State Grants to Libraries Application and Eligibility

FY 2025-2026 State Grants to Libraries are provided by the Colorado State Library to enable public libraries, school libraries, and academic libraries to obtain educational resources they would otherwise be unable to afford, to the end that the state will receive the corresponding benefits of a better educated and informed population. (C.R.S. 24-90-402)

Process for Completing the Application

Complete the required application sections in GAINS by September 15, 2025, to certify that the library meets the requirements to receive funding and intends to use the funds as required by law.
- Required application sections:
  - Program Selection and Eligibility: use appropriate form for your library type. Make sure that the box next to your library type is checked so that the fields can be edited and information retained.
  - Assurances: statements that the grantee will comply with certain terms and requirements if awarded funds.
  - Budget: with the transition to GAINS, a budget is necessary fund distribution. For the purposes of this application, the budget can be filled out in two ways.
    - If you know what you plan to spend the funds on for this grant year, you can include budget line items for the intended expenses.
    - OR, include "placeholder" budget line item equivalent to the allocation amount. Using this method will require a revision once funds are requested to show what is being reimbursed.
    - A completed budget section should not result in any error or warning messages in the validation column and the total for all budget details should match the allocation amount leaving $0.00 remaining.
  - Approvals: multiple approvals are requested for accountability.
Appropriate approvals for eligibility may be done in GAINS or by obtaining signatures of required individuals and uploading them into GAINS. If obtaining signatures, use the State Grants to Libraries multiple signatures form available in the Related Documents section of the GAINS application. Signatures may be digital or wet/handwritten.
Required signatures/approvals for:
- Academic Libraries:
  - Provost, Dean of Academic Affairs, or other designated authority as appropriate, AND
  - the library director.
- Public Libraries:
  - Library Board chair, authorized governing authority, or other designated authority as appropriate, AND
  - the library director.
- School Libraries (K-12):
  - District Board Chair, Superintendent, or other designated authority, AND
  - designated library coordinator (when applicable).
Recorded webinar and slides for screenshots for completing the application in GAINS available in the Resources section of this page.
Grant application must be completed in GAINS by 4:00 PM Monday, September 15, 2025.
Application is considered fully submitted in GAINS when the application status is at "LEA Authorized Representative Approved."
What does the "CDE Consultant Approved" status signify? It means that the application has been reviewed for completion and eligibility. The grantee has unofficially been approved for funding. The final approval and status change to "CDE Director Approved" will not be made until the grant application period closes and final reviews are done.
Revisions to original application:
- To make revisions to the original application, such as adjustments for unallocated funds, budget narrative updates, or contact changes, visit the Revising Funding Applications resource provided by the GAINS team. Written instructions as well as a video recording are available.

Eligibility Requirements: Academic Library (Universities, Colleges, Community College)

Must be a publicly supported library. Such libraries are supported with money derived from taxation.
Will participate in interlibrary sharing of resources at no charge to other Colorado libraries.
Must have existing local and/or state funding for libraries. The library must maintain its current effort to obtain funds to the end that moneys received under this Act do not replace or displace existing local revenue sources.
Make no charges to Colorado residents:
- To use an Interlibrary loan service (can pass on fees charged/assessed by other libraries) for primary clientele of the library.
- To access the Internet.
Academic Libraries must be established and maintained by a state supported institution of higher education primarily for the use of its students and faculty.
An institution of higher education may maintain more than one library at the same or additional campuses; each such institution shall be considered the equivalent of one eligible participant.

Eligibility Requirements: Public Library

Must be a library that is established, operated, and maintained in whole or in part with money derived from taxation, and which is for the free use of the public. This includes county libraries, municipal libraries, library districts, and joint libraries as defined in library law (24-90-103)
Will participate in interlibrary sharing of resources at no charge to other Colorado libraries.
Must have existing local and/or state funding for libraries. The library must maintain its current effort to obtain funds to the end that moneys received under this Act do not replace or displace existing local revenue sources.
Makes no charges to Colorado residents:
- To use an Interlibrary loan service (can pass on fees charged/assessed by other libraries) for primary clientele of the library.
- To access the Internet.
Must be legally established and operate under Colorado Library Law.
Must meet all of the 13 criteria in the “Definition of a Public Library in Colorado," outlined in the “Colorado Public Library Standards.”
Any publicly supported library that provides electronic devices (computers, hotspots, tablets, e-readers, etc.) for patron access must:
- Equip each device with software that will limit the ability of minors to gain access to material that is obscene or illegal, OR
- Purchase Internet connectivity from an Internet service provider that provides filtering services, OR
- Develop and implement a policy, publicly adopted by the governing body of the library that establishes and enforces measures to restrict minors from obtaining information that is obscene or illegal.

Eligibility Requirements: School Library (K-12)

Must be a publicly supported school library. Such libraries are supported with money derived from taxation.
When applicable, participates in interlibrary sharing of resources at no charge to other Colorado libraries.
Have existing local and/or state funding for libraries. The library must maintain its current effort to obtain funds to the end that moneys received under this Act do not replace or displace existing local revenue sources.
Make no charges to Colorado residents:
- To use an Interlibrary loan service (can pass on fees charged/assessed by other libraries) for primary clientele of the library.
- To access the Internet.
School districts are the sole applicant on behalf of all the school libraries in the district. The district may purchase materials for use in all school libraries (e.g., databases) or target funds to specific schools for defined library needs.
For the purposes of this grant, a School District must have at least one school library, which is defined as a dedicated facility located in and administered by the school that provides at least the following:
- an organized, circulating collection of printed and/or audiovisual and/or computer-based resources, or a combination thereof,
- paid staff to oversee library collection, and
- an established schedule during which services of the staff are available to students and faculty.
Schools that provide electronic devices (computers, hotspots, tablets, e-readers, etc.) for student access must:
- Equip each device with software that will limit the ability of minors to gain access to material that is obscene or illegal, OR
- Purchase Internet connectivity from an Internet service provider that provides filtering services, OR
- Develop and implement a policy, publicly adopted by the governing body of such library that establishes and enforces measures to restrict minors from obtaining information that is obscene or illegal.

Eligible Uses of Funds

The State Grants to Libraries funding is to be used by the recipient to obtain educational resources for the library that they would otherwise be unable to afford. The purpose of the educational resources is to support efforts to improve literacy and learning, and other education-related needs identified by the grantee.
Educational resources are defined as any of the following: books, periodicals, or any other form of print media; audiovisual materials; and electronic information resources.
Electronic Information Resources are defined as material of an education or informational nature that may only be accessed electronically.
Libraries should refer to the chart of How State Grants Can Be Used - an Eligible Uses Checklist and the Frequently Asked Questions resource.

Timeline for Expenditure of Funds

The funding cycle for State Grants to Libraries begins July 1, 2025. Expenses incurred by libraries from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026, may be requested for reimbursement once funds are available. Approved grantees will be notified of their official grant amount after the application closes and final reviews have been made. Official grant award letters are usually sent in late September to early October with funds available for reimbursement soon thereafter. Funds will need to be requested on a reimbursement basis via GAINS no later than July 15, 2026.

Reporting Requirements

All State Grants to Libraries recipients must complete a final expenditure report by September 30, 2026, certifying that all moneys received were used for the purposes outlined in the State Grants to Libraries Act and these Guidelines. The report will include:
- A description of how the grant funds were used.
- Statistical and/or anecdotal reports on the benefits of the grant funded resources.
The final expenditure report must be completed online in GAINS.
The report may be filled out whenever all funds have been spent, but at least by September 30, 2026.
The reporting form must be completed to be eligible for future State Grants to Libraries funding.

Resources

Grant program questions: email Melissa Carlson, carlson_m@cde.state.co.us, or call 720-737-1829
State Grants to Libraries application training for GAINS
Revising funding applications in GAINS
Grants Administration Implementation and Navigation System (GAINS)
General GAINS training
Additional support for GAINS
- Application system questions: GAINS@cde.state.co.us
- Office Hours for the System: every Tuesday from 12:30 to 1:00 pm, hosted by CDE's GAINS team. Register for Office Hours

State Grants to Libraries Home

Toggle Close container

Mobile Search

Mobile Main Nav

Utility Nav Mobile

Translate | traducir

Post

Header Holder

Header Top Wrapper

Header Logo - Default

Header Right Top

Utility Nav Desktop

Translate traducir

Toggle Search Container

Toggle Menu Container

Main Nav Desktop

Search Canvas

Close Search Canvas

Desktop Search

Header Sticky

Header Logo - Sticky

Header Right Sticky