Research Tools: “Who is Funding Library Projects? New Open Data Resource”

From the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA):

Libraries have a long history of helping to deliver on a wide variety of development goals, from literacy and school readiness to research productivity and urban cohesion.

Their unique potential – thanks to their public spaces, committed staff, responsive service provision and collections – has been recognised not just by the governments or others that traditionally fund them, but also by a range of other funders, private and public alike.

In order to understand better who these are – and so who might be able to provide support for well-designed and delivered library projects in future, we were happy to share the results of a project carried out by The Doyenne Project, and made possible by Stichting IFLA Global Libraries.

This work focused on almost 100 of the largest funders. Of these, half were private foundations and the other half national or international development agencies. The authors looked through publicly available information about the types of projects that they funded, identifying those that focused on or included libraries as partners or beneficiaries. They also gathered data about the location, timing and focus of projects, and to which Sustainable Development Goals they were most closely aligned.

The research identified that around half of major private donors have supported libraries in the past, while 37% of development aid agencies did so. Nonetheless, in the case of the latter, this represents around 2/3 of all those agencies for which clear information was available.

You can access the data, as well as a methodological note and videos explaining how to use it, on our dedicated page. This also includes a link to a survey that allows you to submit further examples of projects. By doing so, you help colleagues around the world in their own partnership-building efforts.

Direct to Complete Announcement

Direct to Data Resource

Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Data Files, Funding, Libraries, News, Productivity