The type, number and monetary size of each grant to attend a SWALL or an AALL meeting is determined annually by the SWALL Executive Board and will be announced on the SWALL listserv.  The following grants can be awarded by SWALL to attend SWALL meetings: 1.) Kate Mara Grant 2.) Marian Boner Grant and 3.) Coco-Miller Grant. Various other unnamed grants may also be awarded to attend the annual SWALL and AALL meeting.

No person may receive more than one grant to either a SWALL or an AALL meeting in a three-year period. No library may  have employees receiving a grant to either a SWALL or an AALL meeting two years in succession.  A person may apply for more than one type of grant in any one year, but can receive only one.  (For example, a member cannot be awarded grants to attend both SWALL and AALL.) These requirements apply only to grants from SWALL funds. Applications for grants received from other entities such as AALL may have different requirements.  An announcement will be made on the SWALL listserv advising members about any special grant and its requirements.

All funds awarded must be used as stipulated.  If any grant was not used as stipulated, or if for personal reasons a recipient cannot attend the program for which the grant was awarded, repayment of the grant must be made to SWALL immediately. Grants are non-transferable.  Grants may only be used to pay the following items: registration fees, accommodations, food,  and travel fares. All expenses must be confirmed by receipts, and those which are not, must be repaid to SWALL. The SWALL Grant Chairperson is the final judge whether or not an expense is legitimate. 

Incomplete applications and those postmarked after the published deadline will be ineligible for consideration. Application deadlines or the “two year succession rule” may be waived at the Chairman’s discretion and will be announced on the SWALL listserv.

Within 30 days of return from a meeting the grant recipient is obligated to submit the following which are to be forwarded to the Grant Chairperson:

a.)  A narrative of the recipient’s overall conference experience or brief descriptive evaluations of the program(s) the recipient attended using the grant funds. For publication purposes, this article must also be sent by the recipient to the SWALL Bulletin.

b.)  Receipts documenting attendance and expenses. Photocopies will suffice.

Award recipients using a grant of SWALL funds to attend the AALL annual meeting must attend the SWALL business meeting.

Unused allocated funds shall be returned to the Executive Board.

In addition to the criteria above, grants will be awarded on the basis of:

a.) Proven or potential ability of the applicant;

b.) Contribution to SWALL and/or the profession;

c.) Financial need.

The Kate Mara Award is a travel grant which was established in 1986. This grant honors Kate Mara who was a book jobber in Dallas, Texas. She was the wife of John Mara, a founding member of SWALL.  She helped organize the first SWALL meeting, which took place in 1958 in Dallas, Texas. The Kate Mara Grant Award is awarded to a person attending his or her first SWALL meeting.  Applicants for this award do not have to be current members of SWALL.

Marian Boner was a former president of SWALL (1969-1970), the first director of the Texas State Law Library, and the author of A Reference Guide to Texas Law and Legal History. SWALL receives royalties from this publication to help fund this grant. The Marian Boner Grant Award, established in 1990, is awarded to a current SWALL member to attend the current SWALL meeting.  This recipient must be: an active officer, an active Committee member, or one who is working on a current SWALL project. The SWALL Grant Committee members are not eligible.

The Coco-Miller Grant Award, first established in 1998, is a general travel grant to be awarded to members of SWALL attending the annual SWALL meeting. Al Coco was the director of the Law Library at the University of Denver; Oscar Miller was the director of the law library at the University of Colorado. They are past presidents of SWALL and hold honorary life memberships for their distinguished service to SWALL.

The Special 50th Anniversary Grant Award was created as a one time only grant in celebration of SWALL’s 50th Annual Meeting. This grant is to be awarded to members whose institutions prohibit reimbursement for travel outside of the United States. This grant is awarded to a SWALL member who has a lack of financial assistance from their employer.