Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Institute of Museum and Library Services - Grants to States Program

Federal Agency/Bureau
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Program Name
Grants to States
Authorizing Legislation

20 U.S.C. § 9141

Program Overview

The Grants to States program supports library initiatives and services to meet the needs of children, parents, teenagers, adult learners, senior citizens, the unemployed, the business community, and members of the current and future library workforce. Funds are distributed according to a population-based formula and may be used to provide access to electronic databases, computer instruction, homework centers, summer reading programs, digitization of special collections, access to e-books and adaptive technology, broadband connectivity, bookmobile service, development of outreach programs to the underserved, and related efforts. Priorities are established by each State Library Administrative Agency and are detailed in state-specific Five-Year Plans (see https://www.imls.gov/grants/grants-state/five-year-plans).

CFDA

45.310

Type of Funding

Formula

Link to application site, NOFO, FOA, or Grants.gov (if different from program website above)

Not Applicable

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) or Federal Opportunity Announcement (FOA) Type

Reissue/Renewal

Important Dates (if applicable)

Each State Library Administrative Agency may submit a Five-Year Plan at the beginning of a five-year cycle. The current cycle is 2023-2027. Plans were due June 30, 2022

FY2023 Appropriations Amount

Total Amount:$180,000,000
Amount Available Towards Broadband (if specified):

Matching Requirement

Yes. 

Other (i.e. if match is beneficial to an application but not required): The amount a State receives under this program consists of a minimum allotment set by Congress (20 USC 9131 (b)) plus an additional amount based on the most current published population estimates available the first day of the federal fiscal year from the Bureau of the Census. The federal share is 66 percent and the state matching requirement is 34 percent.

Complementary Federal Funding Option

Not Applicable

Broadband-related Program Purpose/Eligible Expenditures
Speed/Technical Requirement for Broadband Infrastructure

Not Applicable

Eligible Recipients
Criteria for Eligible Recipients

State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAAs) every year. SLAAs are official agencies charged by law with the extension and development of library services, and they are located in:

  • Each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia;
  • The Territories (Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands); and
  • The Freely Associated States (Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands).
Grant Beneficiaries (if different from eligible recipients)

Library user community

Programmatic Resources
Contact Information

See our staff directory at https://www.imls.gov/contact/staff-directory, or 202-653-4700

Additional Information

Not Applicable

Updated

March 2023

Funding Guide
IMLS_GSP.pdf (526.5 KB)