For more grants like this one, check out the NLC’s Grant Opportunities for Nebraska Libraries.
The Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, developed in partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal, was created in 2019 to recognize the public library as a vital community asset. When libraries, civic entities, organizations, and the people they serve become close partners, their communities thrive.
One winning library will receive $250,000 in unfettered grant monies from the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation. The winning library will also be profiled in the March 2026 issue of Library Journal and online.The winning library will be identified based on the degree of its impact on the community in the following key areas:
- Engagement with local government to support the service area’s defined goals
- Engagement with the community to develop library services
- Community recognition
- Inclusive service that supports broad community interests
- Leadership development to perpetuate the library’s organizational strength and dynamism
- Environmental sustainability and leadership in sustainable thinking
- Inventiveness as exemplified by one of the library’s services which is particularly original, both strategically and tactically
- Resilience in the face of challenges
Eligibility: All U.S. Public Libraries are eligible for the prize.
Application Deadline: September 15, 2025.
Please submit nominations via the form found here.
Questions? Please contact Lisa Peet, Executive Editor, Library Journal, at lpeet@mediasourceinc.com
