IMLS Awards $180 Million to Support Communities Through Library Services in All U.S. States and Territories

In support of the intrinsic role that libraries play in promoting informed, healthy, vibrant communities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has awarded $180 million in annual grants to each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the US Territories and Freely Associated States. These grants represent the largest source of federal funding support for library services. With this investment, the agency’s Grants to States program leverages state and local funding to support impactful library services across the nation. The IMLS Fiscal Year 2023 allotment table for 59 State Library Administrative Agencies (SLAAs) includes a base amount to each of the SLAAs plus a supplemental amount based on population. This year’s base amount rose to $1 million for states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and to $100,000 for other Territories and Freely Associated States, an increase that delivers on the statutory language of the agency’s 2018 reauthorization. Based on IMLS analysis of states’ newly submitted five-year plans, the agency anticipates significant investments in training for the library workforce (95% of states), reading (88% of states), library services for the blind and print disabled (73% of states), and broadband (71% of states) among other areas.