ALA COVID Library Relief Fund

The American Library Association (ALA) will make available $1.55M in emergency relief grants to 77 libraries this year that have experienced substantial economic hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ALA COVID Library Relief Fund invites public, school, academic, tribal, and correctional libraries across the United States and US Territories to apply for grants of $20,000.

These funds are intended to bolster library operations and services including broadening technology access, developing collections, providing digital instruction, staffing, and expanding outreach, as well as maintaining and amplifying existing service strategies or adding new ones to extend impact through the end of 2022.

The ALA COVID Library Relief Fund continues to represent some of the most significant grant opportunities available to libraries outside of federal funding. Funds will support libraries' ability to provide their users with the information services and digital access they need to retain or secure socio-economic mobility during a time of shift and upheaval. Libraries serving low income and rural communities, or communities that are predominately Black, Latino, Asian, Indigenous, and People of Color, are especially encouraged to apply.


GUIDELINES

ALA COVID Library Relief Fund 2022 - Press Release

ALA COVID Library Relief Fund - Frequently Asked Questions

“This new round of grants will help to support libraries at a time when they are displaying extraordinary ingenuity and determination in creating new materials, programs, and service delivery models – and all too often doing so with limited budgets,” said ALA Executive Director Tracie D. Hall. “Over the last two years of the pandemic, we have worked hard as an association to raise the visibility of the vital and unduplicated work of libraries and library workers, especially in communities where the need is greatest.”

The ALA COVID Library Relief Fund is generously supported by Acton Family Giving as part of its pandemic responsive grantmaking.

“Libraries have faced daunting challenges throughout the pandemic,” said ALA President Patricia “Patty” Wong. “In a time when communities depend on their services, many libraries have suffered the impact of cuts that have significantly impair their ability to provide resources at this critical moment of recovery. We are so grateful to Acton Family Giving for their tremendous support, which will enable our treasured institutions to emerge more robust than ever.”

In 2021 $1.25M was granted to 34 libraries. More than 300 libraries applied for grants in 2021.

In 2022 $1.55M was granted to 77 libraries. More than 110 libraries applied for grants in 2022.

ALA's Chapter Relations Office administers the ALA COVID Library Emergency Relief Fund. For more information and questions please email cro@ala.org