Donald Hamilton Advocacy Grant – Canadian School Libraries

The Donald Hamilton School Library Advocacy Grant

Donald Hamilton (1938 – 2023) was a leader in the field of school libraries and teacher-librarianship throughout his long career, and a strong advocate for the crucial role of school libraries in student learning. The Donald Hamilton School Library Advocacy Fund has been established with generous donations in Don’s memory. The fund provides grants to groups or organizations who plan to develop strategies, events, programs, or other projects which will promote school libraries and school library programs. Project proposals must be aligned with the vision of the school library learning commons captured in CSL’s Leading Learning: Standards of Practice for School Library Learning Commons in Canada, and Foundations for School Library Learning Commons in Canada: A Framework for Success. Proposed projects may not include engaging in any activities that support or oppose a political party or candidate for public office.

Grants may range from $250 to $1,000 depending on the scope of the proposal, and there may be one or more grants awarded each year.

To qualify:

The group must be currently representing a Canadian school, school library, school district, or non-profit organization.
The applicant has not been awarded the Donald Hamilton Advocacy Grant in the past three years.
Grant recipients must spend grant funds within one year of receiving the grant.
Grant recipients must provide a report to the CSL board outlining the results of the advocacy initiative including how funds were spent. The report should include project artifacts, such as copies of letters, photographs, videos, surveys, etc.
Proposed projects may not include engaging in any activities that support or oppose a political party or candidate for public office.
Grant recipients agree to a CSL press release and consider writing an article for CSL Journal sharing their advocacy project.

Application Process

Groups planning a school library advocacy initiative may apply for a grant. This may include: Students, educators, parents, or non-profit organizations from across Canada. Groups may apply at any time throughout the year. Applications will be reviewed as received, in order to be responsive to applicants’ needs and their associated timelines.

The Canadian School Libraries (CSL) Awards & Grants committee will assess grant applications as received. The committee includes at least one representative from the CSL Board of Directors, as well as volunteer representatives from the broader school library professional community. Recommendations from the committee will be submitted for approval to the board of directors.

Applicants will be notified via email about the status of the grant within six weeks of application.

Apply for a grant using the webform, linked below. You will be asked to include:

About your Group: Brief description of the submitting group outlining their achievements and interest in advancing school libraries. (300-500 words)
Description of Advocacy Project Purpose: Provide a rationale for this application. Include the goals of the advocacy initiative(s) as they are related to school and district goals as well as planned actions/strategies and the expected impact on student learning, teacher-librarian efficacy, and plans to generate awareness at a local, provincial or national level to advance the work of school library learning commons. (Minimum 500 words)
Advocacy Project Plan: Create a chart and submit in PDF indicating target audience, planned actions/strategies, timelines, budget, and plans to assess impact as well as follow up initiatives.
Funding Request: The overall budget for your project and the requested amount for the this grant.
Two letters of support, endorsing the group application proposal.

Apply for the Donald Hamilton School Library Advocacy Grant here.

Note: You will be required to log in to your Google account in order to submit required attachments.

Would you like to donate to the Donald Hamilton School Library Advocacy Fund?

Canadian School Libraries is a non-profit, charitable organization. Your donation will support advocacy initiatives, and you will receive a charitable donation tax receipt. Donate here.

Donald Hamilton, School Library Advocate

Donald Hamilton was a leader in the field of school libraries and teacher-librarianship for over three decades. In his role as Adjunct Professor in the Curriculum Laboratory at the University of Victoria he organized and taught in the University of Victoria’s Diploma Program for School Librarianship, organized summer institutes for practicing teacher-librarians and delivered workshops for teacher-librarians in every province in Canada. He also collaborated with the Ministry of Education in B.C. and school administrators on providing access to appropriate learning resources for school libraries and in developing curriculum that included the importance of the role of school libraries and teacher-librarians.

Don was President of the Canadian School Library Association for eight years and was Managing Editor of its journal, School Libraries in Canada, which was offered free to every school in Canada and had a circulation of up to 12,000 copies. His support for libraries went beyond those in schools and universities. He was on the Public Library Board for Greater Victoria and was a B.C. Public Library Trustee.

Don wrote numerous articles for a variety of journals and was best known for his sometimes-controversial opinions on accepted practices. His regular column in the journal School Libraries in Canada, “On the Other Hand” gave sometimes humorous, but always practical suggestion for improving school library programs and best practices. Don was also notable for his many letters to the editor that advocated for societal recognition and financial support for public libraries, school libraries and teacher-librarians. These many articles and letters and all of Don’s presentations were presented in a professional, humorous and common-sense manner.

Donald Hamilton was not only a leader in the field of school librarianship but a mentor to many of those who attended his courses and workshops. He is well deserving of this award which is intended to continue Don’s legacy of promoting and supporting school libraries in Canada through both advocacy and financial support.