National Leadership Grants For Libraries

Application:
Grant program guidelines for FY2014 are now available. Access FY 2014 Grant Program Guidelines Online Webinars with Program Staff: We will offer two webinars for prospective applicants to learn more about the National Leadership Grants for Libraries program, ask questions of IMLS staff members, and listen to the questions and comments of other participants. The schedule for the  FY14 National Leadership Grants for Libraries webinars is as follows: December 11, 2013, at 2 PM Eastern January 7, 2014, at 2 PM Eastern Click here to join the webinars. See Grant Program Guidelines for additional webinar details.
Deadline:	February 03, 2014
Grant Amount:	Project Grants: $50,000-500,000*. Planning Grants: up to $50,000. Nat. Forum Grants: up to $100,000.
Grant Period:	Up to three years for Project Grants. Up to one year for Planning Grants and National Forum Grants.
Cost Share Requirement:	1:1 for requests over $250,000, except research projects. Cost sharing of at least one-third is encouraged for requests under $250,000 and for research projects.
Program Contact:	Kathy Mitchell, Library Program Specialist 202-653-4687 kmitchell@imls.gov
Program Overview:
National Leadership Grants support projects that address challenges faced by the museum, library, and/or archive fields and that have the potential to advance practice in those fields. Successful proposals will seek innovative responses to the challenge(s) identified in the proposals, and will have national impact. IMLS invites libraries to address STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) in their programs and projects in order to advance learning and support the acquisition of STEM knowledge at all ages, but particularly for at-risk youth. Click here to learn more about IMLS’s role in STEM initiatives. Projects addressing STEM learning should check the appropriate box on the Program Information Sheet component of the application. The National Leadership Grant program accepts applications under three main categories: Advancing Digital Resources—Support the creation, use, presentation, and preservation of significant digital resources as well as the development of tools to enhance access, use, and management of digital assets. Research—Support research that investigates key questions that are important to museum, library, and archival practice. Demonstration—Support projects that produce a replicable model or practice that is usable, adaptable, or scalable by other institutions for improving services and performance. Applicants may choose to submit a Project Grant, Planning Grant, or National Forum Grant proposal in any of the above categories. Project Grants support fully developed projects for which needs assessments, partnership development, feasibility analyses, prototyping, and other planning activities have been completed. Planning Grants allow project teams to perform preliminary planning activities that could lead to a subsequent full project, such as needs and feasibility analyses, solidifying partnerships, developing project work plans, or developing prototypes or proofs of concept. Applications for Planning Grants must include at least one formal partner in addition to the lead applicant. National Forum Grants provide the opportunity to convene qualified groups of experts and key stakeholders to consider issues or challenges that are important to libraries, museums, and/or archives across the nation. Grant-supported meetings are expected to produce widely disseminated reports with expert recommendations for action or research that address a key challenge identified in the proposal. The expert recommendations resulting from these meetings are intended to guide future proposals to the National Leadership Grant program.
Eligibility:
Applicants that fulfill the general criteria for libraries may apply. See program guidelines for special conditions of eligibility for this program. * Early Learning Priority: up to $250,000