Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (45.313)
Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (Assistance Listing 45.313) is run by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It awarded $43.7 million in 177 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $246,823 per award on average. 1 funding opportunity is open or forecast now.
The typical award was $248,462. Half of the 177 awards fell between $148,200 and $330,984, and they ranged from $32,500 to $798,489.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$43.7 million
- Grant awards177
- Typical award$248,462
- Awarded in FY 2025$4.4 million
- Size rank1,074 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceProject grants, direct payments for specified use
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $10.6 million in fiscal 2021 to $4.4 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 1074th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 56% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 38 states and territories.
What the program funds
The Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian (LB21) grant progam supports the recruitment, development, and retention of library and archives professionals to meet the information needs of their communities. GOAL 1: Recruit and educate future library and archives professionals, faculty, and staff. Obj. 1.1: Develop or enhance practices, programs, or initiatives encouraging students to pursue careers in library and information science. Obj. 1.2: Develop or enhance initiatives, programs, or curricula to increase to increase the capacity of institutions to educate or retain library and information science students. GOAL 2: Train and retain current library and archives professionals, faculty, and staff. Obj. 2.1: Develop or enhance professional development and training programs to enable the library and archival workforce to meet the needs of their communities. Obj. 2.2: Support the research of untenured, tenure-track library and information science faculty, furthering the faculty member’s long-term research agenda, career trajectory, and professional development.
Open opportunities
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.
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. One-to-one cost share from non-federal sources is required for National Implementation Project requests more than $299,999, excluding Student Support costs. Cost share is allowed but not required for all other project types.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
FY2023: Awards ranged from $113,462 to $649,921. Average = $271,226. FY2023: Awards ranged from $104,818 to $649,921. Average: $276,463. FY2024: Awards ranged from $114,398 to $658.250. Average = $263,838. In FY2025, requests may range from $50,000 to $1,000,000.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program (45.313) awarded $43.7 million across 177 grant awards, an average of $246,823 per award.
Who usually wins
Almost all of the money went to state and local governments.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local governments | 177 | $43.7 million | 100% |
By state
15 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 14 | $4.5 million |
| New York | 18 | $4.5 million |
| California | 17 | $4.2 million |
| Texas | 13 | $3.6 million |
| Kentucky | 7 | $2.5 million |
| South Carolina | 8 | $2.2 million |
| North Carolina | 11 | $2.1 million |
| Virginia | 8 | $1.8 million |
| Maryland | 4 | $1.7 million |
| Washington | 6 | $1.6 million |
| Arizona | 4 | $1.2 million |
| Florida | 7 | $1.1 million |
| Alaska | 3 | $1.1 million |
| Michigan | 3 | $1.1 million |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | $1.1 million |
| Indiana | 6 | $936,908 |
| Louisiana | 3 | $931,217 |
| Tennessee | 4 | $817,159 |
| District of Columbia | 4 | $759,960 |
| Iowa | 3 | $701,831 |
| Connecticut | 2 | $685,592 |
| Colorado | 3 | $655,265 |
| Ohio | 3 | $625,514 |
| Puerto Rico | 3 | $609,016 |
| Alabama | 1 | $463,237 |
| Rhode Island | 3 | $442,911 |
| Missouri | 2 | $388,882 |
| Maine | 1 | $249,899 |
| New Mexico | 1 | $249,877 |
| Georgia | 1 | $193,338 |
| Nevada | 1 | $186,631 |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $149,938 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | $125,454 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 1 | $100,000 |
| Mississippi | 1 | $74,564 |
| Kansas | 1 | $67,938 |
| South Dakota | 1 | $64,420 |
| Hawaii | 1 | $13,547 |