COSLA-IMLS National Book Festival Support 2025
Building on the experiences and lessons learned in previous years, the program continues to evolve for 2025.
Each participating state will designate its primary point of contact (PPOC) (both an agency and an individual), each entity must submit a W-9.
Awards will be made ONLY to entities – Center for the Book, State Library Agency, Humanities Council, or other host entity. No payments will be issued directly to individuals.
Funding is available in two functional areas:
Participation Stipends: Funding is available for the attendance at, and engagement in, the 2025 Nation Book Festival. Allowable expenses include: travel, lodging, meals, materials development and production, shipping, and other supplies.
** At the request of IMLS, talent (author) engagement is NOT an allowable expense for 2025.**
Local Programming Stipends: Funding is available to support local programming developed and implemented to promote the National Book Festival and Centers for the Book at the local level.
This funding is available to both states that participate in the NBF, and those that are not able to send representatives to D.C., but wish to promote the NBF and their state’s Center for the Book. Allowable expenses include: materials development and production, talent (author) engagement, space fees (rental), and staff time. Note – hospitality (food and beverage) for any local program is NOT an allowable expense.
** Talent (author) engagement IS allowable under local programming. **
APPLICATION PROCESS
Each state will submit a single application for 2025 support.
The application form will collect complete details on the applying entity and the primary point of contact for the entity.
A single total project estimate will be required.
A worksheet to aid in the development of your program expense estimate is provided.
NBF 2025 Budget Worksheet (Excel File)
The amount reported is your total award request – not necessarily your total estimated expenses. You may choose to request less than your total estimated expenses.
A FIRM application deadline will apply – Thursday, May 15, 2025
Once the deadline has passed, no additional applications will be accepted.
Following the closing of the application window, the available funds will be allocated across the applications received. All available funding will be distributed as a percentage of each applicant’s projected expenses.
TIMELINE
May 1 (April 24) Application Opens
May 15 Application Closes
Jun 1 Awards Confirmed
July Awards Distributed
September 6 National Book Festival 2025
October Feedback Collected
FAQs
Q: Our state XYZ agency is partnering with the ABC entity to coordinate our presence at the National Book Festival, who should be the PPOC?
A: COSLA has no preference, but there can be only ONE PPOC per state. Each state can determine ‘internally’ which entity is best positioned to serve as the PPOC.
Q: Our state XYZ agency is partnering with the ABC entity to collaborate on our presence at the National Book Festival and both entities are incurring expenses. How does each entity receive reimbursement?
A: The participation stipend / local programming stipend allocation is the total funding available per state. The award will be distributed to the PPOC’s entity, and that entity is responsible to sub-divide / distribute funds as agreed to within that state.
Q: Do we need to submit receipts for travel, lodging, materials production or shipping?
A: No. The program is now built on a flat award model that does not require any receipts. That said, it is recommend that the PPOC for each state maintain records of all related expenses should an audit of records be requested.
Q: When will stipend award funds be distributed?
A: As soon as funds are received from IMLS, disbursements will be made out to the individual states.
Q: The participation stipend and local programming stipend funds are divided into allocable expense categories. Do the expense amounts need to match the category allotments?
A: No. The category allotments are guidelines for how the overall allocation was determined.
Q: Do I need to submit the budget worksheet?
A: No. The worksheet is for your own use to help develop your request. It is recommended that you maintain a copy of the worksheet for your own records / documentation.
Q: Why can’t awards be made directly to individuals?
A: Moving to a flat stipend model, and completely eliminating the collection of receipts requires that payments be issued strictly to entities.
Q: How are awards calculated?
A: The total available funds are divided equally between the number of applicants, setting a baseline. Requests made below that baseline are ‘fully funded’. Remaining requests are separated into ‘bands’ based on the amount requested with a diminished rate of funding in inverse proportion to the total amount requested. (The larger the requested total amount, the larger the ‘reduction’ incurred.)
Q: Can I pay for travel / lodging expenses for an author from my state to attend the NBF?
A: No – this expense has been removed from eligibility for 2025.
Q: How do I submit my entity’s W-9 to COSLA?
A: Email your entity's current W-9 to [email protected] – and please provide any additional information about how payment should be made in that email.
Q: Do we have to participate in both functional areas (Participation in DC AND Local Programming)?
A: No. You can apply for funding from either or both functional areas.
Regarding Volunteering at the IMLS Roadmap to Reading Booth:
Q: What can we expect if we volunteer at one of the IMLS Roadmap to Reading booths during the 2025 National Book Festival?
A: Any CFTB representative attending the Festival in person is welcome to volunteer for 2 hours at one of two IMLS booths; historically, duties include distributing maps and completion giveaways, and assisting with selfie stations. Update: We are collecting information on those who are willing to help at the IMLS Booth – but given the staffing changes at the agency we are uncertain what the IMLS presence will look like for 2025.
Q: Will there be a schedule (including where and when to report) of CFTB volunteers at the IMLS booths provided prior to the Festival?
A: As we get closer to the event, we will share the information on those who self-identified to volunteer at the IMLS Booth with IMLS, and they will coordinate with those individuals directly.
Q: What if a CFTB representative is unable to commit to the full 2 hours?
A: Go ahead and sign-up and include a note. We will see how it shakes out together.
Q: Will any CFTB representative participating in volunteering with IMLS receive special dispensation or funding?
A: No. This is a completely voluntary opportunity that might give representatives a more holistic experience of the Roadmap to Reading.
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