National libraries have been re-opening their doors through the summer to a different world. Covid-19 and lockdowns have had a huge impact on the financial stability of many national libraries and created many new challenges in how we welcome our readers and make our collections available digitally. In addition, the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement is a historical challenge to the ways our institutions have been collecting, researching and telling stories.

To support its members in their answers to this new landscape, the CENL Executive Committee is proud to announce two new funds launching today: the Covid-19 Support Fund and the Hidden Stories Fund.

• The Covid-19 Support Fund is a new fund to respond and provide funding to help CENL members respond to immediate challenges connected to the Covid-19 crisis, and offer support to adapt and reimagine ways of working together for the longer-term future. CENL members will be able to apply for grants of up to €2,500 for additional Covid-19 costs and creative projects. Details on how to apply can be found here.
• CENL recently supported IFLA’s dedication to inclusion and to actively work against racial discrimination of all kinds. As national libraries, we need to ensure that our collections, events and exhibitions are genuinely inclusive and representative of and for all communities. The new Hidden Stories Fund aims to support projects to collect, preserve, research and highlight the stories from, by and related to underrepresented communities in our national collections. CENL members will be able to apply for grants of up to €2,500 to support a variety of projects to encourage and support working with underrepresented communities to ensure that their stories are preserved for future generations. Details on how to apply can be found here.

Please contact the CENL Secretariat at cenl@bl.uk if you have any questions on these funds.