Past Grants

The Glenview Public Library Foundation invests in new Library programs and services that foster community engagement. Read below to learn more about what our past grants have help fund.

2024

The Glenview Public Library Foundation is thrilled to announce its primary corporate sponsor, Glenview Bank & Trust: A WinTrust Community Bank. This partnership advances our mission to invest in programs and services provided by the Glenview Public Library that encourage community engagement, ensure access and inclusion, and create opportunities for individual growth.

Thanks to the generosity of Glenview Bank & Trust and our donors, the Foundation approved funding for two popular programs:

2024 Glenview Reads Together ($9,475)
Glenview Reads Together is an annual community-wide reading event focused on a single book. The Foundation’s gift helps support book discussions, activities, and lectures linked to the topics and issues addressed in the text.

2024 Summer Reading Program ($3,000)
The Summer Reading Program encourages students to retain their literacy skills during summer break. The Foundation’s grant allows the Library to promote and enrich participation through kick-off events, prize books, and related materials.

2023

High School CATCH Kits ($3,863) The Glenview Public Library will partner with the non-profit organization CATCH (Community Action Together for Children’s Health) to enhance and promote the organization’s mental health coping kit. These kits provide information, tools, and resources designed to help someone in crisis, or those looking for more information on a common mental health topic. The grant will enable CATCH to incorporate relevant Library resources into the kits, and ensure the kits are can be provided to all incoming Glenbrook South High School freshman.

Summer @ GPL ($1,550) Summer @ GPL, one of the Glenview Library’s most popular and beloved programs, aims to keep kids reading over summer break. This grant enables the Library to bump up the fun and engagement around Summer @ GPL even more. The additional funding from the Foundation allows the Library to organize a free outdoor concert in Jackman Park. Scheduled for June 3, and appropriate for all ages, the concert will be a kickoff event for Summer @ GPL. Any kids signing up that day will receive a coupon for a free ice cream from the Dairy Bar.

2022

Portable Staging ($10,000) will enable Adult and Youth Services to greatly improve the quality and variety of programs offered in the Library’s community spaces. This grant will ensure better visibility and create a flexible, multi-level space for performances, panel discussions, author talks, storytelling, and other programs designed for mid-size and large groups.

STEM Education for School Services ($5,000) will expand the Library’s outreach to local schools by offering STEM education programs that can be brought into K-8th grade classrooms. The grant will enable students to use and explore mechanical, electronic and computer-based building sets and robots. The programs can be modified to align with existing lesson plans, or offered as a fun learning activity.

Rebranding Materials for Adult Kits and Outreach Delivery Services ($3,800) will help the Glenview Public Library continue to expand its re-branding effort with the consistent use of its new logo. For this project, the focus is improving the visibility of the adult services kit bags: Book Club in a Bag, Tales and Travel Memory Kits, and the Outreach Delivery Service bags.

2022 Reading Challenge Prize Books for Kids ($5,500) will enable the Youth Services department to purchase and distribute books to young patrons who complete the Summer Reading Challenge and the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program. The funding from the Foundation will allow Youth Services to offer prize books that are current and popular among young readers as an incentive for completing these popular programs.

2021

33-1/3 Series ($1,000) created online webinars with authors whose books focus on a music album contained in the Library’s vinyl LP collection.

Pop-Up Summer Programs ($6,000) allowed the Library to create outdoor programming; just in time for good weather and the ability to resume safe, in-person activities.

The Poles Are In: Tent Week a Success

One of several initiatives supported by a grant from the GPL Foundation this summer, the Library’s pop-up programs under the big tent were a huge hit with patrons and staff alike. From June 13-19, Tent Week featured various programs for all ages, including Still Life Drawing, Tai Chi, Zentangle, Washi Tape Flowerpots, Rock Painting, and a concert with local musician Thomas Comerford.

Summer Reading Program ($3,300) provided communication support to re-energize participation in the Library’s long-standing Summer Reading Program.

Glenview Reads Together ($7,000) allowed the Library to expand Glenview Reads Together, an annual community-wide reading program. The gift supports book discussions, activities, and lectures during the month-long event. Among other events of the program, the Foundation grant allowed the Library to give away 100 copies of the book, signed by the illustrator, Nate Powell.