Final Report Due: October 1, 2025

Grant Period: February 1, 2025 - October 1, 2025

The Idaho Commission for Libraries’ Creative Aging Grant awarded $2,000 to public libraries located in Idaho. The grant focuses on the evidence-based approach of Creative Aging, which utilizes the arts to enhance the well-being, social connections, and quality of life of older adults. This initiative aims to support a series of artist-led workshops over the course of six to eight weeks, specifically tailored to the needs of older adults. The grant allows participating libraries to build connections with organizations serving older adults, arts organizations, and teaching-artists. The grant seeks to document the quality-of-life impact that hands-on workshops have on older adult learners and to build on the initiatives of existing cohort organizations supporting creative aging in Idaho.

This final report collects contact information, narrative responses, financial data, and program feedback for each awarded grant. The report must be completed in one sitting and cannot be saved for completion at a later time. We suggest drafting responses in a separate document prior to completing the online form. The form should be signed and submitted with an electronic signature on or before October 1, 2025.

If you have questions about the application process, please contact either of the following staff members at the Idaho Commission for Libraries:

Deana Brown, Adult Services Consultant, deana.brown@libraries.idaho.gov or (208) 639-4156

Jamie Thill, Grants/Contracts Officer, at jamie.thill@libraries.idaho.gov or (208) 639-4153

The narrative section of the report asks you to describe your completed project, the activities your library carried out to fullfill the programmatic components of the grant, program participation, and notable outcomes. If you have questions about the programmatic requirements of the grant, or need to obtain your original grant agreement, which contains your project plan, please contact the ICfL.

Please keep the program goals in mind when developing report narrative responses. 

Through supporting libraries providing artist-led workshops for older adults across Idaho, the Creative Aging grant aims to:  

1. Support Library Programming: Provide funding to Idaho libraries to develop and implement arts-related workshops tailored specifically for older adults, ensuring they have access to enriching creative experiences.

2. Forge Collaborative Connections: Build strong partnerships among libraries, organizations serving older adults, arts organizations, and teaching-artists. This collaboration will create a robust network dedicated to promoting arts engagement and lifelong learning.

3. Evaluate Program Impact: Assess impact of program on well-being of attendees.

4. Amplify Conversations on Libraries and Arts: Initiate a dialogue around the critical role that libraries and the arts play in supporting healthy aging. 

For the purposes of this grant and your report, the following terms will be defined as such: 

• Workshop – a series of sessions held on an artistic practice 
• Session – a single meeting within the longer workshop schedule 
• Older adult – any attendee who could reasonably be considered as being older than 55 years old 
• Instruction – times when teaching artist was present and engaging with workshop attendees 

The financial section of the report requests the original grant amount, actual expenditures, unspent balance, and includes a place to upload receipts and other documentation. Your receipts and documentation must total or exceed the full grant award amount. Unused grant funds must be spent immediately or returned to the ICfL. If you have questions about eligible or ineligible expenses, documentation requirements, or need to obtain your original grant agreement please email libgrants@libraries.idaho.gov.

A. Allowable Expenditures. A grantee may only use program funds for allowable costs, as defined in the federal grant funds Uniform Guidance (2 C.F.R. Part 200), which includes the requirement that costs be reasonable and necessary for the accomplishment of program objectives.

The following is an abbreviated list of allowable grant expenses. It is not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive. Applicants should contact the ICfL if they are unsure if their proposed idea/expenditure is allowable.

1. Materials and supplies to support the creative aging workshop(s) of the library.

2.  Professional and consultant services such as those for teaching-artists that support the purposes of the grant.

3.  Services to make learning opportunities more accessible. Grant funds may only be used to pay for services provided during the official grant period.

4.  Marketing materials and efforts related to the library's participation in the grant and promoting workshops funded by the grant.

5. Personnel - Compensation including salaries, wages, and benefits for staff involved in planning, preparing for, and conducting the Creative Aging programming. Compensation for staff conducting the program evaluation is also allowable. This is intended to support the library with additional salary funds necessary to expand services or complete project objectives, and not replace existing salaries. 

B. Non-Allowable Expenditures. The following is an abbreviated list of non-allowable grant expenses. It is not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive. Applicants should contact the ICfL if they are unsure if a cost is allowable. The following items are not allowable grant expenses:

1.  Food and beverages. Food is allowable if used primarily as a supply in a learning activity.

2.  Capital expenditures related to the purchase of real property, buildings, or motor vehicles.

3.  Construction expenditures related to the improvement or expansion of buildings and facilities.

4.  Advertising or publicity not related directly to the programs carried out through the grant.

5.  Promotional items and memorabilia, including models, gifts, and souvenirs.

6. General purpose supplies and materials including technology, which is not specifically intended to serve the creative aging community. Assistive technology and equipment is allowable.

7. Costs of entertainment, including amusement, diversion, and social activities and any associated costs are unallowable, except where specific costs that might otherwise be considered entertainment have a programmatic purpose, which is library specific, and are pre-approved in the grant application/agreement budget.

Please review the following statements before signing and submitting this report:

A. The library has met the requirements outlined in the grant agreement/application.

B. The grantee's legal entity has expended all funds received for the purposes outlined in the grant agreement/application. If any grant funds are not expended at the end of the grant period, they must immediatly be returned to the ICfL.

C. I certify to the best of my knowledge and belief that the information provided herein is true, complete, and accurate. I am aware that the provision of false, fictitious, or fraudulent information, or the omission of any material fact, may subject me to criminal, civil, or administrative consequences including, but not limited to violations of U.S. Code Title 18, Sections 2, 1001, 1343 and Title 31, Sections 3729-3730 and 3801-3812.

D. I certify that I have the authority to submit this report on behalf of my organization.

E.  I certify that my Library will maintain grant records and receipts for three years after the end of the award period.

If you have any questions about this program or report please contact Deana Brown, Adult Services Library Consultant, deana.brown@libraries.idaho.gov, (208) 639-4156 or Grants Officer Jamie Thill at jamie.thill@libraries.gov, (208) 639-4153.