Jeanette & Jim Larson Grant
The Jeanette & Jim Larson Grant supports Texas public libraries and branches in purchasing mystery fiction that updates or expands their collections and draws new library users.
Funder: Texas Library Association
Due Dates: January 15, 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: At least one $500 grant awarded annually; number and amounts depend on fund income
Summary: Supports Texas public libraries and branches in purchasing mystery fiction for their collections.
Key Information: Funds may be used only to purchase mystery fiction materials, not reading sets, subscriptions, or leased items.
Description
The Texas Library Association offers this annual grant to help a Texas public library or individual branch acquire mystery fiction. Jeanette Larson and her late husband, Jim, established the fund to give back to public libraries they had used. The review committee considers how proposed purchases will update or expand a collection and entice new library users.
Eligible materials can serve readers of any age and may be in other languages. Books, audiovisual materials, and e-content are permitted. For this grant, a mystery features a professional or amateur detective solving a crime that presents a puzzle to both the detective and the reader. Legal stories, suspense novels, gothics, and espionage or international-intrigue novels fall outside its definition.
