Foundation Projects
Grant Cycle 2024 – Information Technology Upgrades
The Eastern Shore Public Library Foundation just awarded $16,578 to the Chincoteague Island Library and the Cape Charles Memorial Library to upgrade their public computer access. Our goal was to help improve the experience that patrons have with IT in both affiliate libraries of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Public Library System.
These awards are the first round of the annual grant program that the Foundation now offers, using proceeds from our annual appeal letter to meet special needs that aren’t covered by operating budgets. Keeping IT updated for patrons is a constant challenge and was an obvious first choice for us as we move ahead with Foundation’s mission to support all the Eastern Shore’s public libraries.
We are working with Christopher Pote, director of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Public Library System, and his staff to identify the focus for our grant cycle for 2025.
Growing Endowments
The Eastern Shore Public Library Foundation has five endowments, four of which are managed by the Hampton Roads Community Foundation.
Endowments are funds invested to provide permanent long-term support for a nonprofit organization or cause. In time, a portion of the income from each endowment’s investments is made available annually to meet that fund’s purposes. The remaining assets are retained in the fund to provide for growth over time. (It’s the miracle of compound interest!)
At present, the Foundation has five endowments:
Katharine H. S. Edmonds Reading Materials Fund, dedicated to purchasing reading materials;
Joyce Brown Milliner Endowment, a family legacy for the library;
Kirk C. Mariner and B. Miles Barnes Archivist Fund;
Eastern Shore Public Library Materials Endowment and the
Eastern Shore Public Library Foundation Citizens’ Endowment Fund, which will support unmet library needs.
The Foundation’s Legacy Giving Committee is working to increase donations to our endowments. We welcome gifts and bequests that will help to build these funds. For more information, visit the DONATE section of this website.
Grant Assistance
The Eastern Shore Public Library Foundation collaborates with the Eastern Shore Public Library System in writing grants to foundations and government agencies for special projects and programs. It also manages grants once awarded. The Foundation has received over $250,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support construction and furnishing the Heritage Center. Some directors of the Foundation have extensive grant-writing experience and are available to help library staff develop grant applications as needed.
EASTERN SHORE REGIONAL PUBLIC LIBRARY & HERITAGE CENTER
The product of our partnership with the Regional Library Board of Trustees and the Friends of the Eastern Shore Public Library, in collaboration with the Boards of Supervisors for Accomack County and Northampton Counties, the building in Parksley is a striking example of adaptive reuse. A former supermarket was transformed from providing physical nourishment to nourishment for the mind and spirit! The building offers community meeting rooms, comfortable places to read, free access to computers, spaces for children and teens, a makerspace and an auditorium with a capacity of 185 people for programs and meetings. And don’t forget -- and the Regional Library does a large collection of CDs, DVDs, magazines, newspapers, and books available for checkout!
The Eastern Shore Public Library Foundation raised over $5 million dollars and negotiated with the Accomack County government to turn this abandoned unoccupied building into a Regional Library. The Foundation also played an active role in designing the building and monitoring the construction process. The Foundation office is located there. We enjoy the cheerful “vibe” of the Library’s patrons and staff.