Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (2026)
At a glance
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (2026) is a closed federal grant opportunity from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The application deadline was March 13, 2026. Individual awards are listed as $25K – $1M, with about 35 awards expected and $8.5M in total estimated funding. Applicant types listed as eligible include others (see notice). Cost sharing or matching is required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 45.313 (Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program).
Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.
Key facts
- Jan 13, 2026Posted
- Mar 13, 2026Application deadline
- Posted
- Jan 13, 2026
- Close date
- Mar 13, 2026
- Award floor
- $25,000
- Award ceiling
- $1,000,000
- Est. total funding
- $8,500,000
- Expected awards
- 35
- Cost sharing
- Required
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Opportunity category
- Discretionary
Who can apply
- Others (see notice)
Additional information on eligibility (from the notice)
See the Notice of Funding Opportunity for eligibility requirements.
A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.
Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.
What it funds
Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.
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.
Full announcement & documents
The full announcement has the complete rules — page limits, required attachments, evaluation criteria and any letter-of-intent dates. Files download directly from Grants.gov.
Assistance Listing
What is an ALN?Reported obligations under ALN 45.313
Historical data · not a predictionWho was funded under ALN 45.313
Historical data · not a predictionSince October 1, 2023, 223 grant awards had funding actions under Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program, with 18 sub-awards passed on to other organizations. These are program-wide awards, not awards from this specific notice.
- UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS$1.73M
- UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS$1.23M
- COSLA INC$853K
- UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, THE$833K
- LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY$782K
Agency contact (as published)
Institute of Museum and Library Services
imls-librarygrants@imls.gov
202-653-4634
Quick answers
Who is eligible to apply for “Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (2026)”?
The official notice names these applicant types as eligible: Others (see notice). Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.
How much funding is available through “Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (2026)”?
Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $25k – $1m, total estimated program funding is $8,500,000 and the agency expects to make about 35 awards.
How do I apply for “Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (2026)”?
Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity LB21-FY26), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.
Related open opportunities
Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (2027)
Institute of Museum and Library Services- Award range
- $75K – $1M
- Closes
- Nov 13, 2026
- Who can apply
- Others (see notice)
21st Century Museum Professionals Program (2027)
Institute of Museum and Library Services- Award range
- $100K – $500K
- Closes
- Nov 13, 2026
- Who can apply
- Others (see notice)
Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (2027)
Institute of Museum and Library Services- Award range
- $5K – $500K
- Closes
- Nov 13, 2026
- Who can apply
- Others (see notice)
Inspire Grants for Small Museums (2027)
Institute of Museum and Library Services- Award range
- $5K – $75K
- Closes
- Nov 13, 2026
- Who can apply
- Others (see notice)
Museums for America (2027)
Institute of Museum and Library Services- Award range
- $5K – $350K
- Closes
- Nov 13, 2026
- Who can apply
- Others (see notice)
Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture (2027)
Institute of Museum and Library Services- Award range
- $5K – $500K
- Closes
- Nov 13, 2026
- Who can apply
- Others (see notice)