The National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program (NLG-L) supports projects that develop, enhance, or adapt replicable practices, programs, models, or tools to strengthen library and archival services for the American public.
Donor Name: Institute of Museum and Library Services
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 03/13/2026
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
National Leadership Grants for Libraries (NLG-L) projects enhance the quality of library services nationwide. The program supports projects that:
- manage and preserve the national information infrastructure;
- serve the public’s information and education needs;
- enhance library and information services through effective and efficient use of new and emerging technologies;
- improve community prosperity;
- provide emergency services to communities during disasters and emergencies; and
- build collaborative partnerships between libraries, archives, and museums that benefit the communities they serve.
The models, tools, research findings, services, and partnerships resulting from these awards can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated to extend and maximize the benefit of Federal investment to libraries and archives of all sizes.
Goal and Objectives
NLG-L program encourage applicants to work collaboratively with partners such as archives, libraries, museums, school systems, universities, extension programs, youth-serving organizations, and workforce/economic development organizations, where applicable.
They expect NLG-L projects to:
- influence practice across one or more disciplines within the library and archives fields;
- reflect a thorough understanding of current practice, knowledge about the subject matter, and an awareness of and support for current strategic priorities in the field;
- use collaboration, as needed, to demonstrate buy-in, input, and access to appropriate expertise;
- employ outreach strategies to disseminate activities, results, and findings; and
- generate measurable results.
Project Types
- Planning
- Planning projects support exploratory activities, such as:
- analyzing needs and feasibility;
- solidifying partnerships; or
- developing project work plans, prototypes, proofs of concept, curricula, and pilot studies.
- Planning projects support exploratory activities, such as:
- Forum
- Forum projects support convening qualified experts and key stakeholders, including those from adjacent fields as appropriate, to help explore current or emerging issues or opportunities that are important to communities across the nation.
- Community Centered Implementation
- Community-Centered Implementation projects adapt existing models (practices, findings, tools, and/or partnerships) to a specific organizational context.
- National Implementation
- National Implementation projects support the development, execution, and evaluation of work that transforms how libraries and archives serve the nation. Projects may develop or expand new tools, resources, products, or services for new audiences or in new contexts.
- Applied Research
- Applied Research projects support the investigation of key questions relevant to libraries or archives, building on prior empirical, theoretical, or exploratory work in libraries and archives or other relevant disciplines.
Funding Information
- Total amount of funding IMLS expects to award through this announcement $11,500,000.
- Award amount range
- Planning: $75,000 – $200,000
- Forum: $75,000 – $200,000
- Community-Centered Implementation: $25,000 – $100,000
- National Implementation: $75,000 – $1,000,000
- Applied Research: $75,000 – $750,000
- Average amount of funding per award experienced in previous years $264,123.
Project Period
September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2029.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for an award under the NLG-L Program, your organization must meet all three of the following eligibility criteria. Your organization must be:
- a unit of State, local, or Tribal government, or
- be a private, nonprofit organization that has nonprofit status under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended.
Your organization must be located in:
- one of the 50 states of the United States of America,
- the District of Columbia,
- the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico,
- the U.S. Virgin Islands,
- Guam,
- American Samoa,
- the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,
- the Republic of the Marshall Islands,
- the Federated States of Micronesia; or
- the Republic of Palau.
Your organization must qualify as one of the following six types of organizations:
- A library or a parent organization, such as a school district, a municipality, a state agency, or an academic institution, that is responsible for the administration of a library.
- An academic or administrative unit, such as a graduate school of library and information science that is part of an institution of higher education through which it would apply;
- A digital library or archives, if it makes materials publicly available and provides library or archival services, including selection, organization, description, reference, and preservation, under the supervision of at least one permanent professional staff librarian/archivist;
- A library or archival agency that is an official agency of a State, Tribal, or other unit of government and is charged by the law governing it with the extension and development of public library and archives services within its jurisdiction;
- A library or archives consortium that is a local, statewide, regional, interstate, or international cooperative association of library or archives entities that provides for the systematic and effective coordination of the resources of eligible libraries or archives, as defined above, and information centers that work to improve the services delivered to the clientele of these libraries or archives; or
- A library or archives association that exists on a permanent basis; primarily serves libraries, archives, or library or archival professionals on a national, regional, state, or local level; and engages in activities designed to advance the well-being of libraries, archives, and the library and archives professions.
- A nonprofit organization affiliated with a library or archives whose sole mission includes supporting the specified library or archives, has the ability to administer the project, and can ensure compliance with the terms of this NOFO and the applicable law, including the IMLS Assurances and Certifications.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
