Find Nonprofit and Small Business Grants

The grant search that gets results.

Advance Search

Only Available for Paid Subscribers
Clear Filters
Search Filters

Grants to Florida Counties, Municipalities, and Special Districts to Support the Operations and Services of Public Libraries

State Aid to Libraries Grant


Grant Writers
Agency
State
GrantWatch ID#
148335
Funding Source
Florida Department of State - Division of Library and Information Services
Array ( )
Geographic Focus
USA: Florida
Important Dates
Deadline: 10/01/23 5:00 PM Save
Grant Description
Grants to Florida counties, municipalities, and special districts to support the operations and services of public libraries. Funding is intended to promote public libraries as an important component in Florida’s educational infrastructure and to recognize their contributions to the quality of life of the state's residents. Three types of grants are authorized under the State Aid to Libraries Program: Operating, Equalization, and Multicounty.

In recognition of the fact that free professional public library service for all Floridians is an important part of the state’s educational infrastructure and greatly enhances and enriches the quality of life in the state, the over-arching goal of the State Aid to Libraries Program is to assist local governments in maintaining and developing such vital services, specifically:

  • Providing equal access to free public library service to all residents of the service areas of participating governments.
  • Coordinating library service throughout the service area.
  • Providing consistent plans, programs, policies, and procedures in the operation, maintenance, and development of library service throughout the service area.
Grant categories:
  • Operating Grants are made available to any county, municipality, special district, or special taxing district that qualifies for the State Aid to Libraries Program.
  • Equalization Grants are available to counties that qualify for an Operating Grant and have limited local tax resources.
  • Multicounty Library Grants are available to provide additional support to counties that qualify for Operating Grants and choose to join together to provide library service to their residents.  

More information about these grant types can be found starting at https://files.floridados.gov/media/706880/2023-24-state-aid-guidelines.pdf#page=6.
Full Grant Text RFP
Recipient
Additional Eligibility Criteria
A library shall meet the following requirements in order to be eligible to receive a State Aid to Libraries Grant:
- A county or municipality shall designate an eligible political subdivision as the single library administrative unit
- Once an eligible political subdivision has been designated by a county or municipality as the single library administrative unit, that eligible political subdivision shall designate a governing body to provide service.
- When two or more participating local governments join to establish a library, contracts or interlocal agreements outline the decision-making power given to the library’s governing body and the power retained by the participating local government. Consolidated library and public library cooperative are the two types of library governance that can be established through those agreements.
- The library shall have a single administrative head employed full time by the library’s governing body, with authority to manage or coordinate the operations of the library.
- The library shall expend its funds centrally.
- All public libraries within a county that receives Operating Grants shall extend borrowing privileges without charge to residents of each other’s service areas. Borrowing privileges must apply to all materials in a fixed physical format that are available to be borrowed by residents of the library service area receiving an Operating Grant. Agreements for an interlibrary loan do not meet this requirement. The reciprocal borrowing requirement only applies to a county and the independent municipal libraries within the same county that are applying for State Aid.
- The library shall provide free library service. At a minimum, free library service requires that a library lend library materials that are made available for circulation free of charge and provide reference and information services free of charge.
- All public libraries within a county that receive Operating Grants shall participate in joint planning for the coordination of library services to residents.
- The library shall provide access to materials, information, and services for all residents of the area served.
- At least one library, branch library, or member library shall be open 40 hours or more each week.
- The library shall have a long-range plan, an annual plan of service, and an annual budget.

Detailed eligibility information can be found starting at https://files.floridados.gov/media/706880/2023-24-state-aid-guidelines.pdf#page=12.
Pre-Application Information
Timeline:
- Applications must be submitted on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern, October 1, 2023.
- Additional documents must be submitted on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern, December 1, 2023.

For information regarding application submissions for October 1, see: https://files.floridados.gov/media/706880/2023-24-state-aid-guidelines.pdf#page=16

For information regarding application submissions for December 1, see: https://files.floridados.gov/media/706880/2023-24-state-aid-guidelines.pdf#page=20

Operating Grants provide a match of up to 25 cents on each dollar of local funds expended centrally for the operation and maintenance of the library during the second preceding fiscal year. For the first two years of a newly-established library, the Operating Grant matches only local funds that are appropriated to be expended centrally for the operation and maintenance of the library.

The Equalization Grants provide a match of 25 cents on the dollar for the adjusted local expenditures for the second preceding fiscal year. For counties that have provided the mill equivalent in local library support during the second preceding year higher than the statewide average for the mill equivalent in local library support for all counties, the Equalization Grant provides a match of 50 cents on the adjusted dollar for local expenditures the second preceding year.

Multicounty Library Grants: The matching grant is based on the local expenditures of the participating counties, up to $1 million, and the matching grant amount. The matching grant amount is determined based on the number of participating counties. The grant is calculated by multiplying the local expenditures by the matching grant amount.

Informational recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3wCvI3gymE?v=5e723AoC-xY&feature=youtu.be

Guidelines and forms:
https://dos.myflorida.com/library-archives/library-development/funding/state-aid/guidelines-applications-and-forms/
Estimated Size of Grant
Equalization Grants: May not exceed 15 percent of the amount appropriated for Operating, Multicounty, and Equalization Grants or $8,877,057, whichever is higher.

Multicounty Grants: Base grant: A multicounty with two participating counties receives a base grant of $50,000. A multicounty with three or more participating counties receives a base grant of $250,000. The $250,000 base grant will increase to $350,000 when the appropriation increases to at least three percent more than the 2007-2008 appropriation of $31,999,233.

Operating Grants: Operating Grants are calculated by prorating the funds remaining after the Equalization and Multicounty Grant funds have been determined to the amount that a political subdivision has fully qualified for at 25 cents per local dollar expended.
Term of Contract
The grant period is October 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, which is the end of the state fiscal year in which grant funds are available. The Grantee shall obligate or expend grant funds only during the length of the grant period.
Contact Information
Apply Online: https://www.dosgrants.com/

Florida Department of State
Division of Library and Information Services
R. A. Gray Building
500 South Bronough Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250

Contact Grants Staff:
850.245.6620 Voice
850.245.6643 Fax
850.922.4085 TDD
Email: grantsoffice@dos.myflorida.com
Categories

We have foundations for

We have grants for

Grant News
Live Chat Chat Now