Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 45.313

Institute of Museum and Library Services

Letter of Intent (Required): Sep 20, 2023
Application: Mar 20, 2024

Contact the staff member listed on the program website with the portfolio that most closely aligns with the proposal.

Contact Sarah Fuller at sfuller@imls.gov for projects relating to:

• Community development
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
• Population-specific programs and services
• Public health
• Workforce development

The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program provides funding for training and professional development of library and archives professionals; developing faculty and information leaders; and recruiting, educating, and retaining the next generation of library and archives professionals in order to develop a diverse workforce of library and archives professionals. Public health is listed as a project type.

Projects should:

• Propose far-reaching impact to influence practice across one or more disciplines within the libraries 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 to demonstrate broad need, wide buy-in and input, and access to appropriate expertise

The program places emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion, including efforts to serve:

• Individuals from diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds
• Individuals with disabilities
• Individuals with limited functional literacy or information skills
• Individuals having difficulty using a library or museum
• Underserved urban and rural communities
• Children from families with incomes below the poverty line

Applicants must be:

• A unit of state or local government or be a private, nonprofit organization
• 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

In addition, applicants must qualify as one of the following 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 make application
• A digital library, if it makes library materials publicly available and provides library services, including selection, organization, description, reference, and preservation, under the supervision of at least one permanent professional staff librarian
• A library agency that is an official agency of a state or other unit of government and is charged by the law governing it with the extension and development of public library services within its jurisdiction
• A library consortium that is a local, statewide, regional, interstate, or international cooperative association of library entities that provides for the systematic and effective coordination of the resources of eligible libraries, as defined above, and information centers that work to improve the services delivered to the clientele of these libraries
• A library association that exists on a permanent basis; serves libraries or library professionals on a national, regional, State, or local level; and engages in activities designed to advance the well-being of libraries and the library profession

Nationwide and U.S. Territories

By project type:

• Planning:
  • Award range: $50,000 - $150,000
  • Project period: Up to 2 years
• Forum:
  • Award range: $50,000 - $150,000
  • Project period: Up to 2 years
• Implementation:
  • Award range: $50,000 - $1,000,000
  • Project period: Up to 3 years
  • Cost share: Requests of more than $249,999 require at least 1:1 cost share from non-federal sources.
• Early career research development:
  • Award range: $50,000 - $750,000
  • Project period: Up to 3 years
• Applied research:
  • Award range: $50,000 - $750,000
  • Project period: Up to 3 years

Estimated number of awards: 31
Estimated total program funding: $8,500,000

Links to the full announcement, application instructions, and the online application process are available through grants.gov.

Submit a preliminary proposal by September 20, 2023. Selected applicants will be invited to submit a full application, with a deadline of March 20, 2024.

Health disparities · Health literacy · Public health · Wellness, health promotion, and disease prevention