The Lake Forest Library is one of 18 Lake County libraries scheduled to share $1.28 million in state per capita and equalization aid grants from Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, according to a Lake County News-Sun report published July 21.

Lake Forest's specific dollar amount has not been made public. The per capita grant is calculated based on a municipality's population; Lake Forest's high property tax base means it does not qualify for the separate equalization aid program.

The largest Lake County recipients are North Chicago Public Library ($206,700), Waukegan Public Library ($151,800), Warren-Newport Library District ($113,000), and Cook Memorial Library in Libertyville ($104,200). North Chicago's grant covers more than 25% of that library's annual budget, according to director Lou Carlisle.

Giannoulias announced the grants in June 2026 as part of a $27 million statewide package supporting 640 public libraries and more than 2,500 school libraries.

The grants are described as "scheduled" in the News-Sun's reporting. No disbursement date has been announced, and the Lake Forest Library has not issued a statement on how it plans to use the funds.