Overview
Share ThisDeadline: March 13, 2026
Application: The FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) (PDF, 984KB) is now available.
Program Overview: Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian (LB21) projects build a library and archival workforce that can meet the information needs of communities and increase the institutional capacity of libraries, archives, and library and information science graduate programs across the country.
The program supports projects that:
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provide training and professional development to library and archives professionals;
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develop faculty and information leaders; and
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recruit, educate, and retain the next generation of library and archives professionals.
Projects can support the recruitment, education, training, and retention of pre-professionals, students, faculty, and the current library and archives workforce.
Award Amount and Cost Share Requirement: Award amounts and cost share requirements are as follows:
|
Project Type |
Award Amount |
Cost Share Requirement |
|
Planning Grants |
$75,000 to $200,000 |
No cost share required. |
|
Forum Grants |
$75,000 to $200,000 |
No cost share required. |
|
Community-Centered Implementation Grants |
$25,000 to $100,000 |
No cost share required. |
|
National Implementation Grants |
$75,000 to $1,000,000 |
Requests of more than $299,999 in IMLS funds require at least 1:1 cost share from non-federal sources. |
|
Early Career Research Grants |
$75,000 to $750,000 |
No cost share required. |
|
Applied Research Grants |
$75,000 to $750,000 |
No cost share required. |
Cost sharing is not considered in the peer review of applications but is an eligibility criterion for certain LB21 project types. See the Notice of Funding Opportunity for further information on cost share.
Grant Period: One to two years for Planning Grants, Forum Grants, and Community-Centered Implementation Grants. One to three years for National Implementation Grants, Applied Research Grants, and Early Career Research Grants.
Eligibility: See the Notice of Funding Opportunity for eligibility criteria for this program.
Program Contact: If you have questions, please contact imls-librarygrants@imls.gov.
*All grant programs are subject to the availability of funds and IMLS discretion.
