DALLAS, TEXAS — Today, the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries opened the application for grants to help school libraries update and diversify their book collections. Since its inception in 2002, the Laura Bush Foundation has awarded $24 million to over 4,200 schools across the country.
Eligible schools include any Title 1 public school, including charters and magnets, and any private or parochial school with at least 50% of their student body qualifying for financial aid. All schools – public, private, or charter – must also have a school library. The application period will remain open until December 31, 2026. For further information and to submit an application, please visit www.bushcenter.org/lbf.
In the 2025-2026 grant cycle, the Laura Bush Foundation awarded over $1 million in grants to 220 school libraries across 38 states. Grant-awarded librarians have utilized the funds to enhance their library collections by incorporating additional in-demand books, including e-books and Spanish-language publications.
The George W. Bush Institute’s Education and Opportunity work is anchored in the belief that all children can learn and succeed – and that young people deserve agency in their futures. We use data and research to showcase the need for assessment and accountability, the importance of reading instruction grounded in the science of reading, and ways to increase quality pathways from education into the workforce.
The Laura Bush Foundation is managed as a restricted fund at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas.
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George W. Bush Institute
The George W. Bush Institute is a solutions-oriented nonpartisan policy organization focused on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening democracy, and advancing free societies. Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Bush Institute is rooted in compassionate conservative values and committed to creating positive, meaningful, and lasting change at home and abroad. We utilize our unique platform and convening power to advance solutions to national and global issues of the day. Learn more at bushcenter.org.
