4/9/2025: Update
On Friday, March 14, the White House issued an Executive Order aimed at "Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy," which affects the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Due to the uncertainty caused by this Executive Order, the State Library must delay the NYSL Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Competitive Grant Program which we announced on March 7.
We are closely monitoring the situation. Additional updates will be provided if there are status changes.
March 7, 2025: Announcement
The New York State Library (NYSL) is developing a new grant program with the intent of improving the capacity of library systems and public and association libraries 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 components may include outreach, programming, consultations from outside experts, and the purchase of supplies and technology which support a larger library initiative.
Funds will be available to 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. The minimum grant award is $5,000 and the maximum grant award is $20,000. No financial match is required.
The grant application will be released soon.
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) requirement for all applicants
In order to receive federal funds through this grant program, a library or system must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Libraries or systems that intend to receive federal grant subawards through this program should go to SAM.gov to obtain a UEI if they do not already have one. 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.
Prequalification requirement for non-profit organizations
New York State has implemented a statewide prequalification requirement for not-for-profit organizations applying for grants. This applies to all association libraries and library systems that are registered as not-for-profits. To become prequalified, a nonprofit must register with the Statewide Financial System (SFS) and complete an online prequalification application. Find more information about the prequalification process.
The SFS prequalification registration process requests information about an organization’s capacity, legal compliance, and integrity. This process may take up to a few weeks to complete. Begin the prequalification registration process immediately if you are considering applying for an LSTA Grant. Detailed information is available on the Grants Management website.