04 Aug Funding Alert! Opportunities for Libraries and Archives! Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

Attention librarians, school districts, institutions of higher education, government officials, and archivists! The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) – is releasing opportunities to address the critical needs of libraries and archives and support the advancement of professional practices. IMLS’s mission is to advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Through multiple opportunities to support the unique needs of libraries and archives, IMLS works towards its strategic goals of championing lifelong learning, strengthening community engagement, advancing collection stewardship and access, and demonstrating excellence in public service.

The National Leadership Grants for Libraries program is designed to influence practice across disciplines, support current strategic priorities within its field, use collaboration to demonstrate field-wide buy-in and input, and generate new models, tools, research findings, services, practices, or alliances that can be adapted and scaled.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include libraries or parent organizations, such as a school district, municipality, or academic institution providing administrative oversight; an academic or administrative unit that is part of an institution of higher education; a digital library or archives; a library or archival agency that is an official agency of a state; a library consortium; and libraries or archives associations that advance the well-being of libraries and library professionals.

What is the program goal?

The National Leadership Grants Program for Libraries has five program goals, each applicant should align their project with at least one.

• Build workforce and institutional capacity for managing the national information infrastructure;
• Build capacity to improve community well-being and strengthen civic engagement;
• Improve capacity to provide broad access and use of information and collections;
• Strengthen ability to provide services to affected communities in the event of an emergency or disaster; and
• Strengthen the ability to work collaboratively for the benefit of communities.

For a detailed list of the objectives under each goal, see the full notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). IMLS places importance on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This may be reflected in projects in a wide range of ways, including efforts to serve individuals of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds; individuals with disabilities; individuals with limited functional literacy or information skills; individuals having difficulty using a library or museum; and underserved urban and rural communities, including children from families with incomes below the poverty line.

IMLS expects to award 39 projects with a total funding pool of $11,500,000. Individual award amounts and period of performance vary based on the focus, with a range of $50,000 – $1,000,000 over one to three years. In previous years, the average amount of funding per award was $294,109.

Applicants must designate a project type; more than one application may be submitted as long as they serve different project types.

1. Planning projects support exploratory activities; solidify partnerships; develop project work plans; or develop prototypes, proofs of concept, and pilot studies. Successful projects will identify planning activities that lead to future implementation.
2. Forum projects support convening qualified experts and key stakeholders to help explore current or emerging issues or opportunities that are important to libraries and archives across the nation. Convenings should leverage technology for broad participation.
3. Implementation projects support the development, execution, and evaluation of work that transforms how libraries and archives serve the nation. These projects may develop new tools and resources or expand existing products or services for new audients. Proposed work should ensure that new practices have the potential to be easily adoptable, sustainable, and widely implementable across the field.
4. Applied research projects support the investigation of key questions relevant to library or archival tools and services, building on prior empirical, theoretical, or exploratory work in libraries and archives or other relevant disciplines. Applicants must clearly articulate research questions and appropriate methods.

IMLS will run this competition in two phases: preliminary proposals are due September 20, 2023 and invited full proposals will be due March 20, 2024.

What makes a project a good fit?

Proposed projects will be evaluated according to effectiveness, efficiency, quality, and timeliness to assess how well the project is meeting its goals and how individual projects are managed. The full application requests the applicant to describe how progress will be monitored and assessed using these measures.

What if I am ready to apply? To move your project forward, take the following action steps as soon as possible:

• Review the full NOFO for additional details and project activities.
• Watch the prospective applicant information webinar;
• Confirm eligibility using the detailed eligibility criteria;
• Check out IMLS’s Apply for a Grant page for helpful information such as the basics of outcome-based evaluations, sample applications, and previously awarded projects;
• Make sure your System for Award Management (SAM) registration is active. You can check your SAM status here: https://sam.gov/content/status-tracker.

What if I need help with this application?

Contact Assel Grant Services (AGS) today! Our team can help with all aspects of preparing the application and managing the grant if you are awarded. If you would like to discuss this possibility, please contact AGS as soon as possible. Julie Assel, GPC, President/CEO, will be happy to talk with you about this opportunity and provide you with a quote for grant services.

What if I am not ready to apply this year?

Start preparing for next year! IMLS has a variety of other programs and funding opportunities available that might be a good fit. Their website has ample resources and descriptions of available or upcoming opportunities.

How do I learn more about federal grant proposal writing, so my application is more likely to be successful?

AGS is excited to offer a Federal Agency Training Series in 2023! The series is designed to provide insight into federal agencies beyond the typical reading of the solicitation by program officers and provide details you need to be successful. AGS also offers several on demand webinars on a variety of topics to support the full grant cycle. Check out our website to learn more and sign up for our training newsletter.

AGS blogs, funding alerts, and trainings are aligned with the Grant Professional Certification Institute’s Competencies and Skills

Competency #1: Knowledge of how to research, identify, and match funding resources to meet specific needs

Skill 1.2: Identify major trends in public funding and public policy

Skill 1.6: Identify fundable programs and projects for specific organization

Skill 1.7: Determine best matches between funders and specific programs