fy26-ols-nlgl-NOFO.pdf

Dear Colleague -

The Office of Library Services (OLS) is pleased that you are considering seeking support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the important work that you do for your communities as our whole nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Now more than ever, we are thrilled to support America’s libraries, which can and should serve as civic centers of learning and culture for a nation of citizens. Benjamin Franklin once hoped that America’s libraries would make America’s “common tradesmen and farmers as intelligent as most gentlemen from other countries.” We hope that by playing a leading role in our national celebration of 250 years of independence, libraries across America fulfill Franklin’s vision as bastions of education and culture in every community.

We are excited not only to support general improvements across the library field, but also to promote libraries as they teach Americans about their heritage and history, especially one of the greatest chapters in the human story-- America’s founding.

We encourage you to carefully read the Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) for the library grant programs and shape your proposal in a way that responds to the Goals and Objectives of the program you choose.

In addition to the requirements set out in the NOFOs, OLS encourages you to consider how your work might build upon, or relate to, OLS’ field-wide programs and initiatives.

OLS particularly welcomes projects that:

• Meaningfully engage and educate communities about our nation’s great history and the incredible story of America’s founding, in fitting commemoration of the 250th anniversary of American Independence.

• Leverage libraries’ roles in their communities to connect workers with employers, apprenticeship programs, skills training and the public workforce system.

Applicants are encouraged to read and consider Executive Order (EO) 14278, “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future.”

• Expand on the important roles libraries play in connecting their communities with health services, promoting overall physical excellence and mental wellness.

• Build bridges and further meaningful partnerships with other civic institutions in their communities, including but not limited to local governments and philanthropic organizations.

• Facilitate regular and family-friendly programming that is of social and educational benefit to children and parents alike.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/28/2025-07369/preparing-americans-for-high-paying-skilled-trade-jobs-of-the-future

• Creatively and effectively use new technologies, including artificial intelligence, to improve both academic practices and visitor experiences at our nation’s libraries. Applicants are encouraged to read and consider EO 14277, “Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth,” as they work on related projects.

• In his inaugural address, President Trump said “We will stand bravely, we will live proudly, we will dream boldly, and nothing will stand in our way because we are Americans.” We welcome projects that refocus cultural institutions on what unites us by fostering respectful civil dialogue. In doing so, we acknowledge our core Constitutional Rights, including Free Exercise of Religion. Applicants may find it helpful to review and consider EO 14188, “Additional Measures to Combat Anti- Semitism,” and EO 14202, “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias,” as they work on projects to strengthen American civil society.

Upon reviewing the NOFOs, you will see that there are several programs within OLS.

Should you choose to apply within the grant program below, we provide additional information about topics and priorities that we aim to emphasize in this funding cycle:

• National Leadership Grant for Libraries Program: We are especially supportive of projects that focus on historical education and archival practices which relate to our shared American history. We are also interested in programs that promote adult literacy, including not only traditional understandings of what constitutes literacy, but also health and financial literacy.

To fulfill the President’s promise that “the forgotten man and woman will be forgotten no longer,” we enthusiastically welcome institutions which serve rural and remote communities to apply, as well as those which haven’t traditionally been recipients of federal funding. We also encourage institutions that promote a positive and uplifting vision of American history and our shared national achievements to consider applying to

IMLS.

Thank you for your interest in working with IMLS as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday and further its spirit for years to come We look forward to partnering with your institution to share our nation’s tremendous heritage with all our fellow citizens!

Sincerely, Keith E. Sonderling Lisa Solomson Senior Official Performing the Duties of IMLS Director https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/28/2025-07368/advancing-artificial-intelligence-education-for-american-youth https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/03/2025-02230/additional-measures-to-combat-anti-semitism https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/02/12/2025-02611/eradicating-anti-christian-bias

FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity Applications Due March 13, 2026

National Leadership Grants for Libraries Funding Opportunity Number: NLG-Libraries-FY26 Assistance Listing Number: 45.312

OMB Control No.: 3137-0091 Expiration date: 7/31/2027

Table of Contents National Leadership Grants for Libraries Table of Contents Before You Begin Review the Opportunity

1. Basic Information

2. Eligibility

3. Program Description

Prepare and Submit Your Application

4. Application Contents and Format

5. Submission Requirements and Deadlines

Learn About Application Review

6. Application Review Information

7. Award Notices

Find Post-Award Information

8. Post-Award Requirements and Administration

Other Information

9. Other Important Information

Additional Guidance

Guidance for Required Registrations

Guidance for Completing Forms and Other Application Components

Before You Begin If you believe you’re a good candidate for this funding opportunity, review the application deadlines, and leave plenty of time to prepare.

Set up your SAM.gov (including Unique Entity Identifier) and Grants.gov registrations now. If you’re already registered, check to be sure your registrations are active and all information is up to date.

Register in SAM.gov (registration can take several weeks):

Your organization must have an active SAM.gov account and a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) before you apply. See Registration Requirements and Guidance for Required Registrations.

Register in Grants.gov (registration can take several days):

You must have an active Grants.gov registration. You’ll need an active SAM.gov account and a Login.gov account to register and access Grants.gov. See Registration Requirements and Guidance for Required Registrations.

Apply by:

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on March 13, 2026.

Bookmark these resources for important information:

eCFR: 2 CFR Part 200 -- Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards

General Terms and Conditions for IMLS Discretionary Awards

National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program page (IMLS.gov)

This NOFO has internal links to help you quickly find what you need.

In Adobe Reader, you can go back to where you were by pressing Alt + Left Arrow (Windows) or Command + Left Arrow (Mac) on your keyboard.

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://imls.gov/grants/manage-your-grant/grant-administration https://imls.gov/grants/manage-your-grant/grant-administration https://www.imls.gov/find-funding/funding-opportunities/grant-programs/national-leadership-grants-for-libraries

Jump to a step

Review Opportunity Prepare and Submit Learn About Review Post-Award Other Information Additional Guidance

Review the Opportunity

In this step:

1. Basic Information

Opportunity Overview Award Overview Executive Summary Agency Contact Information

2. Eligibility

Eligible Applicants Other Eligibility Information Cost Share Requirements

3. Program Description

Agency Mission, Goals, and Objectives NLG-L Program Goal and Objectives Project Types Performance Measures Funding Restrictions Authorizing Statute and Regulations Equal Opportunity

Opportunity Overview 5

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1. Basic Information

Opportunity Overview

Federal Awarding Agency Institute of Museum and Library Services

Funding Opportunity Title National Leadership Grants for Libraries

Announcement Type Modification of FY2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity

Funding Opportunity Number

NLG-Libraries-FY26

Assistance Listing Number 45.312

Type of assistance instrument

Grant

Application Deadline Submit through Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on March 13, 2026.

Award Overview 6

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Award Overview

Key Dates

Anticipated date of notification of award decisions

August 2026 (subject to the availability of funds and IMLS discretion)

Anticipated start dates for new awards

Projects must begin on September 1, 2026.

Anticipated period of performance

September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2029. Project activities may be carried out for one to three years, based on the selected project type. See Project Types

Award Overview 7

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Funding Details

Total amount of funding IMLS expects to award through this announcement

$11,500,000

Expected performance indicators, targets, baseline data, and data collection

See Performance Measures

Anticipated number of awards 45

Planning $75,000 - $200,000

Forum $75,000 - $200,000

Award amount range Community-Centered Implementation

$25,000 - $100,000

National Implementation $75,000 - $1,000,000

Applied Research $75,000 - $750,000

Average amount of funding per award experienced in previous years

$264,123

The funding in the above Award Overview is subject to the availability of funds and IMLS discretion. We are not bound by any estimates in this announcement.

Contingent upon the availability of funds, the quality of applications, and IMLS discretion, we may make additional awards from the pool of unfunded applications from this competition.

Executive Summary 8

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Executive Summary National Leadership Grants for Libraries (NLG-L) projects enhance the quality of library services nationwide. The program supports projects that:

manage and preserve the national information infrastructure;

serve the public’s information and education needs;

enhance library and information services through effective and efficient use of new and emerging technologies;

improve community prosperity;

provide emergency services to communities during disasters and emergencies; and build collaborative partnerships between libraries, archives, and museums that benefit the communities they serve.

The models, tools, research findings, services, and partnerships resulting from these awards can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated to extend and maximize the benefit of Federal investment to libraries and archives of all sizes.

Eligibility is restricted to organizations that are:

• Located in the United States or any U.S. Territories or freely associated States; AND

• A unit of state, local or Tribal government or a private, nonprofit organization; AND

• One of seven types of qualifying organizations:

1. 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.

2. 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 apply;

3. A digital library or archives, if it makes materials publicly available and provides library or archival services, including selection, organization, description, reference, and preservation, under the supervision of at least one permanent professional staff librarian/archivist;

4. A library or archival agency that is an official agency of a State, Tribal, or other unit of government and is charged by the law governing it with the extension and development of public library and archives services within its jurisdiction;

5. A library or archives consortium that is a local, statewide, regional, interstate, or international cooperative association of library or archives entities that provides for the systematic and effective coordination of the resources of eligible libraries or archives, as defined above, and information centers that work to improve the services delivered to the clientele of these libraries or archives; or

Agency Contact Information 9

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6. A library or archives association that exists on a permanent basis; primarily serves libraries, archives, or library or archival professionals on a national, regional, state, or local level; and engages in activities designed to advance the well-being of libraries, archives, and the library, and archives professions.

7. A nonprofit organization affiliated with a library or archives whose sole mission includes supporting the specified library or archives, has the ability to administer the project, and can ensure compliance with the terms of this NOFO and the applicable law, including the IMLS Assurances and Certifications. We require that you provide an agreement from the library or archives that details the activities the applicant and library will perform and binds the library to the statements and assurances in the application.

Agency Contact Information IMLS staff are available by phone and email to answer programmatic and administrative questions relating to this grant program. We also host webinars to introduce potential applicants to funding opportunities. For more information, see our list of webinars and instructions for accessing them.

https://www.imls.gov/find-funding/funding-opportunities/grant-programs/national-leadership-grants-for-libraries https://www.imls.gov/webinars https://www.imls.gov/webinars

Eligible Applicants 10

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2. Eligibility

Eligible Applicants To be eligible for an award under the NLG-L Program, your organization must meet all three of the following eligibility criteria.

Your organization must be:

a unit of State, local, or Tribal government, or be a private, nonprofit organization that has nonprofit status under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended. See Conditionally Required Documents for more information).

and:

Your organization must be 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.

and:

Your organization must qualify as one of the following six types of organizations:

Eligible Applicants 11

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1) 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.

Eligible libraries include:

Public libraries.

Public elementary and secondary school libraries.

Tribal libraries.

College (including community college) and university libraries and archives.

Research libraries and archives that are not an integral part of an institution of higher education and that make publicly available library or archival services and materials that are suitable for scholarly research and are not otherwise available.

Private or other special library, but only if the State in which such private or special library is located determines that the library should be considered a library for purposes of Library Services and Technology (see 20 U.S.C. § 9121-9165).

Archives, including institutional, community-based, and special collections, that are under the supervision of at least one permanent professional staff member and are available to the public.

2) 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 apply;

3) A digital library or archives, if it makes materials publicly available and provides library or archival services, including selection, organization, description, reference, and preservation, under the supervision of at least one permanent professional staff librarian/archivist;

4) A library or archival agency that is an official agency of a State, Tribal, or other unit of government and is charged by the law governing it with the extension and development of public library and archives services within its jurisdiction;

5) A library or archives consortium that is a local, statewide, regional, interstate, or international cooperative association of library or archives entities that provides for the systematic and effective coordination of the resources of eligible libraries or archives, as defined above, and information centers that work to improve the services delivered to the clientele of these libraries or archives; or

Other Eligibility Information 12

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6) A library or archives association that exists on a permanent basis;

primarily serves libraries, archives, or library or archival professionals on a national, regional, state, or local level; and engages in activities designed to advance the well-being of libraries, archives, and the library and archives professions.

(7) A nonprofit organization affiliated with a library or archives whose sole mission includes supporting the specified library or archives, has the ability to administer the project, and can ensure compliance with the terms of this NOFO and the applicable law, including the IMLS Assurances and Certifications. We require that you provide an agreement from the library or archives that details the activities the applicant and library will perform and binds the library to the statements and assurances in the application.

Native American Tribal organizations are encouraged to apply if they otherwise meet the above eligibility requirements.

We recognize the potential for valuable contributions to the overall goals of the NLG-L Program by entities that do not meet the eligibility requirements above. Although such entities may not serve as legal applicants, they are encouraged to participate in projects. Consult with an IMLS Program Contact about any eligibility questions before applying.

Other Eligibility Information Application Limits

Applications for renewal or supplementation of your currently active IMLS awards are not eligible to compete with applications for new awards.

There is no limit to the number of applications you may submit under the Planning, Forum, National Implementation, or Applied Research project types.

You may only submit one application under the Community-Centered Implementation project type.

You may not submit the same proposal under more than one project type.

Individual Project Directors may be named on multiple applications.

Find IMLS contact information for the NLG-L program.

https://www.imls.gov/grants/available/national-leadership-grants-libraries https://www.imls.gov/grants/available/national-leadership-grants-libraries https://www.imls.gov/grants/available/national-leadership-grants-libraries

Cost Share Requirements 13

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Partnerships and Collaborations Applications involving partnerships or collaborations are welcome.

When two or more institutions or organizations work together on a project, one of them must meet all eligibility requirements, serve as the lead applicant, and administer the award on behalf of the other(s).

If we fund the project, the lead applicant will be programmatically, fiscally, and legally responsible for the award.

Ineligible Applicants We will not review applications from ineligible applicants. We will notify you if your application will not be reviewed because your organization is determined to be ineligible.

We will not make awards to ineligible applicants. To receive an IMLS award, your organization must be eligible and in compliance with applicable IMLS, administrative and national policy requirements.

Application Completeness and Deadlines Applicants must submit their materials by the deadline indicated in the Opportunity Overview. We won’t consider late applications for funding under this notice, If your request for federal funding as shown on the IMLS Budget Form, including all direct and indirect costs, is outside the funding range we may reject your application from consideration for funding in this program.

Your application must be complete, and your project and budget must adhere to the program’s funding restrictions and application instructions.

Cost Share Requirements The requirements to provide cost share from non-federal sources differ by project type. Cost sharing is an eligibility criterion and is not considered in the peer review of applications.

Cost share is the portion of the project costs that is not paid by IMLS funds. Common examples of cost share include cash

Learn more about Cost Sharing in the Budget.

Cost Share Requirements 14

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Cost share is an eligibility criterion and is not considered in the review of applications.

Calculate cost share you include in your project budget carefully. If you receive an award, you will be required to meet your cost share commitments.

Project Type IMLS Award Amount Cost Share Requirement

Planning $75,000 - $200,000 No cost share required.

Forum $75,000 - $200,000 No cost share required.

Community-Centered Implementation $25,000 - $100,000 No cost share required.

National Implementation $75,000 - $1,000,000 Requests of more than $299,999 in IMLS funds require at least 1:1 cost share from non-federal sources.

Applied Research $75,000 - $750,000 No cost share required.

Agency Mission, Goals, and Objectives 15

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3. Program Description

Agency Mission, Goals, and Objectives The mission of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Three agency-level goals, with two objectives each, guide our grantmaking.

Agency-Level Goal 1 Champion Lifelong Learning

Objective 1.1 Advance shared knowledge and learning opportunities for all.

Objective 1.2 Support the training and professional development of the museum and library workforce.

Agency-Level Goal 2 Strengthen Community Engagement

Objective 2.1 Promote broad public engagement.

Objective 2.2 Support community collaboration and foster civic discourse.

Agency-Level Goal 3 Advance Collections Stewardship and Access

Objective 3.1 Support collections care and management.

Objective 3.2 Promote access to museum and library collections.

The National Leadership Grants for Libraries (NLG-L) Program supports the achievement of these agency-level goals to facilitate the delivery of significant results consistent with the IMLS federal authorizing legislation (20 U.S.C. § 9101 et seq.; in particular, § 9162 (National leadership grants)). Each award that we make through the NLG-L Program will align with one agency-level goal and one associated objective and will contribute meaningfully to the achievement of both program and agency-level goals.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title20/chapter72&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?hl=false&edition=2023&req=granuleid%3AUSC-2007-title20-section9162&num=0 https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?hl=false&edition=2023&req=granuleid%3AUSC-2007-title20-section9162&num=0

NLG-L Program Goal and Objectives 16

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NLG-L Program Goal and Objectives The NLG-L program strengthens library and archival services for the American public.

We encourage applicants to work collaboratively with partners such as archives, libraries, museums, school systems, universities, extension programs, youth-serving organizations, and workforce/economic development organizations, where applicable.

We expect NLG-L projects to:

influence practice across one or more disciplines within the library 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, as needed, to demonstrate buy-in, input, and access to appropriate expertise;

employ outreach strategies to disseminate activities, results, and findings;

and generate measurable results.

The NLG-L Program has one program goal and four associated objectives. You should align your proposed project with one program goal and one of its associated objectives and clearly identify your choices in your project narrative.

NLG-L Program Goal and Objectives 17

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NLG-L Program Goal Develop, enhance, or disseminate replicable practices, programs, models, or tools to strengthen library and archival services for the American public

Objective 1.1 Serve the learning needs of the public through libraries and archives.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• informal STEM or other types of participatory learning;

• community or citizen science;

• early learning; and

• digital, information, economic, health, financial, media, civic, and other types of literacies.

Objective 1.2 Improve community prosperity through libraries and archives.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• workforce and economic development;

• community and civic dialogue;

• digital, economic, financial, social, health, or legal services; and

• efforts that increase access.

Objective 1.3 Provide broad access to and preservation of information and collections through libraries and archives.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

• enhancing information infrastructures;

• digital access;

• privacy and security;

• digital preservation strategies;

• artificial intelligence;

• community memory;

• web archiving; and

• collections stewardship.

Project Types 18

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NLG-L Program Goal Develop, enhance, or disseminate replicable practices, programs, models, or tools to strengthen library and archival services for the American public

Objective 1.4 Provide services to affected communities in the event of an emergency or disaster.

Examples include, but are not limited to:

emergency and disaster management plans; and studying or addressing impacts of emergencies and disasters.

Project Types The NLG-L Program has five project types. You must designate one for each application you submit.

You may submit more than one application to the NLG-L Program; however, you may not submit the same proposal under more than one project type. You may only submit one proposal to the Community-Centered Implementation project type.

Planning, Forum, National Implementation, and Applied Research proposals must demonstrate how you will achieve and measure national impact.

See below for the full list of NLG-L project types, the characteristics of each, and corresponding periods of performance.

Project Types 19

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Project Type Project Characteristics

Planning 1-2 years

Planning projects support exploratory activities, such as:

• analyzing needs and feasibility;

• solidifying partnerships; or

• developing project work plans, prototypes, proofs of concept, curricula, and pilot studies.

You should identify planning activities that have the potential to lead to future implementation or research efforts.

You should demonstrate how you are planning for national impact.

Forum

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 communities across the nation.

Reports and other deliverables should be prepared for wide dissemination.

You should demonstrate how you will achieve and measure national impact.

Project Types 20

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Community- Centered

Community-Centered Implementation projects adapt existing models (practices, findings, tools, and/or partnerships) to a specific organizational context.

You must identify and align your proposed work with an established model (standard, practice, toolkit, open-source software, or research finding). Your project should demonstrate how it is using or adapting what you have identified.

Your project should share resources and lessons learned that can be used by libraries and archives in other communities throughout the nation.

Note: An institution may only submit one NLG-L application under the Community-Centered Implementation project type.

National

1-3 years

National Implementation projects support the development, execution, and evaluation of work that transforms how libraries and archives serve the nation.

Projects may develop or expand new tools, resources, products, or services for new audiences or in new contexts.

You should design your proposed work to ensure what is produced is easily adaptable, sustainable, and widely implemented across the field.

You should demonstrate how you will achieve and measure national impact.

Project Types 21

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Applied Research 1-3 years

Applied Research projects support the investigation of key questions relevant to libraries or archives, building on prior empirical, theoretical, or exploratory work in libraries and archives or other relevant disciplines.

You must include clearly articulated research questions.

Projects should also feature appropriate methods, including relevant theoretical or conceptual approaches, data collection, and analysis.

Dissemination activities should occur throughout the period of performance and include activities beyond publishing journal articles and presenting at academic conferences to ensure national impact beyond just the academic research community. You should demonstrate how you will achieve and measure national impact.

Proposals focused on evaluation or designed with a deterministic agenda are not appropriate for the Applied Research project type.

Performance Measures 22

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Performance Measures We use four performance measures as a basis for understanding how well the NLG-L program is meeting its goals and how awardees are managing individual projects.

Effectiveness: The extent to which activities contribute to achieving the intended results of the NLG-L program

Efficiency: How well resources (e.g., funds, expertise, time) are used while generating maximum value for the target group

Quality: How well the activities meet the requirements and expectations of the target group

Timeliness: The extent to which each task/activity is completed within the timeframe proposed

You will need to provide a Performance Measurement Plan to describe how you will use these four performance measures to monitor and assess your performance in carrying out your project and meeting your selected program goal and objective.

Funding Restrictions

Allowable and Unallowable Costs You may use IMLS funds and cost share only for allowable costs as found in IMLS and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) government-wide cost-principles rules.

Please consult 2 C.F.R. part 200 and 2 C.F.R. part 3187 for additional guidance on allowable costs.

The following lists include some examples of generally allowable costs and unallowable costs, both for IMLS funds and for cost share (if applicable), under this announcement.

Learn more about creating a Performance Measurement Plan https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XXXI/part-3187

Funding Restrictions 23

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Allowable Costs personnel salaries, wages, and fringe benefits, including annual cost of living increases travel expenses for key project staff and consultants materials, supplies, software, and equipment related directly to project activities adaptive and/or assistive technologies and other resources and services to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities participant support costs, including temporary dependent care, if documented in written policies third-party costs design and publication costs program evaluation staff and volunteer training paid internships/fellowships stipends or honoraria for project advisors and participants indirect or overhead costs pre-award costs, at the discretion of and with prior written approval from the agency.

Unallowable Costs general fundraising costs, such as development office staff or other staff time devoted to general fundraising contributions to endowments general operating support general advertising or public relations costs designed solely for promotional activities other than those related to the specific project construction or renovation of facilities (generally, any activity involving the construction trades is not an allowable cost) social activities, receptions, or entertainment

You must explain all proposed expenses in the Budget Justification.

Funding Restrictions 24

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If you have questions about whether specific activities are allowable, contact us for guidance.

Costs for Third Parties When a project requires the payment of federal funds to third parties (such as partners, consultants, collaborators, vendors, and/or service providers), it is your responsibility to determine whether you should characterize a third party as a subrecipient or a contractor and include that determination in your agreement with them.

IMLS grant funds may not be provided to any federal agency serving as a third party.

Indirect Costs You can choose to:

use a rate not to exceed your current indirect cost rate already negotiated with a federal agency;

use an indirect cost rate proposed to a federal agency for negotiation, but not yet finalized, as long as it is finalized by the time of the award;

use a rate not to exceed 15 percent of the Modified Total Direct Costs (MTDC) if the organization currently does not have a Federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) and is not subject to other requirements; or not include any indirect costs.

See Indirect Costs in the Budget

Learn more:

2 C.F.R. § 200.1 for definitions of contract, contractor, subaward, and subrecipient;

2 C.F.R. § 200.331 (Subrecipient and contractor determinations).

https://www.imls.gov/find-funding/funding-opportunities/grant-programs/national-leadership-grants-for-libraries https://www.imls.gov/find-funding/funding-opportunities/grant-programs/national-leadership-grants-for-libraries https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/section-200.1#p-200.1(Contract) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/section-200.1#p-200.1(Contract) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/section-200.1#p-200.1(Contract) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/section-200.1#p-200.1(Contract) https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.331 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.331 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/section-200.331

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Authorizing Statute and Regulations Statute: 20 U.S.C. § 9101 et seq.; in particular, § 9162 (National leadership grants).

Regulations: 45 C.F.R. Chapter XI, 2 C.F.R. Chapter XXXI, and 2 C.F.R. Title 2

Award recipients must follow the IMLS regulations that are in effect at the time of the award.

You can find the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance on Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) at 2 C.F.R. part 200.

With certain IMLS-specific additions, IMLS regulations at 2 C.F.R. part 3187 have formally adopted the Uniform Guidance.

Equal Opportunity IMLS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age.

For further information, email ogc@imls.gov or write to the Office of the General Counsel, Institute of Museum and Library Services, 955 L’Enfant Plaza North, SW, Suite 4000, Washington, DC, 20024-2135.

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title20/chapter72&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title20-section9162&num=0&edition=prelim https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title20-section9162&num=0&edition=prelim https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-B/chapter-XI https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XXXI https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200?toc=1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XXXI/part-3187 mailto:ogc@imls.gov

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Prepare and Submit Your Application In this step:

4. Application Contents and Format

Get Ready to Apply Registration Requirements Application Package Readiness Checklist

Prepare Your Application Disclosure of Information in Applications

5. Submission Requirements and Deadlines

Submission Instructions Programmatic, Administrative and Technical Support Contacts

IMLS

Federal Service Desk Grants.gov

Submission Dates and Times Emergency Extensions Intergovernmental Review

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4. Application Contents and Format

Get Ready to Apply

Registration Requirements Before you apply, your organization must have:

a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number;

a current and active System for Award Management (SAM) registration; and an active Grants.gov registration with an approved Authorized Organization Representative (AOR).

Check your materials and registrations now to ensure that they are accurate, current, and active.

We strongly recommend that you obtain a UEI number and complete registration with SAM and Grants.gov well ahead of the application deadline.

Application Package You must apply electronically through Grants.gov Workspace or a Grants.gov system-to-system solution.

Use one of the following identifiers to locate the application package in Grants.gov:

• Funding Opportunity Number: NLG-Libraries-FY26

• Assistance Listing Number: 45.312

To request an audio recording of this announcement, call 202-653-4744. To request a paper copy of this announcement, call 202-653-4744 or email imls-librarygrants@imls.gov.

See Guidance for Required Registrations for detailed information and resources to help you make sure all your required registrations are complete and active by the time you’re ready to apply.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html https://www.grants.gov/search-grants mailto:imls-librarygrants@imls.gov

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Readiness Checklist Applying for an award takes time. Registering with SAM.gov can take several weeks. There are a few important things you’ll need to do before you can apply.

Be sure to…

□ Review the eligibility requirements for this program and confirm that your organization is eligible.

Organization type Organization location Library eligibility criteria

□ Review the Funding Restrictions and keep them in mind as you develop your application and budget.

□ Register in SAM.gov (or make sure your organization’s registration is current) as early as possible. Remember that SAM registration can take several weeks.

To register, go to SAM.gov Entity Registration and click Get Started.

See the SAM.gov Entity Registration checklist for what you’ll need to register in SAM.

□ Get a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number. You’ll get your organization’s UEI when you register in SAM.gov.

□ Register in Grants.gov.

□ Make sure you understand the review criteria.

□ Review the post-award requirements to make sure you can meet them.

□ Find the application package. Go to Grants.gov and search for Funding Opportunity Number: NLG-LIBRARIES-FY26 or Assistance Listing Number: 45.312

□ Get familiar with Grants.gov Workspace.

□ Contact an IMLS Program Officer to discuss your ideas, or if you have questions related to the application process.

https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration https://sam.gov/sites/default/files/2024-11/entity-checklist.pdf https://sam.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration https://www.grants.gov/search-grants https://www.grants.gov/applicants/workspace-overview https://www.imls.gov/find-funding/funding-opportunities/grant-programs/national-leadership-grants-for-libraries

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Prepare Your Application

Prepare Your Application This section outlines the components, format, and content requirements to help you prepare a complete application.

You must apply by 11:59 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on March 13, 2026. IMLS makes awards only to eligible applicants that submit applications through Grants.gov on or before this deadline. If your application is missing any Required Documents or Conditionally Required Documents from the list below, we will consider it to be incomplete, and may reject it from further consideration (see 2 C.F.R. § 3187.9.).

Application Components

Required Documents You must include all these components for your application to be complete.

Component File Requirements

The Application for Federal Domestic Assistance/Short Organizational Form (SF-424S)

Format: Grants.gov web form

IMLS Library – Discretionary Program Information Form

File Format: IMLS PDF form

File Name: ProgramInfoForm.pdf

Narrative

File Format: PDF

Page Limit: 10 pages max.

File Name: Narrative.pdf

Schedule of Completion File Format: PDF

Page Limit: 1 page per year (recommended)

File Name: Scheduleofcompletion.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-B/chapter-XXXI/part-3187/subpart-B/subject-group-ECFR4860f8e7b5a3d23/section-3187.9

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Component File Requirements

IMLS Budget Form File Format: IMLS PDF form

File Name: Budget.pdf

Budget Justification File Format: PDF

File Name: Budgetjustification.pdf

Resumes of Key Project Staff and Consultants

File Format: PDF

Page Limit: 2 pages each (recommended)

File Name: Resumes.pdf

Digital Products Plan

File Format: PDF

Page Limit: 2 pages (recommended)

File Name: Digitalproduct.pdf

Performance Measurement Plan

File Format: PDF

Page Limit: 2 pages (recommended)

File Name: Perfmeasurement.pdf

Conditionally Required Documents You must include these components if they are applicable to your institution or your project.

Refer to Conditionally Required Documents to determine which, if any, you need to include in your application.

Component File Requirements

Proof of Private, Nonprofit Status File Format: PDF

File Name: Proofnonprofit.pdf

Proof of Foundation Status File Format: PDF

File Name: Prooffoundation.pdf

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Component File Requirements

Final Federally Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

File Format: PDF

File Name: Indirectcostrate.pdf

Public Access Plan for Research Projects

File Format: PDF

Page Limit: 2 pages (recommended)

File Name: PublicAccess.pdf

Supporting Documents You may include additional documents to support your proposal.

Component File Requirements

Supporting Documents

File Format: PDF

File Name(s):

Supportingdoc1.pdf Supportingdoc2.pdf Supportingdoc3.pdf

Format, Name, and Sequence of Application Components Document Format and File Size Aside from the SF-424S which is created in Grants.gov Workspace, all application components must be submitted as PDF documents.

Use standard formatting and fonts in your application components and limit individual file sizes to 200mb or less.

Page Limits Note the page limits listed in the table of Application Components. We will remove any additional pages and not send them to reviewers as part of your application.

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Naming Convention

Use the naming conventions indicated in the table of Application Components.

IMPORTANT: Attachment file names are limited to the following characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore (_), hyphen (-), space, period (.). If attachment file names use any other characters, the application may be rejected by Grants.gov.

Attachment Order

In Grants.gov, attach all application components in the sequence listed in the table above.

Use all 15 fields in the “Attachments Form” first. If your application requires more than 15 attachments, select the “Other Attachments Form. Note that if you select the “Other Attachments Form,” you will be required to upload the 16th attachment in the “Mandatory Other Attachment” field first; any subsequent attachments should be uploaded under the “Optional Other Attachments.”

Instructions for Required Documents

Application for Federal Domestic Assistance/Short Organizational Form (SF- 424S) The SF-424S is part of the application package that you complete in Grants.gov Workspace. It collects basic information about your organization and your project.

IMLS Library – Discretionary Program Information Form Download and complete the current IMLS Library – Discretionary Program Information Form (PDF, 1.7 MB). In it, we collect details about your project, its objective, and financial information.

Narrative Write a Narrative using the structure and format below and save it as a PDF. Be clear and concise with a minimum of technical jargon and acronyms. Include references throughout your Narrative to any Supporting Documents that provide supplementary material.

When writing your narrative, consider the review criteria.

Find detailed instructions to help you complete these Grants.gov forms:

Detailed instructions for completing the SF424S

Detailed instructions for completing the IMLS Library – Discretionary Program Information Form https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/2026-01_Library-PIF.pdf https://www.imls.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/2026-01_Library-PIF.pdf

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Narrative - Required Format Page Limit: 10 numbered pages

We will remove any additional pages and will not send them to reviewers as part of your application.

File Name: Narrative.pdf

IMPORTANT: Attachment file names are limited to the following characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore (_), hyphen (-), space, period (.). If attachment file names use any other characters, the application may be rejected by Grants.gov.

File Format: PDF

Font Size: 11-point or higher

Margins: 0.5 inches or greater

Components: Organize the Narrative using the following section headings:

• Introduction

• Project Justification

• Project Work Plan

• Project Results

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Guidance for Narrative Sections

Narrative Section Guidance

Introduction

In one paragraph, briefly summarize the following:

o the name of the lead applicant organization;

o the amount of IMLS funds requested and the amount of funds provided as cost share (if required);

o the need, challenge, or opportunity your project will address;

o the names of partner organizations; and o the intended project results.

o Community-Centered Implementation projects must also identify the established model (standard, practice, toolkit, open-source software, or research finding) you are using.

o Applied Research projects must also include clearly defined research question(s).

Project Justification

Describe:

o the need, challenge, or opportunity your proposal addresses and how it was identified;

o how this project differs from, complements, builds upon, or adapts existing models, standards, theories, scholarship, or practice; and o who will benefit from the project…