Following is a list of grants, programs and proven ways to raise money for author/illustrator school visits.           
(The list is not compiled in any particular order.)

       Buy Fire in the Hole!Teachers who purchase a class set of my novel Fire in the Hole!  (minimum 30-hardcover books) will earn an author visit to their school at no charge. (Travel expenses may apply depending on location)             --Author Mary Cronk Farrell 

      Ask the Parent Council/PTA/PTG to hold a fundraiserSometimes teachers are allotted funds from the parent/teacher budget for special activities.  Or perhaps a family would like to host an author.  Ask your students for fund-raising ideas, like collecting change to help cover the cost of bringing in one of their favorite authors.  Consider featuring the author at an evening dessert for parents and the community and asking for donations or charging a small admission fee. This could raise seed-money for another author visit the next year. 

      Enter into a partnership with local merchants Check out local businesses who want to support literacy in their neighborhood schools. Many of them are anxious to show their commitment to education and their community and are willing to put some money behind that commitment to cover the costs of hotel or airfare for the visiting artist or author.  

       Invite local authors and artists to come to your school. They will still deserve an honorarium, but featuring local authors and artists will save you the transportation costs, and will boost the sense of community between your students and writers in your local area.

       The Maureen Hayes Award for Author AppearancesThis grant is sponsored by the American Library Association and Simon & Schuster. Contact: Linda Mays, ALSC Program Officer, 312-280-1398 or Michelle Fadlalla, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, 212-698-7325 

       National Council of Teachers of English Grants for EducatorsThese grants are to help create literacy programs in your school, including author visits. Include tips on writing winning proposals.http://www.ncte.org/about/grants 

        The Amber Brown FundA grant established in honor of the great Paula Danziger and dedicated to providing funding for author visits. http://www.scbwi.org/awards/grants/AmberBrown.pdf 

        Scholastic Books Grant Funding
http://www.scholastic.com/administrator/funding/fundingconnection/fundingopportunities/grantappalerts.htm 

       Grants from your local or state Arts Council

http://www.nea.gov/partner/state/SAA_RAO_list.html

http://www.nasaa-arts.org/aoa/saaweb.shtml

http://www.nasaa-arts.org/aoa/saadir.shtml

Google your state name + Arts Council

Google your city name, state name + Literacy Foundation

        Help with writing grants:
http://www.teachersnetwork.org/grants/grants_how_to.htmhttp://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev039.shtmlhttp://www.schoolgrants.org/grant_tips.htm  

       Verizon Foundation Literacy grantsThe Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, supports a variety of programs that focus on improving basic literacy and e-learning and fostering domestic violence awareness, prevention, and recovery. The Foundation promotes partnerships in technology with organizations serving the needs of diverse communities, people with disabilities, and the economically and socially disadvantaged. In 2005, Verizon awarded more than 900 literacy grants totaling more than $13 million.
http://foundation.verizon.com/04008.shtml   

      Barbara Bush FoundationSince its inception in 1989, the Foundation has awarded nearly $17 million to more than 500 family literacy programs in 47 states and our nation’s capital.Family Literacy programs funded through the Foundation's National Grant Program must include all of the following components:

• Reading instruction for parents or primary care-givers (pre-GED/GED/ESL etc.)
• literacy or pre-literacy instruction for children
• Intergenerational activities where the parents/primary caregivers and children come together to learn and to read.

Programs can also include additional components such as parent support groups, parent involvement, home visits, job training etc.http://www.barbarabushfoundation.com/nga.html       Know a Phi Kappa Phi?The Literacy Grants program was initiated in 2003 to mobilize members and resources of Phi Kappa Phi and the higher education community to champion literacy initiatives. Grants of up to $2,500 are available to Phi Kappa Phi chapters and individual members to fund ongoing literacy projects or to create new initiatives. The Society’s commitment to the cause of literacy grows out of and is consistent with its mission, which was expanded to include “…and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.” http://www.phikappaphi.org/Web/Scholarships/literacygrant.html   

    Youth Leaders for Literacy

Grants Awarded for Student-Lead Projects

If use grant money to buy at least 30 copies of Fire in the Hole! to be read in your literacy project, I will make an honorary visit. Travel expenses may apply.
http://www.nea.org/readacross/volunteer/youthleaders.html   

      Adopt a ClassroomADOPT-A-CLASSROOM   http://www.adoptaclassroom.com/
Adopt-A-Classroom invites the community to support teachers and students by choosing to adopt a classroom. By doing so, donors form partnerships with specific classrooms and provide funding and support.
Deadline: Ongoing/Unspecified
Details: You must teach at a U.S. public school. Your school must have been established before Aug. 15, 2001. You must have a valid e-mail address 

      Dollar General Back-to-School Grant

The Dollar General Back-to-School grant program awards grants to assist schools in meeting some of the financial challenges they face in implementing new programs or purchasing new equipment, materials or software for their school library or literacy program.
Deadline(s): Submit March 5, 2006/Award Announced March 30, 2006; Submit June 5, 2006/Award Announced June 30, 2006; Submit September 5, 2006/Award Announced September 30, 2006; Submit December 5, 2006/Award Announced December 30, 2006
Details: All proposals must be submitted in writing on your organization's letterhead and accompanied by a Community Grants application. Attachments must be typed and are limited to five pages or less. http://www.dollargeneral.com/community/communityinvestments.aspx?Category=Community&SubCategory=Community%20Investments#BackToSchoolGiving

       http://www.donorschoose.org    

DonorsChoose aims to provide teachers and students in need with resources that public schools often lack. Here, teachers submit ideas for materials or experiences that their students need to learn. Individuals choose a project and make it a classroom reality through their generous funding.

         Barnes & Noble Grants Barnes & Noble considers requests for national and local funding from non-profit organizations that focus on literacy, the arts, or education. Donation criteria:

• The non-profit organization must support literacy, the arts or education (K - 12).
• The organization must be in the community or communities where our stores are located and serve the greater good of the local community or region.
• A plan for promoting the program with Barnes & Noble should be included in the proposal.
• The organization must be willing to work with our local store or stores on in-store programming.
• All proposals must be submitted on the organization's letterhead and include the details of the project and its purpose, how the proceeds will be used, other sponsors and its tax identification number.

http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com/our_company/sponsorship/Sponsorship_main.html
Deadline: Ongoing/Unspecified       The Carnegie Corporation

 http://www.carnegie.org./sub/program/education.html

The Carnegie Corporation provides funding support to improve teaching and learning, with a commitment to advancing literacy, urban school reform, and teacher education reform. It reviews proposals for programs that work to this end.        The Starbucks Foundation

The Starbucks Foundation provides grants that fund programs for youth, ages 6-18, that integrate literacy with personal and civic action in the communities where they live.
Deadline: Letters of Inquiry are reviewed twice per year during two periods: February 1st - March 1st and August 1st – September 1st.
Details: Your proposal must deliver services to youth, ages 6-18 and address at least one of Starbucks' action areas, which can be viewed on their Web site. You must be located in the United States or Canada. Click here for more details.

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/grantinfo.asp?cookie%5Ftest=1  


      Target StoresTarget provides local grant money to hometown organizations, and focuses on programs that promote a love of reading or encourage children to read together with their families.
Deadline: Grant applications will be accepted between March 1, 2006 and May 31, 2006.http://sites.target.com/site/en/corporate/page.jsp?contentId=PRD03-001811  

       The Wallace FoundationThe Wallace Foundation provides funding, through grants, to programs that support the arts, communities, and education. http://www.wallacefoundation.org/WF/GrantsPrograms/GrantApproach/GrantApproach.htm