Application: The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for FY 2017 is now available.
Grant Amount: Planning Grants: up to $50,000. National Forum Grants: up to $100,000. Research Grants: up to $500,000. Project Grants: $50,000–$1,000,000.
Cost Share Requirement: Cost sharing is not considered in the review of applications, but is an eligibility criterion for certain LB21 projects. In order to receive an LB21 Project Grant, you must provide funds from non-federal sources in an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of the grant after subtraction of student support costs. Cost sharing is not expected for Research Grants or for grants under $250,000. Click here for further information on cost sharing.
Grant Period: Up to three years for Project Grants and Research Grants, except for doctoral program projects, which may be up to four years. One year for Planning Grants and National Forum Grants.
Program Overview:
The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (LB21) supports professional development, graduate education, and continuing education to help libraries and archives develop a diverse workforce of librarians to better meet the changing learning and information needs of the American public.
We anticipate two FY17 LB21 funding opportunities, each with two separate deadlines. In addition to the opportunity described in this Notice of Funding Opportunity, a separate LB21 funding opportunity is anticipated to be announced in December 2016 with a preliminary proposal application submission due date in February 2017.
Frequently Asked Questions about the IMLS Early Career Development Program (PDF, 58KB)
For the LB21 program, all applications (except early career research) must designate one of the following project categories:
- Community Anchors
- National Digital Platform
- Curating Collections
Eligibility: Libraries that fulfill the general criteria for libraries may apply. See the Notice of Funding Opportunity [link to it] for special conditions of eligibility for this program.
Program Contacts (by project category):
Community Anchors (Planning, Forum, and Project Grants):
Sarah Fuller, Library Program Officer
202-653-4783
sfuller@imls.gov
Community Anchors (Research Grants):
Sandra Toro, PhD, Senior Library Program Officer
202-653-4662
storo@imls.gov
National Digital Platform and Curating Collections:
Emily Reynolds, Library Program Officer
202-653-4665
ereynolds@imls.gov
Grant Program Webinars: We conducted two pre-application webinars for prospective applicants to learn more about the program, ask questions, and listen to the questions and comments of other applicants. Additionally, we conducted a webinar for applicants to learn more about how to develop an evaluation plan that includes IMLS-level goals and performance measure statements, along with a plan for tracking and measuring success in achieving intended results. Recordings of these three webinars are available.