The National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program (NLG-L) supports projects that address critical needs of the library and archives fields and have the potential to advance practice and strengthen library and archival services for the American public. Successful proposals will generate results such as new models, tools, research findings, services, practices, and/or alliances that can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated to extend and leverage the benefits of federal investment.
The goals for this program are to generate projects of far-reaching impact that:
- Build the workforce and institutional capacity for managing the national information infrastructure and serving the information and education needs of the public.
- Build the capacity of libraries and archives to lead and contribute to efforts that improve community well-being and strengthen civic engagement.
- Improve the ability of libraries and archives to provide broad access to and use of information and collections with emphasis on collaboration to avoid duplication and maximize reach.
- Strengthen the ability of libraries to provide services to affected communities in the event of an emergency or disaster.
- Strengthen the ability of libraries, archives, and museums to work collaboratively for the benefit of the communities they serve.
Throughout its work, IMLS places importance on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This may be reflected in an IMLS-funded project in a wide range of ways, including efforts to serve individuals of 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; and underserved urban and rural communities, including children from families with incomes below the poverty line.
Deadline: Sep. 20, 2024
Planning projects support exploratory activities, such as analyzing needs and feasibility; solidifying partnerships; developing project work plans; or developing prototypes, proofs of concept, and pilot studies. Applications should identify planning activities that have the potential to lead to future implementation. The period of performance for a Planning project is one to two years.
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 libraries and archives across the nation. Reports and other deliverables should be prepared for wide dissemination. Convenings should leverage technology, such as virtual meetings or live streaming, to allow broad participation. Additional mechanisms for engaging stakeholders and building awareness of the findings are encouraged. The period of performance for a Forum project is one to two years.
Implementation projects support the development, execution, and evaluation of work that transforms how libraries and archives serve the nation. Implementation projects may develop new tools and resources or expand existing products or services for new audiences or in new contexts. Applicants should design their proposed work to ensure that new practices have the potential to be easily adoptable, sustainable, and widely implementable across the field. The period of performance for an Implementation project is one to three years.
Applied Research projects support the investigation of key questions relevant to library or archival tools and services, building on prior empirical, theoretical, or exploratory work in libraries and archives or other relevant disciplines. Applicants must include clearly articulated research questions and feature appropriate methods, including relevant theoretical or conceptual approaches, data collection, and analysis.
Planning $50,000 - $150,000
Forum $50,000 - $150,000
Implementation $50,000 - $1,000,000
Applied Research $50,000 - $750,000