Catalyst Fund

The Lyrasis Catalyst Fund is an award program that provides support for new ideas and innovative projects from Lyrasis membership. The fund supports projects advancing the mission and reach of Lyrasis member organizations with potential for community-wide impact.

Geographic Scope: United States (primary focus); open to Lyrasis members globally

Eligible Applicants:

• Lyrasis member organizations (academic libraries, public libraries, archives, museums, research institutions)
• Customers of The Palace Project, BiblioBoard, or the Indie Author Project
• As of 2024, expanded to include public libraries

Funding Focus Areas:

• Innovation and new concepts
• Open Educational Resources (OER)
• Open Access publishing
• Accessibility of audiovisual content
• Community archives and digitization
• Values-based licensing agreements
• Disaster preparedness and response
• Participatory archiving
• Linked open data applications

Application Types: Two types accepted:

• Proposals: Requests funds to administer your own project
• Ideas: Recommendations for issues, problems, service needs, or solutions that Lyrasis could investigate and address (applicant organization not obligated to participate)

2024 Themes:

• Traditional innovation theme (open to qualifying institutions exploring new concepts, building from existing projects, or creating partnerships with previous awardees)
• Public library theme (focused on: accessibility, expansion of services to rural areas, making banned books accessible, navigating politics in rural communities)

Award Examples (2023):

• City University of New York: $28,500
• Emory University - Woodruff Library: $28,047
• Valdosta State University: $22,205
• Rowan University: $35,300
• Appalachian College: $39,950

Program History:

• Launched in its seventh year as of 2023
• Has funded over 35 projects since inception
• Over $800,000 invested in members through Catalyst Fund
• Capital comes from $1.2 million research, development and innovation budget approved by Lyrasis Board of Trustees
• Program managed within Lyrasis Research and Innovation division

Special Recognition: Sandy Nyberg Award - given annually to one project; 2023 recipient: City University of New York

Key Values: Community-driven projects, community impact, openness, inclusion, cross-institutional collaboration

Application Process

Application Cycle: Opens every January

Application Types:

1. Proposal: Request funds to administer your own project
2. Idea: Recommend an issue, problem, service need, or solution for Lyrasis to investigate (no obligation for your organization to participate in resulting program)

Required Information:

• Specific details not provided in source material, but applications must address:
  • How the project aligns with one of the two annual themes
  • Community-wide or cross-institutional impact potential
  • Innovation or addressing identified field needs

Voting Process (as of 2023):

• All Lyrasis members voted on which projects to fund
• Membership selected five projects and one idea for funding
• Leadership team selected additional ideas for development

Contact for Questions: Leigh Grinstead, Catalyst Fund Program Manager

Note: Detailed step-by-step application instructions, required narrative questions, and submission format not available in provided source material. Visit lyrasis.org for complete application guidelines.