Apply for an individual $500 scholarship to attend either the NLA 2025 Conference in York on October 22nd-24th or to the ARSL 2025 Conference in Albuquerque, NM on September 17th-20th!
The Fern V. Heim Scholarship for Trustees was established by her friend, Mary Louise Dutcher, to honor Fern’s dedication to small public libraries and their trustees. Although Fern’s library career began in special libraries (Head of the UNL Chemistry Department Library, Serials and Circulation Departments of UNL Love Library, and then Director of the Research Library at Goodrich Tire and Rubber in Akron, Ohio), her work at the Nebraska Library Commission was devoted to public libraries. Recognizing that few small library budgets could provide support for librarians, let alone their volunteer trustees, to attend professional meetings, she encouraged them to go whenever possible (at their own expense) if only for a portion of the meeting. As her legacy, it is fitting to assist those trustees through this scholarship program.
**This scholarship is open only to current Nebraska Public Library Board Members!**
Through the Bookmobile Grant Program, the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation awards grants to organizations that operate a lending bookmobile that travels into neighborhoods populated by underserved youth. The grants are for purchasing books published for young people preschool through grade 8, Early Reader books through Young Adult and Hi-Lo books.
Bookmobiles operated by charitable [501(c)(3)] and other non-taxable agencies, including public libraries or schools, are eligible. The Foundation provides grants to organizations that serve economically or socially at-risk children, have limited book budgets, and demonstrate real need.
Grants range from $500 to $3000 and are specifically for book purchases, and cannot be used for administrative or operational uses.
Only hardcopy (paper) applications will be accepted by mail. A link to a downloadable application and detailed instructions for completing and sending the application are available at the Bookmobile Grant Application webpage.
2025 Applications must be postmarked by August 15, 2025.
The purposes of the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation are to advance literacy and foster a love of reading among underserved and at-risk children and youth. Lois Lenski, celebrated author and illustrator of over one hundred children’s books and the 1946 Newbery medalist for Strawberry Girl, established the Foundation as a charitable institute in 1967. Since then the Foundation has assisted over 400 organizations in their efforts to nurture reading skills, gain access to books, and instill a love of reading.
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.
Apply for an individual $500 scholarship to attend either the NLA 2025 Conference in York on October 22nd-24th or to the ARSL 2025 Conference in Albuquerque, NM on September 17th-20th!
The Fern V. Heim Scholarship for Trustees was established by her friend, Mary Louise Dutcher, to honor Fern’s dedication to small public libraries and their trustees. Although Fern’s library career began in special libraries (Head of the UNL Chemistry Department Library, Serials and Circulation Departments of UNL Love Library, and then Director of the Research Library at Goodrich Tire and Rubber in Akron, Ohio), her work at the Nebraska Library Commission was devoted to public libraries. Recognizing that few small library budgets could provide support for librarians, let alone their volunteer trustees, to attend professional meetings, she encouraged them to go whenever possible (at their own expense) if only for a portion of the meeting. As her legacy, it is fitting to assist those trustees through this scholarship program.
**This scholarship is open only to current Nebraska Public Library Board Members!**
Apply for an individual $500 scholarship to attend either the NLA 2025 Conference in York on October 22nd-24th or to the ARSL 2025 Conference in Albuquerque, NM on September 17th-20th!
The Fern V. Heim Scholarship for Trustees was established by her friend, Mary Louise Dutcher, to honor Fern’s dedication to small public libraries and their trustees. Although Fern’s library career began in special libraries (Head of the UNL Chemistry Department Library, Serials and Circulation Departments of UNL Love Library, and then Director of the Research Library at Goodrich Tire and Rubber in Akron, Ohio), her work at the Nebraska Library Commission was devoted to public libraries. Recognizing that few small library budgets could provide support for librarians, let alone their volunteer trustees, to attend professional meetings, she encouraged them to go whenever possible (at their own expense) if only for a portion of the meeting. As her legacy, it is fitting to assist those trustees through this scholarship program.
**This scholarship is open only to current Nebraska Public Library Board Members!**
Books Unbanned is offering funding to libraries in the United States to launch programming for teens and young adults focused on the freedom to read.
Selected libraries will receive up to $10,000 to develop teen and young adult programming focused on the freedom to read. BPL’s Books Unbanned team will work closely with awardees to develop educational programming that provides teens with the knowledge and skills to fight back against censorship in their communities and beyond.
Proposals are open to all types and sizes of libraries within the United States. In awarding funds, BPL will pay particular attention to libraries serving small and rural communities, and/or communities facing significant challenges with book censorship. The final selection of partners will be based on community need, programming goals and opportunities for teen engagement.
Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) founded Books Unbanned in 2022 to provide teens nationwide with unrestricted access to our entire digital collection, to support their right to read what they like, and to build a network of advocates nationwide to defend and expand the freedom to read.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Christa Porter
402-471-3107
800-307-2665
$60,000 in Library Improvement Grants Awarded to Nebraska Public Libraries
The Nebraska Library Commission recently awarded Library Improvement Grants for 2025 totaling $60,000 to twenty-seven Nebraska public libraries and institutions.
These competitive grants were funded with state funds allocated through the Nebraska Legislature and administered by the Nebraska Library Commission. These Library Improvement Grants help to facilitate growth and development of library programs and services by supplementing local funding with state funds designated for these purposes.
In order to be funded, projects had to meet one or more of the following purposes:
Facilitate access to resources . . . for the purpose of cultivating an educated and informed citizenry;
Encourage resource sharing among . . . libraries for the purpose of achieving economical and efficient delivery of library services to the public;
Promote literacy, education, and lifelong learning and to enhance and expand the services and resources provided by libraries, including those services and resources relating to workforce development, 21st century skills, and digital literacy skills;
Ensure the preservation of knowledge and library collections in all formats and to enable libraries to serve their communities during disasters;
Promote library services that provide users with access to information through national, state, local, regional, and international collaborations and networks.
Local libraries also had to provide at least a 25% match in order to receive the funds.
The libraries receiving grants are:
Arapahoe Public Library
Bayard Public Library
Bellevue Public Library
Garfield County Library, Burwell
Elmwood Public Library
Falls City Library & Arts Center
Fullerton Public Library
Genoa Public Library
Lied Imperial Public Library
Kimball Public Library
La Vista Public Library
Laurel Community Learning Center
Lincoln City Libraries
Papillion Public Library
Plainview Public Library
Baright Public Library, Ralston
Lied Randolph Public Library
Ravenna Public Library
Sargent Township Library
Shelton Public Library
South Sioux City Public Library
Stanton Public Library
Maxine White-Sutherland Public Library
Valley Public Library
Lied Lincoln Township Library, Wausa
Maltman Memorial Public Library, Wood River
Yutan Public Library
The projects and services planned include: desktop computers, laptops, monitors, printers, Microsoft software, bookcases/shelving, tables, chairs, makerspace equipment, self-checkout stations, staff desk, a 3D scanner, an Infinity Game Table, cell phone charging lockers, a book return, a bike rack, solar lights, Experience Kits for adults, and AWE Early Learning Literacy Workstations.
As the state library agency, the Nebraska Library Commission is an advocate for the library and information needs of all Nebraskans. The mission of the Library Commission is statewide promotion, development, and coordination of library and information services, bringing together people and information.
The purpose of these grants is to assist Nebraska libraries in improving the library services provided to their communities through continuing education and training for their library personnel and supporters. Successful applications will show how attending this conference will support the library’s mission.
Preconference fees (but does not include networking or social events)
The applicant must be either 1) employed in an accredited Nebraska public library or a state-run institutional library at the time of application and for the duration of the conference, or 2) a current board member of an accredited Nebraska public library at the time of application and for the duration of the conference.
For more information on the application process and application forms, please see:
The Nebraska Arts Council is pleased to announce special funding, provided by the Medica Insurance Company, for Creative Aging Arts Programs (CAAP) in Nebraska public libraries beginning in summer 2025.
NAC’s Creative Aging Arts Program (CAAP) provides older adults with creative and educational activities along with opportunities for socialization. CAAP’s core programming involves interactive artist residencies that are comprised of sequential workshops for participants who are 55 or older. Residencies are led by CAAP artists (painters, printmakers, writers, musicians, etc.) who have completed training in creative aging program development.
One of CAAP’s primary goals is to address the problem of isolation and loneliness that many older adults experience. There is a growing appreciation for how creative endeavors can invigorate communities and bring people together. CAAP serves to enhance the lives of our older adults and can help libraries achieve community outreach goals.
Apply for CAAP grants at least six weeks ahead. Grants cover most or all expenses. Funds are limited, and grants are processed first-come, first-served.
Apply for an individual $500 scholarship to attend either the NLA 2025 Conference in York on October 22nd-24th or to the ARSL 2025 Conference in Albuquerque, NM on September 17th-20th!
The Fern V. Heim Scholarship for Trustees was established by her friend, Mary Louise Dutcher, to honor Fern’s dedication to small public libraries and their trustees. Although Fern’s library career began in special libraries (Head of the UNL Chemistry Department Library, Serials and Circulation Departments of UNL Love Library, and then Director of the Research Library at Goodrich Tire and Rubber in Akron, Ohio), her work at the Nebraska Library Commission was devoted to public libraries. Recognizing that few small library budgets could provide support for librarians, let alone their volunteer trustees, to attend professional meetings, she encouraged them to go whenever possible (at their own expense) if only for a portion of the meeting. As her legacy, it is fitting to assist those trustees through this scholarship program.
**This scholarship is open only to current Nebraska Public Library Board Members!**
The Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) will host a webinar on June 4, 2025, to review application guidelines for the upcoming program year of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Accredited public libraries are eligible to apply for funding for the acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of facilities.
The Department will distribute CDBG program funds through six funding opportunities: Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Planning, Public Works-Infrastructure, Public Works-Facilities, and Tourism Development. Libraries fall under ‘Public Works – Facilities’ and must be Accredited.
During the upcoming webinar, DED will cover grant funding opportunities, eligibility, deadlines, award activity criteria, and the submission process through DED’s grant management system.
Register for the webinar to be held on June 4, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (CT)8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (MT).
The webinar, which is free and open to the public, is intended to inform and assist applicants who plan to seek CDBG funding during the July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 program year. Visit the DED website for information on grant eligibility, requirements, and more: https://opportunity.nebraska.gov/programs/community/cdbg/. The 2025 CDBG program application guidelines will be posted in early June.
DED administers federal CDBG funding on behalf of the State of Nebraska to counties and incorporated municipalities within the non-entitlement areas throughout the state; this includes all communities with the exception of Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, and Grand Island. These four entitlement communities receive funding directly from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. CDBG program objectives are to help communities provide decent affordable housing, create suitable living environments, and create economic opportunities—with the primary goal of benefitting low- and moderate-income persons.
Individuals with questions, or those requiring sensory accommodations—including interpreter services, Braille, large print or recorded materials—should contact Gina Doose, Economic Development Consultant, at gina.doose@nebraska.gov or 402-310-9772.
Applications are open for the Judith F. Krug Memorial Fund Banned Books Week Event Grants. Each year the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) distributes $1,000 grants for organizations to support activities that raise awareness of intellectual freedom and censorship issues during the annual Banned Books Week celebration, being held this year October 5-11, 2025. Staff at all types of libraries, schools, universities, and non-profit community organizations are encouraged to apply.
Applications are accepted now through April 30, 2025.
The Judith F. Krug Memorial Fund is dedicated to continuing and promoting the remarkable legacy of Judith Krug, founding executive director of the Freedom to Read Foundation and founding director of the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom. For over 40 years, Judith made it her life’s work to protect the First Amendment to the US Constitution and the principles of intellectual freedom, in libraries and beyond. Judith is remembered for her fierce advocacy for the First Amendment, for the principles of freedom of access to information in the US and around the globe, and for the importance of education and its centrality to a strong democracy.
This theme captures the resilience, innovation, and collaboration that define small and rural libraries. We recognize the challenges our communities face—tight budgets, small spaces, and limited staffing—but also the incredible creativity and determination that allow us to soar despite these obstacles.
ARSL 2025 Conference Scholarships
Applications for ARSL-funded conference scholarships are still open for select grants! Applications close Monday, April 21!
Each year, the ARSL Grants, Awards & Scholarships (GAS) Committee accepts applications for competitive scholarships to facilitate first-time attendance at the ARSL Conference:
Dr. Bernard Vavrek Scholarship for LIS Students, Deadline Extended!
Thorndike Press Champions of Large Print Scholarship
Are you a community engagement superstar? Have a storytime formula that can’t be beat? Do your reader’s advisory recommendations always hit the mark? We need YOU to present at ARSL 2025! The program presenters are the heart of the conference, bringing valuable skills and experience to share with fellow attendees.
Submit your proposal by April 25 at 5:00 PM CT. Notification of proposal outcomes will be sent by May 30.
The Union Pacific Foundation’s 2025 Community Ties Giving Program provides Local Grants from $5,000 to $30,000 to local nonprofit organizations spread widely across Union Pacific’s footprint, primarily in the western and midwestern United States. A map and list of eligible communities is available on the Union Pacific website.
The application deadline is May 14, 2025.
Funding is provided for direct services and efforts that build the capacity of organizations focused on the following causes: Safety, Workforce Development, Community Vitality, and Environmental Sustainability.
Libraries fall under the Community Vitality funding priority – to “Provide recreational opportunities that foster wellbeing, enrichment and/or an appreciation for our natural environment”.
The American Library Association (ALA) announces the opening of the third year of the ALA Building Library Capacity Grants of $10,000 to public libraries assisting New Americans – immigrants and refugees.
This opportunity is for public libraries that are or will serve New Americans – immigrants and refugees. It is open to libraries already serving New Americans or those who would like to use the grant to begin serving New Americans. ALA membership is NOT required.
The grants are to bolster library operations and services including literacy and other skill development, developing collections, staffing, expanding outreach, as well as maintaining and amplifying existing service strategies or adding new ones to make an impact.
The ALA Building Library Capacity Grants are supported through a three-year grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each year focuses on helping add capacity to different segments of the library community.
For questions, contact the American Library Association (ALA) Chapter Relations Office staff at cro@ala.org or 1-800-545-2433, ext. 3200.
Join us tomorrow for the 2025 Big Talk From Small Libraries online conference. Registration is still open, so head over to the Registration page and sign up!
We have a full agenda for the day, with speakers from academic, K-12, and public libraries presenting on a wide variety of topics: reader’s advisory, interactive library displays, school/public library partnerships, marketing, sustainability, a Library of Things, Sensory Gardens, and much more.
And, Nebraska library staff and board members can earn 1 hour of CE Credit for each hour of the conference you attend! A special Big Talk From Small Libraries CE Report form has been made available for you to submit your C.E. credits.
This event is a great opportunity to learn about the innovative things your colleagues are doing in their small libraries. So, come join us for a day of big ideas from small libraries!
We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) is accepting applications for its Books Save Lives Grants, providing funding for school libraries, public libraries, and educational institutions in the United States to purchase diverse titles.
Each Books Save Lives Grant will provide up to $5,000 per recipient. Recipients will provide a list of requested titles to WNDB. WNDB will then vet the list and ship the approved books directly to the address provided.
Applications are due by March 14, 2025.
Applicants must work full-time at a school library, public library, or educational organization within the United States to receive a Books Save Lives Grant.
This is a United States-based grant. Nominated schools, libraries, and organizations must be located within a U.S. state.
Applicants must be located in areas impacted by book challenges and censorship efforts, whether on a local or state level.
The grant must be used to purchase diverse books. Recipients will provide WNDB with a requested list of titles. WNDB will then vet the list and ship the books directly to the recipient.
Recipients must complete two evaluation surveys after the books have been circulated.
AARP invites you to submit applications for 2025 funding for quick-action projects that can help your community become more livable for all residents, especially those age 50 and over.
Applications are due by March 5, 2025, 5:00 p.m. ET, and all projects must be completed by December 15, 2025. Applications must be submitted through http://www.aarp.org/communitychallenge , where you will also find full details about the grant program.
These grants are open to the following types of organizations: 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) nonprofits; Government entities; Other types of organizations considered on a case-by-case basis. AARP Community Challenge grants may be used to support three project types: Permanent physical improvements in the community; Temporary demonstrations that lead to long-term change, and New, innovative programming pilots or services.
Examples of previously funded Community Challenge Projects include:
Avoca (IA) Public Library: Avoca’s Main Street already had green space and places to sit, but Avoca Public Library organizers wanted to give residents a reason to spend time downtown. To invite people in and advance the town’s creative placemaking plans, they installed oversized, weather-proof musical instruments outside the library. Since the instruments don’t require any training or talent to play, they are popular with residents of all ages.
Aliceville (AL) Public Library: The project resulted in new computers, upgraded software and faster internet service at the library’s computer lab. The library also offered technology classes geared toward older adults.
In 2025, the AARP Community Challenge is accepting applications across three different grant opportunities. Organizations are eligible to apply for more than one grant opportunity and may submit multiple applications.
1. Flagship Grants
Flagship Grants continue the successful Community Challenge grant program, first launched in 2017. Flagship Grants have ranged from several hundred dollars for smaller, short-term activities to tens of thousands of dollars for larger projects. In 2025, Grants will not exceed $25,000. These grants offer a broad opportunity for communities to apply for funding across several project categories: Public Places, Transportation, Housing, Digital Connections, and Community Resilience.
2. Capacity-Building Microgrants
Combining $2,500 grants with additional resources — such as webinars, cohort learning opportunities, up to two hours of one-on-one coaching with leading national nonprofit organizations, and AARP publications — this grant opportunity will accept applications for project that benefit residents (especially those age 50 or older) in the following categories: Disaster Preparedness Planning, Walk Audits, Bike Audits, HomeFit Guide Modifications.
3. Demonstration Grants
This opportunity funds projects that encourage replication of promising local efforts. Grants tend to fall between $10,000-$20,000 and will not exceed $25,000. This grant opportunity will accept applications for projects that benefit residents (especially those age 50 and older) in the following categories: Enhancing pedestrian safety, Expanding high-speed internet (broadband) access and adoption, Reconnecting communities divided by infrastructure, and Implementing housing design competitions.
The Games and Gaming Round Table of the American Library Association is proud to sponsor its annual grant program to enable libraries to develop gaming programs or collections for their public.
Applications are due March 1, 2025.
Through the Game On! Grant, $2,000.00 will be available to be awarded either as one grant of $2,000 or two of $1,000 each to assist a library (or libraries) in developing gaming programs or collections for their communities.
GameRT members in good standing currently employed at a public, school, academic, or special library in the United States or Canada are eligible to apply. GameRT membership requires ALA membership.
Libraries will need to illustrate a plan for a sustainable gaming program or collection created with the funds as well as financial need and institutional support for the proposed project.
The National Endowment for the Arts has updated its FY 2026 grant guidelines. The Challenge America opportunity is canceled for FY 2026. The Grants for Arts Projects FY 2026 deadlines are now March 11 and July 10, 2025.
The National Endowment for the Arts has updated its FY 2026 grant guidelines, with deadlines in March and July 2025. These changes impact organizations applying in the Grants for Arts Projects or Challenge America categories.
A webinar covering the updated Grants for Arts Projects guidelines will take place on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 2:00 pm ET. Free to attend; no registration required; join the webinar at https://www.arts.gov/news/events/webinar-fy26-grants-arts-projects-application-guidelines A recording will be posted shortly after the presentation in the Applicant Resources section of the Grants for Arts Projects webpage.
Challenge America
The Challenge America opportunity is canceled for FY 2026. Organizations that have applied or were planning to apply to the FY 2026 Challenge America grant opportunity are encouraged to apply to the Grants for Arts Projects category at the March or July deadlines instead.
As part of these changes, the February 13, 2025, Grants for Arts Projects deadline has been canceled. The FY 2026 deadlines are now March 11, 2025, for GAP 1 and July 10, 2025, for GAP 2. Organizations that have already submitted an application must submit a new application under one of these deadlines.
Eligible applicants include nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) U.S. organizations, units of state or local government, and federally recognized tribal communities or tribes. Eligible organizations that received American Rescue Plan (ARP) or CARES funding are also eligible to apply to Challenge America or GAP. Applicants may be arts organizations, local arts agencies, arts service organizations, local education agencies (school districts), and other organizations that can help advance the NEA’s goals.
Challenge America offers support primarily to small organizations for projects in all artistic disciplines to reach historically underserved groups/communities that have rich and dynamic cultural identities. Challenge America may be a good entry point for organizations that are new to applying for federal funding. The category features an abbreviated application, a robust structure of technical assistance, and grants for a set amount of $10,000.
Grants require a cost share/match of $10,000 consisting of cash and/or in-kind contributions. Total project costs must be at least $20,000 or greater.
Application Deadline: April 24, 2025 for projects taking place beginning in 2026.The Challenge America opportunity is canceled for FY 2026.
Grants for Arts Projects is the NEA’s largest grant program for organizations, providing expansive funding opportunities for communities across the nation in a wide range of artistic disciplines. Through project-based funding, the program supports opportunities for public engagement with the arts and arts education, for the integration of the arts with strategies promoting the health and well-being of people and communities, and for the improvement of overall capacity and capabilities within the arts sector.
This grants program also welcomes projects that engage with individuals whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, race or ethnicity, economics, or disability.
In recognition of the United States of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, the NEA also welcomes arts projects that educate and engage communities in dialogue about the past, present, and future of our nation.
Cost share/matching grants range from $10,000 to $100,000. Designated local arts agencies that are eligible to subgrant may request from $30,000 to $150,000 for subgranting projects. A minimum cost share/match equal to the grant amount is required.
Application Deadlines: February 13 March 11 and July 10, 2025 for projects taking place beginning in 2026.
