Will Eisner Grants for Libraries

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The Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries

The 2026 grant cycle is now closed. APPLICATION DEADLINE WAS JANUARY 11, 2026.

Be sure to also check out the Eisner Grant FAQ page for new updates and additional information (including samples of some of the previous winning grant applications).

Check out this recorded webinar for some tips and advice for your Will Eisner Grant application.

THE 2026 GRANT CYCLE IS NOW CLOSED. PLEASE CHECK BACK IN OCTOBER FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEXT GRANT CYCLE.

2025 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Growth Grant winner:

  • The 2025 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Growth Grant is awarded to Monica Heath, Julianne Bedel, Morgan Fryar, Kelly Haleen, Sean Rapacki, Larrissa Rudd, and Catie Taylor of the Medina County District Library in Medina, OH. Their project “My Journey, My Voice” will allow youth to learn to express their emotions via sequential art and will have the library partnering with the Medina County Juvenile Detention Center, OutSupport, and their local Battered Women's Shelter. This opportunity to create, channel emotion and concern into a physical art form, to see themselves in art of their own making, and to engage with a wider selection of graphic novels will be a huge boon to their community.

2025 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Innovation Grant winner:

  • The 2025 Will Eisner Graphic Novel Innovation Grant is awarded to The Friends of the Round Valley Public Library and Patricia Sobrero of the Round Valley Branch of the Mendocino County Library in Covelo, CA. Their project “Graphic Adventures: Empowering Young Readers” will have the students engaging with comics and graphic novels to support and elevate reading levels and comprehension. They will work closely with elementary and middle school teachers and classrooms to show the value of graphic novels and how they promote literacy. Their focus on struggling and reluctant readers in a "comics desert" will encourage reading, art, education, and graphic novels, and will be of huge value to their patrons.

Contact Information

ALA Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table Staff Liaison: Tina Coleman ccoleman@ala.org