£150,000 fund opens for applications from school libraries

Administered by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC) on behalf of the Scottish Government, the School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF) backs creative and innovative projects in line with the key aims of ‘Vibrant Libraries, Thriving Schools’ - the national strategy for the development of school libraries in Scotland.

Open to all state-run nurseries, primary schools and secondary schools, this year’s fund will prioritise project applications which promote the themes of cross-curricular working and developing employability skills, delivering digital literacy and exploring digital creativity, cluster working and family learning.

Announcing the opening of the fund for this year, Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, said: “School libraries are a vital part of the learning community across Scotland and we know they can help foster habits of reading for pleasure among our young people from an early age, which can support learning and help close the poverty related attainment gap.

“I am determined to ensure that our school libraries continue to prosper and would encourage all head teachers who think their school could benefit for this important funding to apply for a share of this investment from the Scottish Government.”

Last year the fund benefited 17 projects which focused on developing literacy and numeracy, information and media literacy and mental health support.

Schools can submit an individual or collaborative application, with SLIC accepting up to two individual applications per local authority and an unlimited number of collaborative applications to ensure equal opportunities across the country.

The School Library Improvement Fund 2025-26 is now open. Applications will close on 27 August 2025.

To find out more and apply, visit www.scottishlibraries.org.