Opportunity Information: Apply for NLG LIBRARIES FY22
The National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2022) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under CFDA 45.312. It is designed to fund ambitious, field-shaping projects that tackle pressing challenges in libraries and archives and that can meaningfully improve services for the American public. The core emphasis is on work that advances professional practice across the sector, rather than projects that only benefit a single institution. In practical terms, IMLS is looking for efforts that produce broadly useful outcomes such as new service models, reusable tools and resources, solid research findings, improved practices, scalable services, and cross-sector partnerships or alliances that others can adopt, adapt, replicate, or expand. The underlying goal is to extend the impact of federal dollars by supporting work that creates benefits well beyond the original project team.
The program sits within the Arts and Humanities activity categories (as reflected in the cultural affairs references) and provides support through the grant funding instrument. Awards can be substantial, with a maximum (ceiling) of $1,000,000 per award, and IMLS anticipated making around 40 awards for this cycle. This structure signals an intent to support a mix of strong national-level projects, including multi-institution collaborations, infrastructure-building efforts, and research-and-development style work that can influence policy, standards, training, technology use, or service delivery across many libraries and archives.
A key feature of this opportunity is its two-phase application process. In Phase I, every applicant must submit a preliminary proposal by the published deadline. IMLS then reviews these preliminary submissions and selects a subset of applicants to move forward. Only those selected are invited into Phase II, where they submit a full proposal. Importantly, the program only considers invited full proposals for funding, meaning an organization cannot submit a full application without first being invited after Phase I. For this 2022 cycle, the preliminary proposal deadline (original closing date) was September 24, 2021, and invited full proposals were due March 25, 2022.
Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full notice. That wording typically indicates that eligibility may extend beyond a narrow set of entities, but that applicants must consult the official notice for the exact definitions and requirements. Overall, the opportunity targets organizations capable of leading work with national relevance, producing tangible deliverables, and sharing results widely so the broader library and archives community can build on them.Apply for NLG LIBRARIES FY22
- The Institute of Museum and Library Services in the arts (see cultural affairs in cfda), humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2022)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 45.312.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jul 01, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 24, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2022) opportunity?
The National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2022) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under CFDA 45.312. It is designed to fund ambitious, field-shaping projects that address pressing challenges in libraries and archives and improve services for the American public.
Who administers this grant program?
This opportunity is administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The program is listed under CFDA 45.312.
What kinds of projects is IMLS looking to fund?
IMLS is looking for ambitious projects with national relevance that can advance professional practice across the library and archives sector. The emphasis is on work that benefits the field broadly, not projects that only help a single institution.
What does "field-shaping" mean in the context of this grant?
Based on the program description, "field-shaping" refers to efforts that can influence and improve how libraries and archives operate at a broad level, such as by affecting standards, training, technology use, service delivery, policy-related practice, or cross-sector collaboration across many institutions.
Does this program fund projects that only benefit one library or one archive?
The core emphasis is on advancing professional practice across the sector rather than supporting projects that only benefit a single institution. Proposals are expected to create benefits that extend beyond the original project team.
What outcomes or deliverables are considered strong fits for this opportunity?
The opportunity description highlights broadly useful outcomes such as new service models, reusable tools and resources, solid research findings, improved practices, scalable services, and cross-sector partnerships or alliances that others can adopt, adapt, replicate, or expand.
What does it mean for project results to be "broadly useful"?
It means the project should generate outputs that the wider library and archives community can use, not just the lead organization. The description specifically points to deliverables others can adopt, adapt, replicate, or expand.
How does the program aim to extend the impact of federal dollars?
The program aims to extend impact by funding work that creates benefits well beyond the original project team, encouraging outputs that can be shared widely and used by many libraries and archives.
What is the funding instrument used for this opportunity?
The opportunity provides support through the grant funding instrument.
What activity category does this program fall under?
The program sits within Arts and Humanities activity categories, as reflected in the cultural affairs references in the description.
What is the maximum award amount?
The maximum (ceiling) amount is $1,000,000 per award.
How many awards were anticipated for this cycle?
IMLS anticipated making around 40 awards for this cycle.
What does the program structure suggest about the types of projects funded?
The description suggests IMLS intends to support a mix of strong national-level projects, including multi-institution collaborations, infrastructure-building efforts, and research-and-development style work that can influence practice across many libraries and archives.
Is this a single-phase or multi-phase application process?
This opportunity uses a two-phase application process.
What happens in Phase I?
In Phase I, every applicant must submit a preliminary proposal by the published deadline. IMLS reviews preliminary submissions and selects a subset of applicants to move forward.
What happens in Phase II?
Only applicants selected after Phase I are invited into Phase II to submit a full proposal. The program only considers invited full proposals for funding.
Can an organization submit a full proposal without being invited?
No. The opportunity states that only invited full proposals are considered, meaning an organization cannot submit a full application unless it is invited after Phase I.
What were the key deadlines for the 2022 cycle?
For this cycle, the preliminary proposal deadline (original closing date) was September 24, 2021. Invited full proposals were due March 25, 2022.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full notice. Applicants are expected to consult the official notice for the exact definitions and requirements.
What does the eligibility label "Others" imply?
In the description provided, "Others" typically indicates eligibility may extend beyond a narrow set of entity types, but the exact definitions and requirements are provided in the full notice.
What types of organizations are this opportunity designed for?
The opportunity targets organizations capable of leading nationally relevant work, producing tangible deliverables, and sharing results widely so the broader libraries and archives community can build on them.
Are partnerships or alliances encouraged?
Yes. The description explicitly highlights cross-sector partnerships or alliances as examples of broadly useful outcomes, and it also notes a mix of supported project types may include multi-institution collaborations.
What kinds of improvements to libraries and archives does the program prioritize?
It prioritizes improvements that tackle pressing challenges and meaningfully improve services for the American public, especially improvements that can be scaled or adopted across the sector.
What is meant by "scalable services" in this program description?
In the context provided, scalable services are approaches or offerings that can be expanded and used by more institutions or audiences beyond the initial project, creating broader field-wide impact.
What is the overall purpose of the National Leadership Grants for Libraries program?
The overall purpose is to support work that advances professional practice across libraries and archives, producing reusable and shareable results that can improve services widely and increase the return on federal investment.
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Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (NLG LIBRARIES FY22) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (2022) Apply for LB21 FY22 Funding Number: LB21 FY22 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Museums for America (2022) Apply for MFA FY22 Funding Number: MFA FY22 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (2022) Apply for IGSM FY22 Funding Number: IGSM FY22 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| National Leadership Grants for Museums (2022) Apply for NLG M FY22 Funding Number: NLG M FY22 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $750,000 |
| Museums Empowered (2022) Apply for ME FY22 Funding Number: ME FY22 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (2022) Apply for AAHC FY22 Funding Number: AAHC FY22 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services (2022) Apply for NANH FY22 Funding Number: NANH FY22 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Native American Library Services Basic Grant (2022) Apply for NAG BASIC FY22 Funding Number: NAG BASIC FY22 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $10,000 |
| Native American Library Services Enhancement Grants (2022) Apply for NAG ENHANCEMENT FY22 Funding Number: NAG ENHANCEMENT FY22 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| Native Hawaiian Library Services Grants (2022) Apply for NAG HAWAIIAN FY22 Funding Number: NAG HAWAIIAN FY22 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $150,000 |
| National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2022) Apply for NLG LIBRARIES FY22 P2 Funding Number: NLG LIBRARIES FY22 P2 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (2022) Apply for LB21 FY22 P2 Funding Number: LB21 FY22 P2 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (2023) Apply for LB21 FY23 Funding Number: LB21 FY23 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services (2023) Apply for NANH FY23 Funding Number: NANH FY23 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $100,000 |
| Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (2023) Apply for AAHC FY23 Funding Number: AAHC FY23 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Museums Empowered (2023) Apply for ME FY23 Funding Number: ME FY23 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Inspire! Grants for Small Museums (2023) Apply for IGSM FY23 Funding Number: IGSM FY23 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| National Leadership Grants for Museums (2023) Apply for NLG M FY23 Funding Number: NLG M FY23 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $750,000 |
| Museums for America (2023) Apply for MFA FY23 Funding Number: MFA FY23 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $250,000 |
| Native American Library Services Basic Grant (2023) Apply for NAG BASIC FY23 Funding Number: NAG BASIC FY23 Agency: Institute of Museum and Library Services Category: Arts (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA) Funding Amount: $10,000 |
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