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ClosedOpportunity NLG-LIBRARIES-FY26

National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2026)

Institute of Museum and Library Services

At a glance

National Leadership Grants for Libraries (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 45 awards expected and $11.5M 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 45.312 (National Leadership Grants).

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

  1. Jan 13, 2026Posted
  2. 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
$11,500,000
Expected awards
45
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.

The National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program (NLG-L) supports projects that develop, enhance, or adapt replicable practices, programs, models, or tools to strengthen library and archival services for the American public.

The program supports projects that serve the learning needs of the public through libraries and archives; improve community prosperity through libraries and archives; provide broad access to and preservation of information and collections through libraries and archives; or provide services to affected communities in the event of an emergency or disaster.

Additional information from the agency ↗

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 45.312

Historical data · not a prediction
FY24$24.9M
FY25$25.6M
FY26$24.6M est.
Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 45.312. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

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 “National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2026)”?

The official notice lists these applicant types as eligible: Others (see notice). Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.

How much funding is available through “National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2026)”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as $25k – $1m, total estimated program funding is $11,500,000 and the agency expects to make about 45 awards.

How do I apply for “National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2026)”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity NLG-LIBRARIES-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.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.