Federal grant programs / Institute of Museum and Library Services

National Leadership Grants (45.312)

Also known as National Leadership Grants for Libraries and National Leadership Grants for Museums

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$137 million
• Grant awards698
• Typical award$50,000
• Awarded in FY 2025$26.2 million
• Size rank713 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceProject grants, direct payments for specified use

Key findings

• Annual funding was roughly flat, $26.9 million in fiscal 2021 and $26.2 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 713th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 39% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 52 states and territories.

What the program funds

NLG supports projects that address critical needs of the museum and library fields and that have the potential to advance practice in these professions so that museums and libraries can strengthen services for the American public. NLG-Museums has three program goals with three associated objectives each. GOAL 1:Advance museum-based learning and engagement practices in the museum field. Obj. 1.1: Support the development, implementation, and dissemination of model programs that facilitate adoption across the field. Obj. 1.2: Support research focusing on the role of museums in engaging learners of all types. Obj. 1.3: Support forums that convene experts and stakeholders, including those from adjacent fields as appropriate, to explore current and emerging issues and inform the field. GOAL 2: Advance the museum field’s ability to respond to community needs. Obj. 2.1: Support the development of new and innovative methods for addressing community challenges through partnerships, services, processes, or practices for use across the museum field. Obj. 2.2: Support research focusing on museums' roles in responding to community needs. Obj. 2.3: Support forums that convene experts and stakeholders, including those from adjacent fields as appropriate, to explore current and emerging issues and inform the field. GOAL 3: Identify new solutions that address high priority and widespread collections care or conservation issues. Obj. 3.1: Support the development, implementation, and dissemination of new tools or services that facilitate access, management, preservation, sharing, and use of museum collections. Obj. 3.2: Support research focusing on any broadly relevant aspect of the management, conservation, and preservation of collections. Obj. 3.3: Support forums that convene experts and stakeholders, including those from adjacent fields as appropriate, to explore current and emerging issues and inform the field. NLG-Libraries has one program goal with four associated objectives. GOAL 1: Develop, enhance, or disseminate replicable practices, programs, models, or tools to strengthen library and archival services for the American public. Obj. 1.1: Serve the learning needs of the public through libraries and archives. Obj. 1.2: Improve community well-being through libraries and archives. Obj. 1.3: Provide broad access to and preservation of information and collections through libraries and archives. Obj. 1.4: Provide services to affected communities in the event of an emergency or disaster.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

• National Leadership Grants for Libraries (2027)
  Open · Closes November 13, 2026 (6 days left) · up to $1.0 million
• National Leadership Grants for Museums (2027)
  Open · Closes November 13, 2026 (6 days left) · up to $750,000

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

An applicant must meet geographic and governance criteria and qualify as one of the following six types of organizations: 1. A library or a parent organization, such as a school district, a municipality, a State agency, or an academic institution, that is responsible for the administration of a library; 2. An academic or administrative unit, such as a graduate school of library and information science that is part of an institution of higher education through which it would apply; 3. A digital library or archives, if it makes materials publicly available and provides library or archival services, including selection, organization, description, reference, and preservation, under the supervision of at least one permanent professional staff librarian/archivist; 4. A library or archival agency that is an official agency of a State, tribal, or other unit of government and is charged by the law governing it with the extension and development of public library services within its jurisdiction; 5. A library or archives consortium that is a local, statewide, regional, interstate, or international cooperative association of library entities that provides for the systematic and effective coordination of the resources of eligible libraries or archives, as defined above, and information centers that work to improve the services delivered to the clientele of these libraries or archives; or 6.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

What the money can and cannot pay for

Grant funds must be used for the purposes outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, and in accordance with the Institute of Museum and Library Services General Terms and Conditions. Examples of allowable costs include personnel salaries, wages, and fringe benefits for project staff; travel expenses for key project staff and consultants; materials, supplies, software, and equipment related directly to project activities; adaptive and/or assistive technologies and other resources and services to improve accessibility for persons with disabilities; third-party costs; publication design and printing; program evaluation; staff and volunteer training; student tuition and fees; paid internships/fellowships; and indirect or overhead costs. Examples of unallowable costs include general fundraising costs; contributions to endowments; general operating support; acquisition of collections; general advertising or public relations costs designed solely for promotional activities other than those related to the specific project; construction or renovation of facilities; and social activities, receptions, or entertainment.;

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. NLG-Libraries: One-to-one cost share from non-federal sources is required for National Implementation Project requests of more than $299,999, excluding Student Support costs. Cost share is allowed but not required for all other project types. NLG-Museums: One-to-one cost share from non-federal sources is required for Non-Research Grant requests. Cost share is allowed but not required for Research Grant requests.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

Jan 13, 2026 to Mar 13, 2026

Award range and average, in the agency's words

NLG-Museums: FY2023 awards ranged from $49,970 to $750,000. Average = $478,823. FY2024 awards ranged from $50,000 to $1,000,000. Average = $495,175. In FY2025 requests may range from $50,000 to $750,000. NLG-Libraries: FY2023 awards ranged from $124,391 to $742,726. Average = $340,873. FY2024 awards ranged from $104,771 to $749,965. Average = $265,050. In FY2025, requests may range from $50,000 to $1,000,000.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Almost all of the money went to state and local governments.

By state

29 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.