National Leadership Grants for Libraries


The is a program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services which supports undertakings that tackle substantial challenges and opportunities facing the field of libraries and archives. The grant is awarded to projects that support new tools, research and services that will be widely adopted or replicated to extend the benefits of federal investment.

Project Categories

Community Anchors

Projects that develop the role of libraries as community anchors and encourage civic and cultural engagement, facilitate lifelong learning, promote digital inclusion, and support economic vitality through programming and services.

National Digital Platform

Programs that develop open source software applications used by libraries and archives across the United States to provide digital content and services.

Curating Collections

Initiatives that have a noteworthy national influence on shared services for the preservation and management of digital library collections.

Funding Categories

Sparks Grants

Sparks Grants are relatively small awards for swift development and evaluation of improvements in library services resulting from innovation in tools, products, or organizational practices.

Planning Grants

Planning Grants provide the funding of initial organizational activities. These include actions such as needs analysis, feasibility studies, prototyping and pilots, or the establishment of partnerships.

National Forum Grants

National Forum Grants support the efforts of groups to collaborate and to assemble subject matter experts and other significant participants, including contributors from related fields to discuss matters of current significance to libraries and archives nationally.

Project Grants

Project Grants provide funding for projects for which all planning activities have been completed. All projects must have an identified national impact including partners from across the country.

Research Grants

Research Grants support projects that address an area of concentration relating to libraries and archives that investigate significant questions or issues that supplement work that was previously completed.