MOBIUS Conference Attendance Grants

The MOBIUS Consortium is offering a total of $2,500 in conference attendance grants to support the professional growth and development of our membership. These grants are offered twice each year.

The grants will provide funding to one or more MOBIUS members to attend--either virtually or in-person--a conference of their choosing that occurs either between January 1 and June 30 or between July 1 and December 31, and will help cover expenses related to attendance, including conference registration fees, travel, and accommodation.  We are also willing to fund group packages for libraries sending multiple members of staff to attend virtual conferences.

Application Requirements

To be considered for a Conference Attendance Grant, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

  • Applications are due by 11:59 pm CST on the announced (via email) due date. 
  • Must apply to attend a conference that meets in person or virtually between either January 1 and June 30 or July 1 and December 31.
  • Be a full-time employee at a MOBIUS member library, including library assistants and support staff who may not have an MLS degree.
  • Submit a complete application (see instructions below).
  • Grant recipients must agree to write a short report to the Professional Development Committee (about 200 words) within six months of attendance, describing conference participation and how it impacted their librarianship. 

MOBIUS reserves the right to publish these reports, in whole or in part, as testimonials.    
Current members of the MOBIUS Board of Directors and MOBIUS Office staff are not eligible for these grants.  Grant funds cannot be applied toward reimbursement for expenses that have already been paid.  If you wish to apply for funding for conferences that take place after June 30 or December 31, please wait until the next round of grants.    

Instructions

To be considered, applicants must submit a complete application, which includes:

  • Filling out the information form below.  This form requires a Google login to submit.  If you do not have one, send your application documents to Maegan Gattorna at [email protected].
  • A statement of 400 words or less explaining the applicant's reasons for wanting to attend their chosen conference.
  • A brief statement by the applicant of how much money is needed and a detailed breakdown of expenses.    
  • The applicant’s resume or curriculum vitae (to be uploaded below or submitted to [email protected]). 
  • For group applications, we require resumes for each library staff member who plans on attending.  However, we only require one application statement and one financial cost statement per group.  If selected for a grant, each member of the group must submit a report to MOBIUS within six months of attendance.
  • If you are attending an in-person conference and require approval from your immediate supervisor or library director in order to take time away from your library, you must upload or email a scanned copy of an authorization form (included in the email announcement) that has been signed by your supervisor, indicating that you have permission to attend.  

Criteria

MOBIUS will score applications based on the materials we receive.  In awarding grants, preference will be given to applicants who address at least some of the following in their statement:

  • How their conference attendance will enhance their day-to-day work and long-term career goals.
  • How their attendance will benefit MOBIUS as a whole.
  • The availability of institutional funding, or lack thereof (be as specific as possible).
  • How their attendance will enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the library profession and/or in library services.
  • Whether their position or institution specifically serves underrepresented groups and/or non-traditional students.

Testimonials

Rumyana Hristova, St. Charles Community College, April 2026 Grant Report for the Open Education Conference

I am extremely grateful for the MOBIUS funding, which enabled me to attend the Open Education Conference. I highly recommend this conference to other librarians who are working to move the needle of OER at their campuses. It is a work in progress, not an easy one, but the inspiration and encouragement one gets from meeting and communicating with like-minded professionals at conferences like this one, provides you with the motivation to search and find effective ways to persist despite all odds. A motto from one of the presentations has stuck with me as it helps me keep things in perspective: “Start small, aim big, students first!”

Renee Brumett, Missouri University of Science & Technology, October 2025 Grant Report for WOLFcon

Thank you for the grant funding my attendance at WOLFcon. It was an excellent educational and networking opportunity. Attending sessions on the folio community and seeing folio and OpenRS roadmaps helped me gain a better grasp of the structure of this open source project as well as the direction it is heading.

Emma Fernandez, Stephens College, 2023 Grant Report for ACRL

I appreciate that the conference allowed not only for learning opportunities in the form of presentations, papers, and discussions, but also many opportunities for networking and collaboration as well. Not only did I learn many valuable new ideas and skills, but I also connected with numerous incredible librarians, who I am eager to partner with in the future.