Submission Guidelines

Deadline: September 15, 2025

The Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize, developed in partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal, was created in 2019 to recognize the public library as a vital community asset. When libraries, civic entities, organizations, and the people they serve become close partners, their communities thrive.

Prize: One winning library will receive $250,000 in unfettered grant monies from the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation. The winning library will also be profiled in the March 2026 issue of Library Journal and online. Honorable mentions may also be named.

The winning library will be identified based on the degree of its impact on the community in the following key areas:

  • Engagement with local government to support the service area's defined goals
  • Engagement with the community to develop library services
  • Community recognition
  • Inclusive service that supports broad community interests
  • Leadership development to perpetuate the library's organizational strength and dynamism
  • Environmental sustainability and leadership in sustainable thinking
  • Inventiveness as exemplified by one of the library's services which is particularly original, both strategically and tactically
  • Resilience in the face of challenges

Application Requirements

  • Nominations will be submitted via an online form.
  • Nominations must include the following:
    • Nominator (nominations submitted by civic officials or other significant individuals external to the library are welcome)
    • Library data: population in service area, physical area served, per capita expenditure, number of patrons served, number of FTE, hours of volunteer service contributed to the library each year, types of existing funding sources with their relative percentages within total funding, and days and hours open per week.
    • Multiple author submissions are permitted. Please indicate whether AI was used significantly in the development of the application.
    • Detailed answers to criteria-focused questions.
    • Three letters of support from community partners and/or civic leaders, with at least one from an elected official.
    • Optional: Supporting materials such as photographs/images of the library and surrounding community; press coverage, brief videos (not exceed three minutes), etc. These materials are NOT REQUIRED and may or may not be reviewed in the evaluation process.

Read about previous winners: 

 

Eligibility: All U.S. Public Libraries are eligible for the prize.

Application Deadline: The deadline for consideration for the 2026 Kline Community Impact Prize is September 15, 2025.

Please submit nominations via the form found here.

Questions? Please contact Lisa Peet, Executive Editor, Library Journal at lpeet@mediasourceinc.com

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?