The Catalyst Fund is an award program to fund
new ideas and innovative projects by LYRASIS members. It is a membership
benefit administered by the LYRASIS Leaders Circle to expand opportunities to
share expertise and collaborate on innovations with potential for
community-wide impact.
The Catalyst Fund supports creative concepts that:
Advance important objectives of
the library, archive, and museum communities;
Test-and-try new approaches to
common problems; and
Serve the broad interests of
LYRASIS' membership.
In 2019, the LYRASIS Leaders Circle is
especially interested in projects that cross organizational boundaries and
engage diverse types of libraries, archives and museums in partnerships to
expand the impact of innovative solutions to shared challenges.
Two types of
submissions – proposals and ideas – can be made by any member of LYRASIS in
good standing. A member may submit no more than ONE proposal and ONE idea
to the Catalyst Fund in a single cycle.
Proposals request funding to
pilot your own project. If selected, funds will be sent to your
organization to implement the project. Instructions for the 2019 cycle are
provided as an example. New instructions will be posted prior to the 2020
cycle.
Ideas recommend a service,
program or consortial solution that would benefit the field which LYRASIS
could provide. If selected, LYRASIS will develop a plan and pilot the
program, service or solution. Instructions for the 2019 cycle are provided
as an example. New instructions will be posted prior to the 2020 cycle.
All submissions are reviewed by field experts
and the LYRASIS Leaders Circle. See More Information for details on
review criteria and answers to frequently asked questions.
Funding decisions for the 2019 Catalyst Fund will
be announced in June 2019. Recipients will have one year to implement their
projects (July 2019 - June 2020).
Not planning to submit an application in 2020? Consider volunteering as
a reviewer!
More questions? Email us at catalystfund@lyrasis.org.
