Building Forward: Library Infrastructure Grant Program- Round 1

Portal ID:
6919
Status:
Closed (278 total applications submitted)
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
 | 

Details

Purpose:

The Budget Act of 2021 (SB 129) allocated $439 million in one-time funds to the California State Library to address life safety and critical maintenance needs of public library facilities throughout California. This competitive grant program prioritizes funding for local library facilities in high poverty areas. The maximum grant amount per library facility is $10 million.

Description:

Pursuant to SB 129, funding will be prioritized for the following:

1) Projects addressing library facility life safety and other critical maintenance needs.

2) Projects for library facilities serving high poverty areas of the state.

Other library infrastructure projects may be considered if funding remains after priority projects have been evaluated. Multiple funding rounds are anticipated. All grant funds must be expended by March 31, 2026.

For purposes of this grant, life safety projects are defined as those that address significant health and safety risks to patrons or staff using a library facility. This includes any physical aspect of the facility, its building systems, or equipment essential to emergency response situations specific to the library facility.

For the purposes of this grant, critical maintenance and critical infrastructure projects are those needed to keep existing facilities, building-related structural elements, and related building systems suitable for public use, and compliant with all prevailing regulations, and standards governing their use.

Projects funded by this grant must be completed according to California Building Standards Code and all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, ordinances, policies, and guides.

If the library facility is leased, a lease commitment of at least 10 years following project completion is required.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Public Agency

Applications may be submitted by cities, counties, or library districts on behalf of local library jurisdictions or facilities. Library-related nonprofit organizations, such as Friends groups, are not eligible to apply.

One application per library facility will be accepted. Organizations seeking funding for multiple facilities must submit a separate application for each site. The maximum award per site is $10 million.

Eligible Geographies:

Cities, counties, and library districts throughout California are eligible to apply. Funding will be prioritized for projects serving high-poverty areas. Community poverty levels will be assessed using the California Poverty Measure (CPM). https://www.ppic.org/publication/poverty-in-california/

Matching Funding Requirement:

Grantees will be required to provide matching funds on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Applicants may apply for a reduction in their required match based on their Local Operating Income Per Capita level as part of the application. In-kind contributions will not count toward the required match. All matching funds must be administered by the grantee agency.

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
Fall 2022
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
Dec 2022 – Mar 2026

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$439,000,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
$0 – $10,000,000
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
50%
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • State

Funding Source Notes:

The Building Forward Infrastructure Grant Program was made possible by the SB 129 Budget Act of 2021.

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Advances & Reimbursement(s)

Funding Method Notes:

The funding disbursement schedule will be determined as part of the grant agreement.

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
1-916-323-9843, BuildingForward@library.ca.gov