Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Competitive Grant Program

Legislative Authority: The State Library receives federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) via the Grants to States Program. Under the Grants to States program, the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) authorizes the Director of IMLS to provide funds to a State Library Administrative Agency (SLAA). See 20 U.S.C. § 9121) through 20 U.S.C. § 9141. Funds are expended based on the goals and priorities in the State Library’s LSTA Five-Year Plan (2023-2028). Subawards by SLAAs under LSTA carry the same legal and regulatory conditions as the awards to the SLAAs themselves, and SLAAs are responsible for ensuring that such conditions and others imposed by Federal law on grantees are included in all subawards. 2 CFR § 200.332(a)(2). SLAAs are also charged with monitoring compliance by subgrantees with such conditions. See 2 CFR § 200.332(d). Purpose of Grant: To improve public libraries’ and library systems’ capacity to offer services and information resources in their communities in the areas of outreach and community engagement; best practices in literacy; and social wellbeing and improving the lives of New Yorkers. Project Period: October 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are library systems and public and association libraries chartered by the Regents. Library systems include public library systems, reference and research library resources systems, and school library systems. Amount of Funding: Source: Federal Grants to States ProgramEstimated funds available: $490,000 Estimated size of awards: Minimum grant award is $5,000; maximum grant award is $20,000 Match requirement: No financial match is required. Pre-Qualification Requirement: Proposals received from association libraries and library systems that are registered as not-for-profits that are not prequalified in the Statewide Financial System (SFS) by 5:00 PM on the proposal due date of May 15, 2026 cannot be evaluated. Such proposals will be disqualified from further consideration. Please see the “Prequalification Requirement” section for additional information. Unique Entity Identifier Requirement: Proposals received for this RFP must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) by 5:00 PM on the proposal due date of May 15, 2026. Applicants without an UEI cannot be evaluated. To receive federal funds as a federal grant subrecipient, a library or system must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Libraries or systems that intend to receive federal grant subawards (i.e., LSTA grant funding) should use the System for Award Management (SAM) to obtain a UEI. Applicants can request a UEI through SAM.gov without needing to complete a full entity registration process for the purposes of receiving an LSTA grant subaward. Non-Mandatory Notice of Intent: The Notice of Intent (NOI) is not a requirement for submitting a complete application by the application date; however, NYSED strongly encourages all association libraries and library systems that are registered as not-for-profits to submit an NOI to ensure a timely and thorough review and rating process. A non-profit applicant’s NOI will also help to facilitate timely review of their prequalification materials. The due date is April 21, 2026. Please send the NOI via this online form. Application Due Date: Applications must be received through the State Library’s online grant application system by: May 15, 2026. Questions and Answers: All questions must be submitted via this online form by March 24, 2026. A Questions and Answers Summary will be posted to State Library RFP webpage no later than March 31, 2026. Business enterprises awarded an identical or substantially similar procurement contract within the past five years: None