Grants > 2024 Literacy Fund Grant > Literacy Fund Grant FAQ

Literacy Fund Grant FAQ

Eligibility and how to sign-up

How do I begin an application for the Literacy Fund grant?

  1. Begin by downloading and reviewing the complete list of the Literacy Fund grant application so that you can see all the questions.
  • If you are a public, provincially funded school, download your application worksheet HERE
  • If you are a First-Nation operated school, download your application worksheet HERE
  • If you are an educational organization or school board, download your application worksheet HERE
  • Collaborate with your team members to fill out your answers in advance of submission on the Microsoft word document.  When ready, be prepared to copy and paste your answers into the online application form.

Note: 

  • Applications that are printed or handwritten, and then mailed/faxed to the Foundation will not be accepted for review.

Do I have to apply online?

Yes. All submissions must be made electronically through the online application found HERE

What is the deadline for the application?

All 2023 Indigo Love of Reading Literacy Fund grant applications are to be submitted through the online application portal by Sunday January 15th, 2023, 11:59 p.m. EST.

No handwritten, mailed or faxed grant applications will be accepted for review.

Are federally funded schools able to apply for the grant?

Yes, we accept applications from both federally and provincially funded schools.

What is the eligibility for the grant?

Generally, to be considered for the 2022 Indigo Love of Reading Literacy Fund grant, an eligible school receives at least 80% of its funding from the provincial or federal government that serves students in at least one of the following grades: Junior Kindergarten, Senior Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8.

If your school does not have students in those Grades or is not publicly funded, your school is not eligible for a grant. For any specific questions around your eligibility status, please reach out to the Love of Reading Team at loveofreading@indigo.ca before completing and submitting the online application form.

What if our school serves students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12 (or a combination of these Grades)?

Likewise, if your school serves some ineligible Grades (e.g. Grades 9 through 12) in addition to eligible Grades (e.g. Grades JK through 8), you are still eligible for the grant. Successful recipient schools will be granted support based on the number of students in eligible Grades only.

Where are some tips and suggestions for completing the application?

Click here to read the tips and suggestions for completing the grant application.

What if my school does not serve Junior Kindergarten through Grade Eight students?

If your school does not serve any of the eligible Grades (e.g. Grades JK through 8), your school is not eligible.

Are daycares eligible to apply for the Literacy Fund Grant?

We recognize the importance of the work that daycares dedicated to literacy do to support children across the country. At this time daycares are not eligible for the Literacy Fund Grant opportunity as the program is currently scaled for schools serving grades K-8. 

Are non-profit organizations that support eligible to apply for the Literacy Fund Grant?

Non-profit organizations that support schools in eligible grades (Junior Kindergarten to Grade Eight) are now eligible to apply for the Literacy Fund Grant opportunity on behalf of their partner schools.

Why are non-profit organizations supporting schools now eligible to apply for the Literacy Fund Grant?

In instances where schools feel they do not currently have the capacity to apply for or execute this grant on their own, we are opening up a new stream for non-profit organizations to apply for this grant on their behalf. This opportunity was developed based on successes we saw throughout the Covid-19 pandemic within our Community Response Fund. Within that program, we saw non-profits successfully partnering with schools across the country meet their literacy goals during this challenging time. While the Literacy Fund Grant will always be a school-based initiative, we want to remain responsive to the needs of schools and educators at this time and are hopeful these new partnerships will give schools in our hardest hit communities, who might otherwise not have had the capacity to apply for these funds.

For nonprofit partners considering this route, please remember that the school or schools you are partnering with will need to provide a letter of support for your application in order to be eligible for these funds.

As an organization, how many priority schools can we incorporate under our umbrella through this application? 

Organizations have the option to apply for up to a maximum of 10 high-needs or priority schools in their network/district.  Any schools within this cohort, also have the option of submitting an  individual school application on their own behalf. For organizations with innovative plans of launching or enhancing literacy projects involving MORE than 10 schools, we encourage them to reach out directly to the Love of Reading team at loveofreading@indigo.ca.  

My school received a Literacy Fund grant many years ago when we had a different principal. Can we receive the grant again?

Preference will be given to schools with excellent applications applying to receive the Literacy Fund Grant for the first time.


How the grant works

What can a school use the grant money to support?

All Literacy Fund grants are to be used to update school and classroom libraries with new books. The grant cannot be used to pay for salaries, furniture upgrades, capital investments (playgrounds, building additional rooms, etc.) or textbooks.

How does the grant work?

Recipient schools are part of the grant program for three years. 90% of the funding is set up as a corporate account to buy books from Indigo Books & Music Inc. at a 30% discount.

10% of the funding is given in the form of a cheque to fund special literacy events or initiatives that stir the imagination of the students in a way that will help inspire a love of reading.

How many schools receive a grant each year?

The number of grantees is determined based on the number of applicants, the funds available for granting and the quality of the applications. In 2020, 30 schools received an Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Literacy Fund grant.

How many schools receive a grant in each province?

Each year, the number of grants per province varies based on the number of applications we receive from each province and the quality of the applications.

If a school in my community has already been announced as a grant recipient, does that mean we won’t be considered?

All applications are reviewed and considered individually.  We encourage all schools to apply without regard to whether a school in their community has received a grant recently.


The online application

Is the form secure given the sensitive nature of the information?

The platform is continuously maintained with the latest security features.

How do I see all of the questions at once?

To view the complete list of the Literacy Fund grant application questions, please download the application worksheet.

  • If you are a public, provincially funded school, download your application worksheet HERE
  • If you are a First-Nation operated school, download your application worksheet HERE
  • If you are an educational organization or school board, download your application worksheet HERE

Please note: This worksheet cannot be uploaded to the online portal, nor emailed to us as an official application. All responses must be entered directly into the online application form.

Can I save and come back to the application later?

Yes.  Please be aware of the following steps:

1. Fill out the online application form

2. Click on “Save and continue later” at the bottom of the form, when you need to resume filling the application out at a later time.

3. When you see the system giving you a link – you can copy that link and use it later, or supply an email address so that you can email yourself the application link. The link is valid for 90 days from last access and can be used again.

Urgent reminder: even if you click on the link to continue, you must hit “Save and continue later” to save your progress-to-date, or else any changes since the last save will be lost.

Can I share my school login with other literacy team members to add content to the application?

Yes, your application link can be shared to allow your entire literacy team to participate in the application process. Please note, however, that only one team member can be logged in at a time.

What is the best source of data information for Section A: Demographic Criteria?

Consider consulting your ministry or school board, the Early or Middle Years Development Instrument, local health & social surveys or indices, or student information forms to obtain this supporting demographic information.

For provincially derived student achievement data on reading and writing, this information usually lives online for public viewing.  Please provide the most up-to-date data you have available as we realize the pandemic has largely disrupted standardized testing delivery to students over the past two school years.

The challenges of the pandemic have presented considerable disruption to our current literacy programming. What information can I use to fill out Section C: Current and future state of literacy programming at your school?

Schools are permitted to use the most current pre-pandemic literacy programming they have available to fill in this section of the application. It is also important that we understand how your school has continued to implement literacy programming within in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years.

Please include specific detail on how you’ve had to adapt your literacy programming in light of the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Providing this information will shed light on how you could potentially adapt your strategies if your school is required to continue to implement your literacy programming under COVID-19 restrictions in the upcoming grant cycle.

Can I edit the form after submission?

No. The submission is final. Once submitted, the form can no longer be edited. You can, however, save as you go to take the time you need prior to submission.

What do we do if we submit the application by accident before it is complete?

If you have accidentally submitted an incomplete application, email the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation team at loveofreading@indigo.ca.

I want to upload a video for my school’s creative project. What video formats are accepted? 

You can upload your video in one of the following formats: WMV (Windows Media Video); MOV (Apple QuickTime Movie) or MP4 (Moving Pictures Expert Group 4).

My creative project is too large to upload to the grant application portal. What do I do?

If your creative content is too large to upload to the grant application portal, consider uploading your content to an online file storage service (such as Google Drive), pasting the link to that file in a Word document, and then uploading that document to the application portal. If you elect to use an online file storage service, we cannot take responsibility for ensuring that such a service keeps your information private.


Community Involvement

What are the creative projects?

The creative project allows schools and literacy teams to highlight their commitment to literacy outside the application statistics and questions.

There are two options for this mandatory creative project:

  • A video that captures the values of your school and its commitment to literacy. As a suggestion, it can include interviews with members of your community; such as teachers, librarians, parents, and students (a maximum length of 5 minutes); OR
  • Letters from teachers, librarians and students that share the impact of the library (a maximum of five letters). These letters should give us an impression of what life is like at your school, why your school library needs additional funding, and how you would effectively use additional funds to improve literacy among your students.

Can I send the creative project pieces to the Foundation office?

No. Only uploaded creative projects will be considered. No mailed creative projects will be reviewed as part of that school’s application.

Can I select a different original creative project?

No. Only the two listed projects will be reviewed as the creative project for the application.