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Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Funds

Announcement of 2012 Grant Program

The Office of Commonwealth Libraries invites the submission of Letters of Intent in competing for the 2012 Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund Grant Program.

The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund was established by an act of the General Assembly in 1993. The Department of Education, through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, Bureau of Library Development, administers the public library portion of this program which is funded from a portion of the realty transfer tax.

The current competitive grant application process is used to award matching facilities grants to municipalities that sponsor state-aided public libraries. To be eligible, the sponsoring municipality and the board of the state-aided library must jointly submit an application developed cooperatively by both entities and signed by their governing bodies. The maximum Keystone grant award is $500,000 and requires a dollar-for-dollar match.

To start the grant process, potential applicants must file a Letter of Intent with the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, postmarked on or before May 1, 2012. Letters of Intent will be reviewed by staff for eligibility. The Office of Commonwealth Libraries will issue an Invitation to Proceed letter based on eligibility of the project and proper completion of the Letter of Intent.

Send the completed Letter of Intent to:

Pennsylvania Department of Education

Office of Commonwealth Libraries

Forum Building

607 South Drive

Harrisburg, PA 17120-0600

Attention: KEYSTONE

For assistance about the application process, please contact the Bureau of Library Development staff via email at ra-keystone@pa.gov.

2012 Letter of Intent Packet - This contains a general overview of the grant program, including the Letter of Intent form and application deadline.

2012 Keystone Grant Application Packet (PDF) - This document contains instructions and the application for the Keystone Grant.

2012 Keystone Grant Application Packet (Word) - This document contains instructions and the application for the Keystone Grant.

2012 Appendix A & B - This attachment includes additional documents: (1) Appendix A, the program regulations and (2) Appendix B, the PHMC review application.

Previous Keystone Information

Additional Information:

Library Building Consultants and Architects -revised February 2012(pdf)
The listing of building consultants and architects does not imply an endorsement by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries. Please contact and/or visit the client libraries listed for more in-depth information regarding their qualifications.

Keystone Public Library Needs Assessment Survey 2007 (pdf)
Commonwealth Libraries, in consultation with the Advisory Council on Library Development, is required to prepare a three to five year long-range plan for the allocation of grants available to municipalities from the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund. In preparing the plan, a facilities needs assessment survey was sent to all state-aided libraries. Six hundred and three facilities were targeted and 438 responses were received. Municipal officials and System administrators were separately surveyed. A summary of those responses follow the facility survey. The survey questions covered facility structure, condition of interior and exterior features, and facility impact on services. Questions regarding the Keystone Grant Program were also elicited.

For additional information, please contact:

Beth Bisbano | Advisor for Research & Statistics
Pennsylvania Department of Education - Library Development
607 South Drive. Forum Building | Harrisburg, PA 17120-0600
Phone: 717.783.5731 | Fax: 717.787.2117 | TTY: 717.783.8445
bbisbano@pa.gov | www.education.state.pa.us