Grants
Round 3

We want to support public libraries to develop their own online presence and enhance the national LibraryOn platform.

In Round 3 you can apply for between £10,000 and £30,000. Activity must be delivered between November 2025 and March 2026.

There are three strands of activity that you can apply for:

The aim for this strand is to enable new website visitors to easily become library members. Our marketing campaigns target new and lapsed library users, and this creates a centralised access point for them to join any library in the country. Initially this will be through an onward link to your joining page, and later through an integrated process.

You can apply for grant funding to support this, including any of the following activity:

• A new or improved join online option on your library website

• New authentication software

• Significant LMS or software upgrades to enhance joining online.

This strand enables library staff to update library authority data and information on the national LibraryOn platform. Projects in this strand will enrich local library information such as LibraryOn map data, events listings, catalogue search or other public-facing features.

You can apply for grant funding to align with this and to enhance the listings for your service on the LibraryOn website, including any of the following activity:

• Additional software or platforms to enhance or create online events listings that can be integrated with LibraryOn website

• LMS upgrades to support catalogue integration with the LibraryOn website

• Virtual tours that can be embedded or linked to from the LibraryOn website

• Accessibility features that develop your site and improve your LibraryOn listing.

The third strand focuses on creative ideas that have national relevance and local resonance linked to services and offers from libraries or that improve national access to them. We are particularly interested in projects that target new or lapsed users or future library users from the younger generation.

We are looking for ideas that benefit not just your library service and its users, but the wider library sector in attracting and retaining library users, and building offers and projects at scale.

You can apply for grant funding to support this, such as:

• Ideas for digital features / projects that we could build upon or incorporate on LibraryOn.org, scale up nationally and/or share with other library services.

Things you'll need to make an application

• Round 3 application guidance

• Application portal

• Template to be completed by your finance team and submitted with your application

• Copy of the application questions

• Example of the funding agreement available soon

What you'll need if you are awarded funding

• Bank details form

• Monitoring template