shall establish a pilot program to award grants, on a com-
petitive basis, to eligible organizations to carry out the ac-
tivities described in subsection (c). 
(b) APPLICATION.—An eligible organization desiring 
a grant under this section shall submit an application to 
the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
require, including— 
(1) information about past work the eligible or-
ganization has performed related to book access; 
(2) a comprehensive strategic plan for how the 
eligible organization would use a grant under this 
section to carry out one or more of the activities de-
scribed in subsection (c), including a description of 
how such activities would address the needs of the 
community served by the eligible organization; and 
(3) a letter from a leader in the community 
served by the eligible organization in support of the 
eligible organization and the comprehensive strategic 
plan. 
(c) ACTIVITIES.—Grant funds awarded under this 
section shall be used by an eligible entity to carry out one 
or more of the following activities: 
(1) Purchasing or otherwise acquiring new or 
used books for distribution to children. 
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(2) Distributing new or used books to children, 
including through delivery or in-person events. 
(3) Donating new or used books to public li-
braries. 
(4) Hosting or organizing literacy-related pro-
gramming for children and their families, including 
book fairs, reading hours, book drives, and story 
times. 
(5) Any other activity the Secretary determines 
appropriate related to book access. 
(d) GRANT AMOUNTS
AND DURATION.—A grant 
under this section— 
(1) shall be in an amount that is not more than 
$200,000; and 
(2) shall be for a period of 2 years. 
(e) 
VIEWPOINT-NEUTRAL.—In 
awarding 
grants 
under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that applica-
tions submitted pursuant to subsection (b) are reviewed 
based on viewpoint-neutral criteria. 
(f) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after the 
grant period of the final grant awarded pursuant to this 
section expires, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
report on the pilot program, which shall include— 
(1) qualitative data with respect to the activities 
carried out by grant recipients, including the num-
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ber of books provided to children and their families; 
and 
(2) to the extent data is available, information 
about how child literacy rates in communities served 
by eligible organizations changed during and after 
such activities were carried out. 
(g) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion may be construed as restricting, infringing upon, or 
otherwise interfering with the ability of a public library 
or other entity to reject all or part of a donation of books. 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) CHILD.—The term ‘‘child’’ means an indi-
vidual under 19 years of age. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble organization’’ means— 
(A) a nongovernmental organization; or 
(B) a nonprofit organization. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection 
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available 
through fiscal year 2027. 
Æ 
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