LSTA Grants

Impact grants assist libraries in responding effectively to local needs and align services with local community initiatives or impact areas. These needs must align with the agency's LSTA long range plan.

Minimum funding amount: $5,000
Maximum funding amount: $25,000

• Remain members in good standing of the Massachusetts Library System (MLS) throughout the application process and award period.
• Have a current approved strategic plan on file with the MBLC.
• All public libraries applying must be and remain certified to receive State Aid.
• Preservation, local history, and archives-related projects must have had a preservation assessment within the last 10 years.

Letter of Intent opens: Friday November 8, 2024
Federal Funding Roadshow: November 19 and 20, 2024.
FY2026 LSTA Grant Program Overview: November 21, 2024.
Letter of Intent closes: Thursday December 5, 2024
Applicants notified of eligibility: December 2024
Application opens: Tuesday January 21, 2025
Application draft due: Friday February 21, 2025
Application draft returned: Friday March 21, 2025
Final Application closes: Tuesday April 8, 2025
State Advisory Council on Libraries reviews applications: May 2025
Board approves grant awards: July 10, 2025
Contracts sent: September 2025
Project period begins: October 1, 2025

Conversations with Library Advisory and Development staff can help you explore how your idea may match the goals of the grant program.

For general questions, please contact Lyndsay Forbes.

FY25 Grantees (formerly the Direct Grants to Libraries program)

Chicopee Public Library: This project will reimagine the Library’s World Language materials, reconfigure the existing collections so that non-English materials are easier to find, and focus community outreach and direct engagement with educators and social service groups who work with immigrants and new residents.

Elizabeth Taber Library: The Art of Craft will develop an art instruction program series themed around traditional handicrafts that provides practical instruction through immersive workshops in a wide range of artistic mediums and serve as an outlet for creative self-expression while offering the families in the community of Marion affordable options for afterschool and summer programming.

Gladys E. Kelly Public Library: This project will create and sustain the Nest, a small business incubator that will offer a collection of tools, technology, resources, and community connections for entrepreneurs and small business startups. 

Maynard Public Library: The Children's Engagement Project will address the community’s need for a more inclusive and educational 0-6 children’s play and programming experience.

Montague Public Libraries: Beyond Library Walls - Serving Tweens and Teens aims to create a comprehensive and innovative approach to tackle the pressing issue of social isolation and mental health challenges faced by tweens and teens and empower young individuals through youth support, education, peer-to-peer connections, and opportunities for social emotional learning with a focus on building out-of-school community support and third spaces.

Reading Public Library: Cultivating Community: Growing and Nurturing Sustainable Spaces will engage the community by establishing four sustainable and accessible green spaces, increasing educational programs, and expanding the nature and sustainability collection.

Springfield City Library: The Springfield City Library’s Young Adult Mental Health Initiative aims to help the youth of Springfield with supportive programming, access to wider mental health resources, and partnerships with local community groups.

Stevens Memorial Library: This project will develop a hands-on programming curriculum that features local expertise from a variety of creative disciplines and develop a thriving gallery space that fosters intergenerational creative community gatherings, relationship building, and exposure to local artists’ work.

Wayland Free Public Library: This project will develop a home delivery service program for community members who are unable to visit the library due to lack of transportation, mobility or other physical challenges, including visual or hearing impairments, dementia or similar cognitive issues.

Wilmington Memorial Library: The Playful Pathways: Nurturing Life Skills in Library Play Spaces will supplement or substitute for formal early education by providing research-based play spaces and programs at the Library.