CENL supports national libraries across Europe with a strong emphasis on collaboration, professional development, and expanding public access to cultural heritage and knowledge. Its funding tends to back member-led projects that build staff skills, strengthen cross-border cooperation, and improve the preservation, discovery, and inclusion of underrepresented stories in national collections. The funder is distinctive for serving a tightly defined membership of national libraries rather than open competition, with modest, project-specific awards designed to catalyze practical work.
Primarily small, targeted grants and bursaries for CENL member institutions, usually in the €1,500-€5,000 range, with some calls time-limited and others open year-round. Support is program-specific and often tied to collaborative projects, visits, workshops, research, or capacity-building rather than unrestricted funding.
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Eligibility appears limited to CENL member libraries and member-led projects, so applicants should confirm membership status and align proposals tightly to the specific fund’s theme. Watch for short call windows on competitive grants like the Erland Kolding Nielsen Grant, while the Skills and Knowledge Exchange Bursary accepts applications year-round; keep requests concise and clearly explain the collaborative impact and expected outputs.
Current and upcoming funding from Conference of European National Librarians that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: The applicant's employer must be a CENL member; the national library must be up to date with CENL membership fee payments; all activities must be with other CENL members and enable skills and knowledge exchange.
Deadline: No fixed deadline; applications accepted year-round.
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.