State Aid for Library Construction Program

Program Overview

Capital funds for the State Aid for Library Construction Program are provided annually in the New York State Budget for library construction and broadband infrastructure projects. The Division of Library Development (DLD) oversees the program administered locally by the state's twenty-three public library systems. The OWWL Library System manages State Aid for Library Construction to the public and association libraries in Ontario, Wayne, Wyoming, and Livingston Counties.

Funds are allocated to public library systems based on formulas in Education Law 273-a. Libraries may qualify for up to 50% of their total project cost and up to 75% if they meet the Reduced Match Eligibility Requirements. Individual awards are determined by the number of libraries applying, proportional to available funds and libraries' three-year award history. For FY 2024, funding priority will be given to projects whose primary work is ADA / Accessibility.

Repair and general/routine maintenance are ineligible to receive construction aid funds according to DASNY guidelines.

FY 2026 Project Timeline

• January 28, 2025 FY 2026 State Aid for Library Construction Information Session (virtual)
• May 30, 2025 Intent to Apply with Contractor Quote(s) due to OWWL Library System
• June 9, 2025 OWWL Library System Construction Aid Committee makes Award recommendations and notifications are sent to qualifying libraries; libraries must affirm they are moving forward by June 17
• June 18, 2025 Construction Aid Online Grant Portal Training (virtual)
• July 1, 2025 Work may begin on FY 2026 projects (but must not be completed before September 5, 2025); any work completed between January 5, 2024 and June 30, 2025 qualifies as share funds only.
• September 5, 2025 Full State Aid for Library Construction Applications due to OWWL Library System
• October 1, 2025 Deadline for OWWL Library System to submit all applications to DLD
• Winter / Spring 2026 DLD reviews applications and then sends them to DASNY for approval
• Late Summer / Early Fall 2026 Libraries are notified of application approval from DLD following DASNY review and approval.
  • Approved projects will now need to complete and submit their signed FS-10s (this is a change that started with FY 2024 Projects)
• Late Fall 2026 Libraries will receive the initial payment of 90% of their total award amount from NYS
• June 30, 2031 Deadline to close out project
  • The final award payment of 10% will be disbursed when the project close-out has been approved by DLD

Please Note: Funding is not guaranteed until the final review and approval by DASNY. Their review, including a review for bondability by DASNY's bond counsel, is a lengthy process, and libraries should not expect funding within the first fiscal year of the project.

Timeline subject to change to reflect program changes from DLD and/or DASNY.

FY 2025 Project Timeline (Updated)

• Winter / Spring 2025 DLD reviews applications and then sends them to DASNY for approval APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY AT THIS STAGE
• Late Summer / Early Fall 2025 Libraries are notified of application approval from DLD following DASNY review and approval.
  • Approved projects will now need to complete and submit their signed FS-10s (this is a change that started with FY 2024 Projects)
• Late Fall 2025 Libraries will receive the initial payment of 90% of their total award amount from NYS
• June 30, 2030 Deadline to close out project
  • The final award payment of 10% will be disbursed when the project close-out has been approved by DLD

Please Note: Funding is not guaranteed until the final review and approval by DASNY. Their review, including a review for bondability by DASNY's bond counsel, is a lengthy process, and libraries should not expect funding within the first fiscal year of the project.

Timeline subject to change to reflect program changes from DLD and/or DASNY.

Intent to Apply

Click here to access and complete the Intent to Apply form to indicate your library's intent in pursuing FY 2026 State Aid for Library Construction.

The information submitted will be used by the OWWL Library System's Construction Aid Committee to determine eligibility and the level of funding for your library. Libraries are required to complete this Intent to Apply form before they start working on the full State Aid for Library Construction Application. Libraries who do not submit an accurate Intent to Apply by the deadline will be ineligible for a State Aid for Library Construction this cycle.

To complete this form, you will need:

• A brief description of the project (bullet points preferred)
• An approximate timeline of the project

Once you complete this form, you must then email a contractor quote or quotes for the project to rkirsop @ owwl.org.

The deadline to submit your Intent to Apply is May 30, 2025.

Quick Links

• To access the online application: https://eservices.nysed.gov/ldgrants
• To create an account: https://nyslibrary.libwizard.com/f/pl_contact_update
• To update your contact information: https://nyslibrary.libwizard.com/f/pl_contact_update
• To start SHPO: https://parks.ny.gov/shpo/online-tools/

System Resources

• FY 2026 Info Session Slides
• FY 2026 Info Session Recording
  
• FY 2025 Construction Aid Application Checklist
• Facilities Planning for Your Library

State Resources

• State Aid for Library Construction webpage
• Frequently Asked Questions
• NY State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
• NYSL Webinar: Understanding SHPO: A Primer for Library Construction Projects
• NYSL Webinar: Planning for a Library Construction Project
• Closing a Construction Grant

Accessability Resources

• Library Equipment & Facilities Management: Access to Facilities & ADA Issues
• ADA Standards for Accessible Design
• ADA Compliance for Public Libraries: Creating Accessible Knowledge Spaces
• Accessible Libraries 101
• ALA Accessability Case Study: Lee Public Library

Important Updates

• Funding priority will be given to projects whose primary work is ADA / Accessibility.
• Project Narractives shoud be written as bullet points.
• All pre-project photos must be in a single document (either Word or PDF) and clearly labeled. Multiple image uploads will no longer be accepted.
• If you do not own your building and need to show certification of the required ten-year minimum lease/legal agreement, DLD requires a signed letter "from the owner of the building that specifically states that they know the work is going to be done and that the library is guaranteed residence for at least ten years from the anticipated completion date of the project. This guarantee must apply to all areas of the building on which State Aid for Library Construction funds are spent." General/open-ended agreements are no longer accepted.
• Quotes/bids cannot contain contingencies or markups. These types of speculative line items are not eligible for funding.
• FS-10 forms for each project will be submitted by the library system following official notification that the projects have been approved by DASNY. You do not need to submit FS-10 forms until notified by DLD/DASNY to do so.
• As the program now allows for up to six years to be completed, progress reports will only be required to request the third and sixth years, subject to changes in the governing legislation.
• Match Funds is now referred to as Library Share. This change in terminology is to further clarify that this is not a dollar-to-dollar match grant but supplemental aid from NYS.
• Progress reports will be managed by the System. Libraries will no longer receive Progress Report emails from DLD; any project update requests will come from the System.
• Post-project photos are no longer required. Libraries must instead complete the Closing Assurances form when submitting their projects for close-out.
• As Construction Aid Projects are subject to OSC audits, libraries should keep all paperwork including invoices for at least six years from the project's completion date.

Current Project and Application Updates

NOTE: With the passing of Chapter 333 of the Laws of NY 2022, projects funded through the State Aid for Library Construction now have six years to complete project activities.

Project starts with 0386-20-****: Closeout is due by June 30, 2025

Project starts with 0386-21-****: Closeout is due by June 30, 2026

Project starts with: 0386-22-****: Closeout is due by June 30, 2027

Project starts with 0386-23-****: Closeout is due by June 30, 2028

Project starts with 0386-24-***: Closeout is due by June 30, 2029.

Project starts with 0396-25-****: Applications were sent to DLD on October 2, 2024 for review. Approved projects will have a closeout date of June 30, 2030.

Construction Aid FAQ

Q: Doe the recent cuts to IMLS impact State Aid for Library Construction?

A: It is important to remember that State Aid for Library Construction is not a grant. It's been loosely referred to as a grant, but it is bonded aid allocated in the Governor's State Budget. While some programs at New York State Library / Division of Library Development are funded through IMLS money, State Aid for Library Construction is not one of them. The following is a note from DLD that should also provide some additional reassurance: "The encouragement that I would give is that the $44 million is committed from last year's budget."

Q. Do we have to use prevailing wage for State Aid for Library Construction projects?

A. From the New York State Library:

Public libraries, as described in Section 253(2) of NYS Education Law, are subject to the prevailing wage law. Free Association libraries are usually not subject to such law, unless they are involved in construction contracts that take place on municipal property or involve municipal use. In the case of Free Association Libraries, prudence would dictate that such libraries contact the Department of Labor and request a determination as to the applicability of the prevailing wage law in the particular circumstances then present. Projects subject to the prevailing wage law require the payment of certain minimum wages for all laborers, workers and mechanics, and it is vital that such information be provided to any party bidding on such a project.

Q. How much money will the System have to allocate this year?

A. We will not know how much aid the System will recieve for FY 2025 projects until after the New York State budget is approved (so typically in late-April/May). DLD will release Library System Allocations based on formulas in Education Law 273-a.

For FY 2024 projects, OWWL Library System will had $901,384 to allocate. This is flat funding from FY 2023 and a decrease from FY 2022.

Q. How can we get our money faster?

A. Submitting completed applications on time, without any missing elements, will expedite the System and DLD review processes. However, ALL State Aid for Library Construction applications (from all 23 public library systems in New York State) must be submitted to DASNY together, and one incomplete application can hold up the process for all 260+ applications. Once DASNY has all the completed applications, their review process will begin. While there is no set timeline for DASNY to complete their review. (For reference, FY 2022 award notices were sent in October 2022 and the first 90% of funding was disbursed to libraries in December 2022.)

Another thing your library can do to help expedite things is sign up for Electronic Funds Transfer (paper checks take longer to be sent to libraries). Click here to log into your library's Statewide Financial Services (SFS) account to set up EFT.

Q. How long do we have to keep paperwork/information from a State Aid for Library Construction funded project?

All paperwork/information including invoices should be kept for six (6) years from the fiscal year the project was closed out.

Q. Can we include a contingency fee in our quote?

A. No and yes. There cannot be a specific line item for contingency fees on your quote document(s). However, when obtaining a quote, let your contractor know the timeline for the project and to forecast a bit what the costs may be one to two years from now. Because many libraries do not start their projects until after the first 90% is disbursed, the quote should reflect the project then and not now. By looking ahead and planning along the project's timeline, your quote may then include built-in contingency costs to account for the increase costs of materials and/or labor when your project actually begins.

Q. Can we use an architect's quote?

A. No. Architects use parametric estimates (see Ron for a deep dive into Project Management and parametric estimates vs. analogous estimates) which is based on a formula. There have been instances of architect quotes being way under actual costs, which has placed the completion of some projects in jeopardy. For this reason, DLD and DASNY only accept contractor quotes as a reliable assessment of true project cost and not quotes from architectural, engineering, or consulting firms.

Q. I'm completing my Payee Information Form and I don't know what a UEI is?

A. As of April 4, 2022, a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) has replaced the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.

If a library has been assigned a DUNS number and ever registered the DUNS in the federal (not state) SAM system (SAM.gov), the library should have been automatically issued a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). However, SAM.gov created a UEI for both active and expired registrations. Please sign into your SAM.gov account to view your assigned UEI.

If the library has never been assigned a DUNS in the past, the library will need to apply for a UEI, however, as of now the library does not need to take the next step and register the UEI with SAM.gov. The UEI does not expire and it is free of charge to apply.

System Contact: Ron Kirsop

For questions about current or potential State Aid for Library Construction projects or applications, please contact Ron Kirsop, at rkirsop@owwl.org. If emailing about a current project, please include your library's name and project number in the email subject line.

This page will continue to be updated as more information/updates on the State Aid for Library Construction program become available.