The 115-page report analyzes how academic library special collections departments pursue external funding, including grants, foundations, major gifts, annual giving,. It also looks at issues such as fundraising priorities, proposal-writing responsibilities, cost-share issues, donor cultivation, and barriers to expanding fundraising activity.
The study finds that fundraising activity exists but is generally modest. Regional or local private foundations are the most frequently pursued source, cited by 42.31% of respondents, followed by individual major gifts through the development office at 34.62%. Federal grants and annual giving/Friends group support are each pursued by 26.92%, while only 7.69% say they have not actively pursued external funding.
Proposal volume is limited. Over the past 24 months, 23.08% submitted no proposals or applications, 30.77% submitted 1–2, and 26.92% submitted 3–5. No respondents submitted 11 or more. Award levels also vary widely: 23.08% received under $10,000, 15.38% received $10,000–$49,999, and 15.38% received $150,000–$499,999.
Digitization dominates project fundraising. 53.85% say digitization of rare or unique materials is commonly funded or targeted in proposals, far ahead of collection development/acquisitions at 26.92% and exhibitions/public programs at 23.08%. Born-digital stewardship and metadata remediation were each cited by 0.00%.
Looking ahead, respondents place the highest priority on alumni/major donors, cited by 57.69%, and local/regional foundations, cited by 53.85%. The main barrier is staff time: 57.69% cite insufficient staff time as a barrier to pursuing more external funding, while 53.85% devote under five hours per month to fundraising or grant activity.