US Department of Education: Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program

In addition, you must be one of the following six types of organizations:
•A library or a parent organization, such as a school district, a municipality, a State agency, or an academic institution, that is responsible for the administration of a library. Eligible libraries include the following: ◦Public libraries;
◦Public elementary and secondary school libraries;
◦College (including community college) and university libraries;
◦Research libraries and archives that are not an integral part of an institution of higher education and that make publicly available library services and materials that are suitable for scholarly research and not otherwise available (Research libraries must be under the supervision of at least one permanent professional staff librarian and must be either generally recognized as possessing unique scholarly research materials and services that are made available to the public, or able to demonstrate that such is the case when submitting an application to IMLS.);
◦Private or special libraries that have been deemed eligible to participate in this program by the State in which the library is located.

•An academic or administrative unit, such as a graduate school of library and information science that is part of an institution of higher education through which it would make application (see below for additional conditions of eligibility that might apply regarding institutions of higher education);
•A digital library, if it makes library materials publicly available and provides library services, including selection, organization, description, reference, and preservation, under the supervision of at least one permanent professional staff librarian;
•A library agency that is an official agency of a State or other unit of government and is charged by the law governing it with the extension and development of public library services within its jurisdiction;
•A library consortium that is a local, statewide, regional, interstate, or international cooperative association of library entities that provides for the systematic and effective coordination of the resources of eligible libraries, as defined above, and information centers that work to improve the services delivered to the clientele of these libraries;
•A library association that exists on a permanent basis; serves libraries or library professionals on a national, regional, state, or local level; and engages in activities designed to advance the well-being of libraries and the library profession.

We recognize the potential for valuable contributions to the overall goals of the LB21 program by entities that do not meet the eligibility requirements above. Although such entities may not serve as the official applicants, they are encouraged to participate in projects. Federally operated libraries and museums may not apply for LB21 grants, but they may participate with applicants. Contact us before submitting a proposal involving a federal agency or federal collection. Non-Federal entities may serve as subrecipients or contractors and may receive IMLS grant funds as a result of the project. Consult with us about any eligibility questions before submitting an application.

Native American tribal organizations may apply if they otherwise meet the above eligibility requirements.