U.S. Library Awards

Penguin Random House and United for Libraries announced a new grant program serving rural and small libraries across the country. Grants of $500 and $1,000 (totaling $25,000), will be awarded to support libraries in need. Specifically, grant funds will assist Friends of Library groups, or nonprofit groups that support and fundraise for libraries in their communities, with priority projects.  The grant funds will support specific projects designated by the Friends group. In-kind book donation grants of $500 will also be awarded to 20 libraries to purchase Penguin Random House titles.

The new program comes at a critical time for the library community as the freedom to read faces increased attacks in the form of book bans and challenges. Once primarily focused on school libraries, public libraries have become targets of book banning efforts in recent years, with the ALA reporting a 93% increase in bans and challenges in 2023 compared with 2022.

Applications for the program will be open from Feb. 3-17, 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 in January 2025, 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).

Recipients of a $500 or $1,000 grant 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.