Susan Banks, Deupty Secretary and State Librarian
$4.2 Million in Keystone Grants Awarded
I am very pleased to announce on behalf of the Pennsylvania Department of Education that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will be awarding eleven municipalities in eight counties with an estimated $4.2 million in Keystone grant funds to improve their local libraries. The grants, ranging from a low of $9,800 to a high of $750,000, will help support significant library building improvements.
Please join me in congratulating the following libraries:
| County | Municipality | Project Library | Award | Brief Project Description |
| Allegheny | Brentwood Borough | Brentwood Library | 100,850.00 | Replace flooring and windows. |
| Allegheny | Fox Chapel Borough | Community Library Association dba Cooper-Siegel Community Library | 750,000.00 | Renovate 6500 square feet of unfinished space and fit out to create new public library space. |
| Allegheny | Richland Township | Northern Tier Regional Library Association | 91,831.50 | Replace restrooms for ADA compliance; add family restroom. |
| Crawford | Titusville City | Benson Memorial Library | 220,796.50 | Roof replacement and exterior repair of library building. |
| Cumberland | Camp Hill Borough | Cleve J Fredricksen Library | 305,292.00 | Renovations to include replacemement of boiler and thermostats, replacement of flat roof, automatic door openers on lower level restrooms, and addition of solar panels. |
| Delaware | Darby Borough | Darby Library Company | 748,771.50 | Interior renovation of 2-story library into cohesive accessible facility, with energy-conservation measures. |
| Delaware | Springfield Township | Springfield Township Library | 653,800.00 | Retrofit building to update outdated HVAC, elevator, lighting and roof. |
| Fayette | Fayette County | Carnegie Free Library of Connellsville | 175,000.00 | Exterior strucural repairs to 125-year-old building. |
| Franklin | Greencastle Borough | Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library | 9,794.12 | Upgrade facility security infrastructure to include video surveillance and gas/carbon monoxide detectors. |
| Lawrence | Lawrence County | New Castle Public Library | 405,000.00 | Replace failing heating and AC system with energy-efficient components. |
| Montgomery | Upper Dublin Township | Upper Dublin Public Library | 750,000.00 | Renovation and restoration of public spaces to include accessible, energy efficient and mechanical upgrades. |
About the Keystone Grant Program
The Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund was established by an act of the General Assembly in 1993. The Department of Education, through the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, Bureau of Library Development, administers the public library portion of this program which is funded from a portion of the state’s realty transfer tax.
Grants pay up to 50 percent of eligible costs in planning, acquisition, construction and rehabilitation of public libraries. Examples of fundable projects include, but are not limited to: ADA upgrades, new roof, replacement windows, energy efficient upgrades to HVAC systems, facility expansion and new construction.
A competitive grant application process is used to award matching facilities grants to municipalities that sponsor state-aided public libraries. To be eligible, the sponsoring municipality and the board of the state-aided library must jointly submit an application developed cooperatively by both entities and signed by their governing bodies. The Keystone grant requires a dollar-for-dollar match.
We anticipate opening the next round of Keystone grant opportunities in the summer of 2025.
Susan Banks | Deputy Secretary, Commissioner for Libraries, and State Librarian
Pennsylvania Department of Education | Office of Commonwealth Libraries
607 South Drive | Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717-214-4046 | www.statelibrary.pa.gov
This communication is issued on the Deputy Secretary’s behalf by Carrie Cleary, Executive Assistant (ccleary@pa.gov; 717-783-5725).
Please see the original press release from March 13, 2025: Shapiro Administration Awards More Than $4 Million in Keystone Grants | Department of Education | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania