United for Libraries and Penguin Random House Grants to U.S. Rural and Small Libraries

United for Libraries and Penguin Random House will award grants of $500 and $1,000 (totaling $25,000) to support libraries in need. Specifically, grant funds will assist Friends of Library groups with priority projects. Additionally, in-kind book donation grants of $500 will be awarded to 20 libraries to purchase Penguin Random House titles.

About

Year Began: 2025

Applications for the program will be open from Jan. 15-Feb. 18, 2025, and applicants will be notified by March 10, 2025. For libraries that are interested in applying but don’t know where to start, United for Libraries will present free virtual informational sessions beginning in December, including an overview of the process and tips on applying, a session on grant writing basics, and a session on how to start a Friends of the Library group (for libraries that do not currently have an active group); learn more and register.

In addition to a grant of $500 or $1,000, or a book donation grant, recipients will also receive complimentary eLearning from United for Libraries, including a year of access to United for Libraries Learning Live monthly webinars which present in-depth training to library Trustees/Board Members, Friends, Foundations, advocates, and those who work with them, and training on how to leverage the grant funds to build support for the library and the Friends group.

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Programs

Details

Frequency: One Time

Next Deadline

February 18, 2025

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Grant Information

Next Deadline

February 18, 2025

Eligibility

To be eligible for a cash or in-kind grant, Friends groups must be in support of a rural/small U.S. library in the 50 states, District of Columbia, or U.S. territories (Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) with a legal service area population of 25,000 or less, and in any area 5+ miles outside of a U.S. Census defined urban area (as defined by the Institute of Museum and Library Services IMLS). A library that meets the same eligibility and is able to demonstrate it has started the process of forming a Friends group will also be eligible.

Type of Library/Librarian

The grant application is open now through Feb. 18, 2025.

The application is hosted on the ALA Apply platform.
Download a PDF of the application questions. Please note that (1) this contains all questions, you will only answer those applicable to the specific grant for which you are applying ($500, $1,000, or $500 in-kind), and (2) all applications must be submitted online.
You will need to create an account if you do not have one already. This account is different than your ALA website or membership account.
You can save the application and return later to complete. Be sure to submit the application once you have finalized all information.
Refer to the Dec. 18 information session Frequently Asked Questions for details about the grants, eligibility, and more. If you need additional assistance, please email united@ala.org or call (312) 280-2161.

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Grant Information

Winner List

Application Information