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Grants for Public Libraries, Academic Libraries, and Tribal Libraries

IMLS federal grants, state library agency funding, and foundation grants for public libraries, academic libraries, school libraries, and tribal library programs.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the primary federal funder of libraries. Most IMLS library funding flows through state library agencies under the Grants to States program; competitive National Leadership Grants and Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian grants also fund libraries directly.

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Top opportunities

  • Zagreb City Library and Socio-Cultural Center at Paromlin

    Up to $67MDeadline: Dec 22, 2026open

    The project ‘The City Library of the City of Zagreb and the socio-cultural centre at the Paromlin site’ will revitalise the valuable cultural industri...

  • Accelerating Research Translation (ART)

    National Science Foundation (NSF)Up to $8.0Mopen

    Accelerating Research Translation (ART) is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). Seeks to build and sustain institutional capacity for trans...

  • Energy upgrade of the Central Library of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

    Up to $6.3MDeadline: Sep 9, 2028open

    The project Energy upgrading of the Central Library of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki aims to improve the energy efficiency and sustainabili...

  • Reconstruction of the existing Bakery building into the city library and reading room Mladen Kerstner Ludbreg

    Up to $5.6MDeadline: Dec 31, 2027open

    The subject of the project application is the reconstruction of the existing ‘Pekare’ building with its conversion into a public-social purpose – the ...

  • AI Methods for Large Scale Epidemiological Studies using Patient Reports of Medication Adherence and Tolerability

    National Library of MedicineUp to $3.5MDeadline: Aug 31, 2029open

    Adherence to prescribed medications is a critical aspect of effective medical treatment, especially for chronic con- ditions; however, the World Healt...

  • Supervised Weighted Distances: Patient Similarity to Explain Clinical AI Models

    National Library of MedicineUp to $2.7MDeadline: Aug 31, 2029open

    Summary Explaining complex, multivariate predictive models to clinicians and life scientists is difficult, but it is necessary to increase their trust...

  • Research Infrastructure: PhyNetPy: An Open-source Library for Developing Phylogenetic Network Inference and Analysis Capabilities

    Up to $1.9MDeadline: Aug 31, 2029open

    An award is made to Rice University to enable the development of PhyNetPy—a comprehensive, open-source Python library, available to developers and bio...

  • Data-driven discovery of host-microbiome protein-protein interactions

    National Library of MedicineUp to $1.8MDeadline: Aug 31, 2029open

    Research Summary Despite numerous large-scale metagenomic case-control studies that associate microbial taxa and genes with specific diseases, surpri...

  • Computational methods for multiplex image analysis of the tumor microenvironment

    National Library of MedicineUp to $1.6MDeadline: Aug 31, 2029open

    Spatial biology techniques, such as multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) imaging, enable detailed molecular profiling of tissue microenvironments while ...

  • Statistical Methods for Integrating Irregularly Collected Longitudinal Multi-Modal data into Prediction Models

    National Library of MedicineUp to $1.5MDeadline: May 31, 2030open

    For individuals with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart failure, cancer, or obesity, early intervention prevents symptom escalation, acute care...

  • Fast and slow prediction of stable and transient protein-protein interactions

    National Library of MedicineUp to $1.4MDeadline: Aug 31, 2029open

    Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) underpin processes ranging from transduction of signaling networks to maintenance of cellular structure. Identifyi...

  • A computational framework for quality assessment and curation of models at scale

    National Library of MedicineUp to $1.4MDeadline: Aug 31, 2029open

    Model development is a common step of a research pipeline in many domains, including biology. However, most often there is no systematic approach to a...

  • Preventing Medication Dispensing Errors in Pharmacy Practice with Risk-sensitive Artificial Intelligence

    National Library of MedicineUp to $1.4MDeadline: May 9, 2030open

    Preventable medication errors are a global problem that can cause significant patient harm and annually incur costs of $42 billion worldwide. In the U...

  • Central Library Services Aid

    Up to $1.3Mopen

    The Central Library Services Aid (CLSA) program provides State Aid to public library systems in New York for one or two central libraries within each ...

  • Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grants for Libraries

    Institute of Museum and Library ServicesUp to $1.0Mopen

    Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grants for Libraries is sponsored by Institute of Museum and Library Services. Sup...

  • Improving Safety and Trustworthiness in Data-Driven Decision Learning for Sepsis

    National Library of MedicineUp to $829KDeadline: Aug 31, 2027open

    The goal of this project is to develop robust machine learning approaches that improve the safety and trustworthiness of existing data-driven decision...

  • National Leadership Grants for Museums (2025)

    Institute of Museum and Library ServicesUp to $750KDeadline: Nov 13, 2026open

    National Leadership Grants for Museums support projects that address critical needs of the museum field and that have the potential to advance practic...

  • National Leadership Grants for Museums (2025)

    Institute of Museum and Library ServicesUp to $750KDeadline: Nov 13, 2026open

    National Leadership Grants for Museums support projects that address critical needs of the museum field and that have the potential to advance practic...

  • A Dynamic Patient Data Library and Virtual Imaging Trial Platform for Training and Evaluating AI-based Algorithms in CT Imaging

    Up to $641KDeadline: May 31, 2029open

    /ABSTRACT Deep Learning Reconstruction and Noise Reduction (DLR) algorithms are increasingly used in CT clinical practice, with substantial potential ...

  • Establishing a novel 13C-labeled metabolite library for the study of dental caries

    National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial ResearchUp to $598KDeadline: Jul 31, 2027open

    Bacteria contain a vast diversity of metabolites due to rich accessory genomes 100 times greater than that found in humans. Most of these metabolites ...

See all 100 matches on the Grant Board

Common questions about grants for libraries

What is the IMLS Grants to States program?

IMLS Grants to States is the largest federal library funding stream, distributing approximately $160 million annually to state library administrative agencies. Each state library uses the funds to support a five-year state plan that typically includes summer reading programs, technology infrastructure, statewide databases, professional development, and underserved-population initiatives. Local libraries apply through their state library, not directly to IMLS.

What direct-to-library federal grants exist?

IMLS makes competitive awards directly to libraries through the National Leadership Grants for Libraries (NLG-L), the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (workforce and education), and the Native American and Native Hawaiian Library Services programs. NSF and NEH also fund libraries that engage in STEM-public-engagement or humanities programming work.

Are there foundation grants for libraries?

Yes. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded public-library broadband and computer access for decades and continues some library-related work. The Carnegie Corporation funds library work (a continuation of Andrew Carnegie's library legacy). The Public Library Association operates capacity-building grants. Community foundations are typically the most accessible source for local libraries seeking project funding.

Can tribal libraries apply for grants?

Yes. IMLS operates dedicated Native American and Native Hawaiian Library Services programs (Basic Grants, Enhancement Grants, and Native Hawaiian Library Services). These programs fund tribally-administered libraries and library services on Native American and Alaska Native lands. The First Nations Development Institute and the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) provide additional grants and technical assistance.

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