FAQs
What is the Catalyst Fund?
The Catalyst Fund provides
financial support for new ideas and innovative projects from the
LYRASIS membership. Led by the LYRASIS Leaders Circle, the Fund expands
opportunities to share expertise and collaborate on innovations with
potential for community-wide impact.
How much is available for projects?
The amount of funds available changes from year-to-year, the Fund generally supports five projects annually and the average award over the past four years is $24,000 per project.
Who is eligible?
All LYRASIS members in good standing, are eligible to submit ideas or proposals and receive awards from the Catalyst Fund.
Can group agents apply for the Catalyst Fund?
Yes, a group agent can apply.
Can affiliates apply for the Catalyst Fund?
Affiliates or group
participants are not members of LYRASIS and are not eligible to receive
Catalyst Fund awards. They may be partners in a project sponsored by a LYRASIS
Institutional or Group Agent Member. If unsure of your membership status,
contact Member Support.
How many proposals and ideas can an institution submit?
Members may submit a
maximum of ONE proposal and ONE idea per cycle. If multiple proposals or ideas
are submitted by a member, LYRASIS will contact the individuals who submitted
and request that they choose one to go forward for review. The proposal or idea
that the institution defers may be re-submitted in next year's Catalyst Fund
cycle.
If my project or idea is funded this year, can I submit another proposal or idea next year?
Yes, past recipients
can apply in subsequent years for new or continuing projects.
If applying for a
second phase of a project that was already awarded Catalyst Funds, the required
final report for the initial award must be complete and submitted to LYRASIS
for sharing with the membership. Proposals or ideas for continued work should
address the accomplishments of the previously funded project and highlight how
new activities proposed build from the preceding project. If it is a new
project proposing work in a different area unrelated to the preceding Catalyst
Fund award, there are no prerequisite requirements.
What's the timeframe for implementing funded proposals?
Proposed projects should be no longer than 12 months.
Catalyst Fund recipients will be announced in early June. Projects should be planned around a July 1 start date. All funded projects will present publicly on their work at an annual LYRASIS Member Event each year. Final reports for sharing project results with the membership will be due in August of the following year.
Do I have to implement the idea?
No. While proposals
are to be implemented by the applicant and its partners, selected ideas will be
implemented by LYRASIS staff. LYRASIS may elect to implement the idea directly,
work with members to plan or test the idea, or contract with a third party to
do initial research and/or testing. Your organization's participation in design
and testing of your idea is completely optional and not a factor considered as
part of the idea selection process.
Will LYRASIS review a draft?
Yes, LYRASIS staff
will review draft applications up to two weeks before the application deadline.
Drafts should be sent as MS-Word documents to catalystfund@lyrasis.org. Drafts are not required but are encouraged.
Comments provided will be suggestions only and do not imply any specific
outcome from the review and selection process.
How do LYRASIS members benefit?
Libraries, archives, museums
and research organizations benefit by learning from new approaches and concepts
developed and tested through the Catalyst Fund. The results of all Catalyst
Fund projects are shared with the LYRASIS membership upon completion.
Presentation materials from the Member Summit, final project reports, links to
project websites and open source code repositories are made freely available to
disseminate results and provide models for local adaptation. Information about completed projects
may be accessed from the main page.
If my proposal is funded, what terms are required of my organization?
If your proposal is selected for funding, the applicant organization agrees to:
Provide a final written report and webinar presentation, openly accessible under a Creative Commons attribution license, for sharing with the community on the LYRASIS website.
Present on the project at a LYRASIS membership event either directly or through a LYRASIS-approved representative.
Make available any software products created with Catalyst Funds on a royalty-free basis according to the terms of an open source license and in an open source repository (such as GitHub).
Be financially responsible and use the funds specifically for the project as approved.
Communicate and/or meet regularly with an appointed LYRASIS staff liaison during the project period, as mutually agreed-upon at the start of the project.