Idaho’s allotment of the $200 million awarded to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is approximately $2.4 million.
The Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL) will award approximately $1 million of the ARPA funding through its Libraries Keep Students Learning and Adults Earning/ARPA Grant, which will be open to all types of libraries in Idaho — public, school, academic, and special, which includes tribal libraries.
The grant application opens Wednesday, May 12, 2021 and closes fairly quickly on June 15, 2021. We plan to make the grant awards in our new fiscal year, which starts July 1, 2021. Grantees will have until August 11, 2022 to spend the funds and submit their final grant report.
The ARPA funds will provide a significant boost to libraries as they help to keep students learning and adults earning through the pandemic and beyond.
Some ways that libraries can use the funds include: upgrading public access computers and software; for workforce development needs; to purchase books and online content; for the support of OER textbook affordability initiatives that help retain college students; to provide online and after-school tutoring; for telehealth and telelearning support, and much more.
Library directors, administrators, and staff know what their libraries and communities need, and our top priority is to get the ARPA funding out to libraries in every corner of the state to fill those local needs.
We are hosting a webinar about the grant on May 12 at 10:30 a.m. MDT/ 9:30 a.m. PDT. We will go over the application process, including what is allowable and what is not. For more on the webinar, including the link to join, please visit: https://libraries.idaho.gov/event/icfls-libraries-keep-students-learning-and-adults-earning-arpa-grant/.
To find out more about the ARPA grant, visit: https://libraries.idaho.gov/grants-funding/arpa-grant/.
We will utilize the remainder of the ARPA funding to enhance some of our existing statewide programs, such as the Idaho Talking Book Service and our e-book initiative, the Idaho Digital E-Book Alliance (IDEA).
We look forward to seeing what great things our Idaho libraries can accomplish for their communities with this unprecedented funding.
