Home | Grant and Funding Opportunities | Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Application Guide | About LSTA Grants

About LSTA Grants

Purpose Statement and Overview

The California State Library’s LSTA grant opportunities:

• Support improvement, innovation, and experimentation in library services;
• Build capacity among the California library community in grant-writing and grant management; and
• Help California’s local libraries develop services that effectively respond to community needs and align with community aspirations.

In accordance with the Museum and Library Services Act, California has a Five-Year State Plan for LSTA (2023-2027) which outlines the State Library’s goals, objectives, and evaluation process for funding received from Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). This plan is developed every five years with input from the library community. The priorities of this LSTA grant cycle are taken from the Five-Year Plan.

The State Library welcomes applications from eligible organizations for projects that:

• Align with the purposes of the Museum and Library Services Act of 2010
• Contribute to the achievement of the specified goal in the California State Library’s Five-Year State Plan for LSTA 2023-2027.
• Include library programming activities or support the development of new library services.

Preference is given to projects that deliver programs and services directly to Californians.

To help expand the libraries and communities that benefit from LSTA funding, the State Library encourages applications from library jurisdictions and branches that have not received LSTA funding in the last five years, and collaborative groups of libraries representing a variety of regions, library sizes, and populations.

This opportunity does not fund projects that focus solely on collection development or capacity building in libraries, or projects that are eligible to be funded through other State Library grant programs.

Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)

The Museum and Library Services Act of 2010 governs the support and development of museums and libraries nationally. Each year, the California State Library receives a LSTA grant from the IMLS to support the development of California libraries.

The California grant program is based on the purposes of the Museum and Library Services Act, which include:

• Expanding services for learning and access to information and educational resources in a variety of formats, in all types of libraries, for individuals of all ages;
• Developing library services that provide all users access to information through local, state, regional, national, and international electronic networks;
• Providing electronic and other linkages among and between all types of libraries;
• Developing public and private partnerships with other agencies and community-based organizations;
• Targeting library services to individuals of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, to individuals with disabilities, and to individuals with limited functional literacy or information skills;
• Targeting library and information services to persons having difficulty using a library and to underserved urban and rural communities, including children (from birth through age 17) from families with incomes below the poverty line.

Eligibility

Under the Library Services and Technology Act, the State Library has discretion over the eligibility of applicants, the qualification of projects and the award of funds. The general guidelines are outlined below:

• The term “library” includes:
  • A public library;
  • An elementary or secondary school library;
  • An academic library;
  • A research library, which for the purposes of this subtitle means a library that makes publicly available library services and materials suitable for scholarly research and not otherwise available to the public; and is not an integral part of an institution of higher education.
• A library should meet the following eligibility standards:
  • A written explicit mission statement and service objectives.
  • A fixed location in California.
  • Established hours of service.
  • An organized collection of information and materials accessible for use by its primary clientele.
  • Designated, onsite, paid staff for library services. At least one staff person shall have a master’s degree in library or information science or a California library media teacher credential issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (Equivalent graduate education or demonstrated professional experience may be substituted for this requirement.)
  • An established funding base. (The local board of governance or the appropriate administrative authority shall agree for each academic library, public library, school library and special library, not to reduce funding for library services as a result of receiving a grant.)

The term “library consortium” means any local, statewide, regional, interstate or international cooperative association of library entities which provides for the systematic and effective coordination of the resources of school, public, academic and special libraries and information centers, for improved services for the clientele of such library entities.

Public libraries applying for funds must have completed:

• The most recent annual Public Libraries Survey.
• The State Library’s Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Survey within the last three years.

In addition to the above eligibility requirements, successful applicants must adhere to the following during the project period:

• Contribute to the achievement of the State Library’s current LSTA Five-Year plan;
• Adhere to federal funding restrictions;
• Conform with Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2CFS 200); and
• Comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) in order to purchase devices that can connect to and browse the internet.

Applicants with a history of inadequate management of previous projects and delayed or incomplete reporting may be denied future awards until an improvement in administrative practice can be demonstrated.

LSTA funds are not used to support costs of ongoing library operations, which are considered a local responsibility.

Support for Awardees

Successful applicants will be assigned a library programs consultant and/or an equity advisor who will provide advice and support on project development during the project period.

The State Library-funded California Libraries Learn (CALL) Academy will provide training aligned with goals and objectives in the Five-Year Plan.

Awardees will also be assigned a grant monitor to provide advice and support on program compliance and reporting during the project period.

If you receive an LSTA award and are unsure of who your support team is, please reach out to LSTAGrants@library.ca.gov

Payment Information

The State Library will provide award letters and payment claim forms to successful applicants once funding is approved and available.

If an awardee’s full award amount is more than $20,000, 10 percent of the grant award is withheld until the end of the project period, payable only if all project reporting requirements are fulfilled and all project funds are expended by the time specified in the award agreement. 

For awards receiving funding over $20,000, a typical payment schedule is:

• 45 percent of award amount upon the awardee’s acceptance and execution of the agreement, and the State Library’s receipt and approval of a complete claim form.
• 45 percent of award amount following the State Library’s review and approval of the awardee’s first quarterly report (typically at the end of October) and the State Library’s receipt and approval of a complete claim form.
• 10 percent of award amount following the submission of approved final reports, confirmation that all funds were expended, and the State Library’s receipt and approval of a complete claim form.

Note: Because of the processing time required by other state agencies, project funds will likely be received six to eight weeks following the State Library’s receipt and approval of a complete claim form. With your submission you acknowledge that you are aware of this timeline and confirm that you will be able to start and continue your project, as needed, before grant funds arrive.

For further reference, this information is also included in the award packet which is provided to successful applicants once awards are made.