The following was published on the Official Facebook Page for the Cabell County Public Library on April 15, 2024. Find it here.
Hello! We have received some questions relating to our funding, more specifically asking us if we apply for grants. Yes, we apply for grants. Most recently, we were awarded two grants (WV Libraries Facilities Improvement Grant and Appalachian Solar Fund Grant) to help offset costs associated with a roof replacement project. Both of these grants, as do most grants, require a match dollar for dollar. This means that the project is not fully funded and the library has to come up with 1/2 the costs associated with it. Yearly, we are provided funds from the WV Library Commission (GIA and Services to Libraries).
This year, those amounts total $496,524 in GIA and $166,749 for Services to Libraries. GIA helps offset our operating expenses, which are drastically more than $496K. These funds require a match of local dollars. Services to libraries goes directly towards our affiliate libraries. It is their money. CCPL is the fiscal agent for Western Counties Regional Libraries. We use the funds to pay for their cataloging, book deliveries, and fiscal services provided by CCPL, such as payroll processing, accounts payable, and accounting services. We also apply for other supplemental grants through the WVLC as they come available. For example, we typically apply for one that helps pay for our online catalogue. We have also recently been provided several mini grants from Huntington City Council Members and a few small grants from some national agencies like the American Library Association.
We run a very tight budget of around $4M. Most of our income goes directly back into the community by paying for materials, resources, and programs. Another sizable chunk of our budget goes towards our personnel line item and pays for staffing and benefits. Our staff is highly qualified and extremely underpaid. Many grants will not pay for our facilities or staffing, and there are quite a few grants that we do not qualify for. While grants are wonderful and help us do some amazing work in our community, grants simply will not fix the budgetary shortfall we are facing. We need dedicated funding to thrive and survive.
Our budget is open book and available for anyone who would like to see it. We would be happy to answer any questions that you have about our budget or funding structure. Pop questions in the comments or call our library at 304-528-5700 and ask for our Director Breana. 