The Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant is an annual grant to recognize, promote, and support innovative and meaningful community engagement efforts in libraries. Community engagement is the process of working collaboratively with community members – be they library patrons, residents, faculty, students, or local organizations – to address issues for the betterment of the community.
Each year, the grant will focus on supporting a community engagement project with a specific theme. For the 2022-2023 cycle, libraries are invited to submit applications for a community engagement project that focuses on connection and reconnection with your community. Your project can be a collaboration with an audience that has not frequented your library in the past or an audience that has not used the library recently (for example, because of the pandemic). Libraries should work collaboratively with community members and at least one partner organization to develop a project that addresses a local issue and builds upon community assets. Please note that, while projects should be community-driven, they must be spearheaded by the library
Applications for the 2022-2023 cycle are now closed. The next round of applications will open in December 2023. To receive notice of this and other grant opportunities, please subscribe to our Programming Librarian e-newsletter.
The Libraries Transform Communities Engagement Grant was made possible by former ALA president and longtime generous supporter Nancy Kranich, with additional contributions raised by solicitations and a matching opportunity in 2017.
Past Winners
- 2022:
- Metropolitan College of New York (N.Y.) - Black Maternal Health Inititiatve (Read ALA's press release announcing the 2022 LTC Engagement Grant awardees)
- Sara Hightower Regional Library System (Ga.) - Coming Home: Essential Resources for Re-Entering Citizens (Read ALA's press release announcing the 2022 LTC Engagement Grant awardees)
- 2021: Albany (N.Y.) Public Library - Branching Out (Read ALA's press release announcing the 2021 LTC Engagement Grant awardee, Albany Public Library)
- 2020: Milwaukee (Wis.) Public Library - Deaf Storyslam (Learn about the 2020 LTC Engagement Grant awardee, Milwaukee Public Library, and their project, Deaf Storyslam)