Overview

The primary purpose of this grant program is to support digitization projects for METRO members, in order to enhance the quality and accessibility of library and information resources in the metropolitan New York region. This program will enable METRO members to provide free and open access to materials in their collections that have not yet been digitized or are not currently publicly available. METRO members will also build institutional capacity, resulting in members being better positioned for future larger-scale digitization projects.

We launched our Digitization Grant Program in January 2005 to support projects involving significant collections held by METRO member libraries in New York City and Westchester County. Since that time, we’ve awarded over $900,000 in grants to support 92 digital projects. Our grant program is supported in part by funds from the New York State Regional Bibliographic Databases Program.

2025-2026 Grant Cycle

We’re very excited to announce the next cycle of METRO’s Digitization Grant Program! The call for applications begins Monday, March 31st, 2025, and the application deadline is Friday, May 16th, 2025. Find the program guide here and apply here.

If you have questions about your project or eligibility, please contact Traci Mark (tmark@metro.org) and Allison Sherrick (asherrick@metro.org) with info@metro.org copied by Wednesday May 14th, 2025.

Mission Statement

METRO’s Digitization Project Grant is designed to meet the needs of METRO members working on projects at various stages of the digitization life cycle. Our aim is to create community capacity for digital collections while supporting our member institutions. By doing this, we endeavor to enable sustainable digital spacemaking, cultural heritage resource exchange, access to collections materials from a spectrum of diverse viewpoints, and research support for individuals seeking information and resources related to Metropolitan New York’s history and unique communities.

Program Description 

The primary purpose of this grant program is to support digitization projects for METRO members, in order to enhance the quality and accessibility of library and information resources in the metropolitan New York region. This program will enable METRO members to provide free and open access to materials in their collections that have not yet been digitized or are not currently publicly available. METRO members will also build institutional capacity, resulting in members being better positioned for future larger-scale digitization projects.

Each institution is eligible to receive  funding of up to $10,000 for their project.

The following should be considered when selecting collections to be funded through this project. We seek to provide support for:

• Useful and accurate content
• Rare and unique items
• Materials that have a potential for enduring value in digital form
• Materials that are beneficial to New York residents and community members

Institutions must have the rights needed to provide online access to the digitized materials (free of copyright restrictions for educational uses).

The following should be considered when selecting materials within collections. We seek to fund materials that:

• Highlight collections
• Best represent the community
• Are most requested by patrons
• Are difficult to access in physical form
• Are cataloged or collections that are processed
• Will be made available online

Learn more about past grant recipients and their projects here.

Please have vendor quotes (if any) ready, as well as a timeline and budget when applying.

Program Schedule

• Monday, March 31st, 2025: Call for applications
• Thursday, April 24th, 2025 from 2pm to 3pm: Information Session
• Friday, May 16th, 2025: Applications due
• Friday, July 11th, 2025: All grant applicants are notified of their status
• Monday, August 4th, 2025: Grant period begins
• September 2025 (Date TBD): First cohort meeting and progress update
• December 2025 (Date TBD): Second cohort meeting and progress update
• Friday, January 16th, 2026: First reimbursement period: progress report and invoice due to METRO
• April 2026 (Date TBD): Third and final cohort meeting and progress update
• Friday, May 29th, 2026: Program ends: second and final reimbursement packages due to METRO

Eligibility

Only METRO member institutions located in New York City and Westchester County are eligible to apply.

Interested in becoming a member? Please visit our membership page and submit your institutional information by Monday, April 8th if you are interested in applying for the grant.

If you are a current METRO member, please make sure your membership is up to date prior to the application deadline. We will only review applications from METRO members with no outstanding dues.

Advisory Council Members

METRO staff will work with an Advisory Council in the selection of these grants. Our Advisory Council members are:

• Haian Abdirahman, Archivist at The Mellon Foundation
• Amelia Buccarelli, Librarian at Greenburgh Public Library
• Jamie Cumby, Librarian at the Grolier Club
• Kelly Haydon, Media Archivist at Human Rights Watch
• Esther Jackson, Scholarly Communication Technologies Librarian at Columbia University
• Jorge Matos, Assistant Professor & Reference Librarian at Hostos Community College
• Marcos Sueiro Bal, Digital Collections Manager, Center for Puerto Rican Studies