Raison d'être & American Academy of Dermatology shade structures

The roots of this blog started about 3 years ago when I saw this exact grant opportunity from the American Academy of Dermatology. "Hmmm," I thought. "This is way too narrow in appeal to post on Conntech. But I also don't want to just directly email directors etc. with this, because it looks too much like spam." 

I mean, come on. It's a shade structure grant. What's that, you ask? It's "permanent shade structures for outdoor locations that are not protected from the sun, such as playgrounds, pools or recreation spaces." Technically it's construction money, I guess. I was thinking a library could make a pergola, an outdoor reading garden, help create something great inside a courtyard, whatever. Most libraries I have been to have at least some area that's baking in a hot sun some of the time.

The point is, it's money. And if we (meaning libraries) don't take advantage of it (meaning freakish, nontraditional opportunities), it will be left on the table. Someone else will pick it up. The quickest way to get to 'No' for an answer is to not try.

So why not? There had to be a way for me to match libraries looking for money with the money. Though I posted these opportunities for a while to BlogJunction CT, this blog was the eventual result. 

Three years - and 450 posts - later, I'm not sure I've done anything at all in terms of matching libraries with grant money. Whoopee do. But I'm nothing if I'm not persistent - this will work! 

So here for your reading pleasure is the American Academy of Dermatology's shade structure grant program.

Maximum Grant: $8,000; Deadline:  February 1, 2013

         

Go directly to guidelines and application

  

The American Academy of Dermatology's shade structure grant program awards grants to public schools and non-profit organizations for installing permanent shade structures for outdoor locations that are not protected from the sun, such as playgrounds, pools or recreation spaces.

The Academy shade structure grant program is open to 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations that provide services, programs and curricula to children and teenagers who are 18 and younger. To be considered for grants, applicants must:

* Be recommended by an Academy member dermatologist. Locate an Academy member dermatologist by using the Find a Dermatologist tool.
* Demonstrate an ongoing commitment to sun safety and skin cancer awareness by having a sun-safety/skin cancer awareness program in place for at least one year prior to application.
* Consider a shade structure that meets the stringent requirements of the Academy. See Apply for a Shade Structure Grant Program Toolkit below for specific criteria on shade structure selection.