area
    • Computers, eBooks, eReaders, iPads, software
    • Audio/visual equipment, including audio books, headsets, projectors, DVDs
    • Subscriptions to online databases
    • Accelerated Reader subscriptions or quizzes
    • Destiny Follett Library Automation Software (or similar), barcode reader, etc.
    • Arts, crafts, posters, or other decorative items
    • “Hands-on” materials like science experiment kits, etc.
    • Test-Prep books for SAT, ACT or other entrance exams
Money from Snapdragon Book Foundation may ALWAYS be used for:
    • Books that will be used repeatedly by school-aged children through classroom libraries, central library (or something similar)
    • Processing or cataloguing fees from book vendors (for processing of the books ordered in conjunction with your Snapdragon project)
    • Reference materials for use by students
    • Magazine or newspaper subscriptions
Eligible Applicants
Q. Are alternative schools with libraries (youth detention centers, etc.) allowed to apply for a grant?
A. Yes, any school library that serves disadvantaged youth may apply.
Q. Can a public library or an afterschool program apply for a grant?
A. No, it has to be a school library.
Q. Can schools from other countries apply?
A. No, the grants are only available to schools in the U.S.
Q. Can a U.S. territory apply?
A. Yes.
Q. I work for more than one school. Am I allowed to submit multiple applications – one for each school?
A. Yes. You can also submit a single application on behalf of a district, if you are the person responsible for overseeing the libraries at several schools, as is often the case with smaller districts.
Q. Is PreK eligible for funding?
A. School libraries serving children PreK through 12 are eligible.
Q. I have applied for a Snapdragon grant in the past. Am I allowed to apply again?
A. Yes, even if you have received a grant in the past, you can still apply annually.
Q. Can other foundations (that distribute either books or funding to schools) apply?
A. No. Applications must be connected to a specific project at a specific school. We welcome organizations to partner with a specific school and help that school to submit an application.
Q. Do schools need a certain of low-income students/families in order to apply/be eligible for a grant?
A. No, there is no required percentage. The foundation is committed to helping schools that serve disadvantaged kids.
Timeline for Application and Awards
Q. When is the application form posted on the website?
A. The application will be posted each November. Applications may be submitted between November and February. Please see the application for the precise deadline. It changes slightly each year according to the calendar.
Q. When are the applications due?
A. Applications are due in February. Please check the application for the precise deadline.
Q. When and where will the announcement of the grant winner be made?
A. The winners will be notified by email in May and checks will be mailed to the schools at that time. A list of the winners will appear on the website.
Q. When do the funds have to be spent?
A. We grant funds with the provision that they will be used as promised within nine months.
Q. Would funds be received in time for a Summer Reading related project?
A. Because winners are notified in May, the timeline would likely be too tight for a project that is centered on Summer Reading of the application year. It is possible to submit an application for a Summer Reading based project for the following summer.
Documentation and Communication
Q. I am from a public school. We do not have a 501(c)(3) exemption. How can I prove my tax exempt status?
A. Just provide the link to the website of the district you are in – this will be sufficient.
Q. When it asks for “allocation of funds,” do I need to produce a book order and submit it to Snapdragon?
A. You do not have to be that specific, although we would welcome the information. We want to be able to get a good picture of how you will use the funds.
Q. Is the school required to file a form or do any follow-up with Snapdragon after it receives the grant?
A. Upon receiving notification of “winning” a grant, you will need to complete a “Grant Acknowledge Form.” This form is to be signed by the school’s principal as well as the librarian or person submitting the application. It acknowledges that the funds will be spent in accordance with the application. Most times within a year a member of the Foundation will visit your school to verify that the funds have been spent correctly and to establish a relationship with the school.
Q. Will I get verification that my grant application has been received?
A: Yes. If you have submitted your application correctly, you will be automatically directed to a webpage that says “Thank you for submitting your application.” We strongly recommend that you create your application in a word processing file first and then copy information from that document into the application. Please note that tables and bullets will lose their formatting when you copy, so we recommend not using these formatting features.
Miscellaneous:
Q. How much is the average grant?
A. Grants typically range from $2,500 to $10,000. When you apply for a grant you should ask for the amount that the project requires. At times Snapdragon is not able to fulfill the complete request, but offers a partial grant.
Q. When the application asks for the number of books in the school, does it mean textbooks, classroom libraries, etc. or just the school library?
A. We ask this question so that we can better gauge the needs of the school. Ideally, this number would reflect the number of non text-books in the school. This number should generally reflect the total number of fiction, nonfiction and reference volumes in the school. Some schools don’t have central libraries, but have many books located in classroom libraries. We also recognize that many applications request funding so that they can weed old materials without depleting the entire collection. If this is the case, record the number of books in the school, but make sure to include in your narrative of the project the percentage of the collection that will ideally be replaced.
Q. Does the school have to match funds in order to receive the grant?
A. No.

Donating to the Foundation

Q. How much of my donation to Snapdragon is used for administrative costs?
A. Snapdragon has an endowment that pays for the salaries and expenses of the board members. Each year, 100% of your donation goes towards books for school libraries for disadvantaged children.
Q. Is my donation tax-deductible? How will I receive a receipt of my tax-deductible donation?
A. Yes. The Snapdragon Book Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization and all contributions are tax deductible. Directly after your donation, you will receive a thank you note from the Snapdragon Book Foundation acknowledging your donation. In January of each year, you will receive an official notice listing all your contributions for the past year.
Q. Can I dedicate my donation to a specific person or make my donation “in honor of” or “in memory of” a specific person or people? How will you notify the recipient of my dedication?
A. Yes. If you make your donation via paypal, include the specific language of the dedication (as you would like it to appear on the website) as well as the address of the “dedicatee.” A card will be sent to the recipient of the dedication, noting your name and that you have made a donation in their honor. If you would like to make a donation in memory of a person, we can send notification to a third party.
Q. Can I make an anonymous donation?
A. Yes. Please indicate in the “notes” section of your donation that you wish to remain anonymous. The foundation will receive your name, but no acknowledgement of the donation will be listed on our website. You will, of course, in January, still receive an official notice listing your contributions for the past year.
Q. Will my donation and/or amount be listed publicly on your website?
A. Yes. Unless you have requested anonymity, your name will be listed on the website and in our newsletter. The amount will not be listed.