Inspiration Grants
LSTA-funded Inspiration Grants enable libraries to seek support for programs that don’t necessarily fit within the parameters of other funding opportunities.
Inspiration projects feature new ideas or methods, experimentation, and creative approaches to library programming. They begin the nine-month project period fully developed and ready to implement.
Because the Inspiration award cycle is different from the typical LSTA grant year, library staff are empowered to react to “a-ha moments” and carry out innovative projects mid-year.
FY 23-24 Grantees
Benicia Public Library: We are All Related Lessons in Human Kindness is hosting a series of events for children and their extended families which reflect on the wide diversity of the community participating. Children’s book author events allow children to foster empathy, understanding, and appreciation, based in the representation of themselves they find in the chosen books.
County of San Luis Obispo: The Library Mixteco Interpretation Services is conducted by the San Miguel Library. The library works with local community organizations to provide interpretation services to the Mixteco speaking population, enabling them to better connect with services and community engagement.
Mariposa County Library: The Improving Senior Digital Literacy project provides training ro seniors in basic digital literacy skills. The Mariposa County Library partnered with Human and Senior Services Agencies in order to bring this service to their rural population.
Mission Viejo Library: The Mission Viejo: Our Stories, Our Food project focuses on a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds, providing the community an opportunity to express its diverseness through the sharing of family recipes and generational stories. At the end of the project the library will facilitate the print and digital publication of a cookbook based on the recipes and stories gathered.
Placentia Library District: Third Grade Civic Center Visits will bring Placentia’s third-grade classes to the civic center for an in-depth tour of the library and city hall and host interactions with the fire and police departments. The third graders will get to see how their local community works.
Sonoma County Library: Co-Designing Community Connections for Quality of Life focuses on a series of events which center on the culture and wellbeing of Sonoma’s diverse community. The library will work with multiple community-based organizations to offer the series.
City of Chula Vista: Memory Lab is a project offered by Chula Vista Public Library System to assist community members in preserving their personal memories and family histories through access to three local memory labs.
City of Huntington Beach: Preschool Busy Bags: Early Learning Kits for Families Expansion is a program that lends take-home kits that empower caregivers to provide early literacy development at home for their preschool-age children.
Folsom Public Library: Telugu Heritage Project has launched a series of programs to introduce and support Telugu culture. The programs are presented in collaboration with the Telugu community.
Lodi Public Library Foundation: Teens Helping Teens is a program to help teens find community by increasing mental health awareness, offering supportive measures, and coordinating peer support via Teen Mental Health First Aid.
Madera County Library: RCG Program: Reach, Connect, Grow is offered through a partnership between Madera County Library and Madera Unified School District’s Adult Transition Program. The organizations have created activity kits for young adults with disabilities to use while visiting the library.
Murrieta Public Library: Murrieta Public Library’s Library for All program has established a Library for All geared towards prekindergarten to fifth grade, and teens. The program includes a monthly program for teens and activities for children with disabilities.
Santa Clara City Library: Montague Park Project works to provide library access and services to an underserved, low income, and isolated neighborhood. Through this project, a community co-designed series of events will provide opportunities for academic, cultural, nutritional, and STEAM education.
Stanislaus County Library: Full STEAM Ahead in Stanislaus County utilizes an informal approach to learning in order to spark interest and bridge educational gaps in STEAM education. Through this program the library offers STEAM programs for all ages.
Yorba Linda Public Library: Create! Interactive Programs for the Developmentally Disabled is a series of programs and supplemental services available for library users with developmental disabilities.
FY 22-23 Grantees
Alameda Free Library: The Coding with Lego project fostered the development of 1st-8th grade students’ STEAM knowledge and 21st century skills through hands-on, purposeful play with LEGOs.
Arcadia Public Library: The library’s Teen Graphic Design Club’s STEAM programming enabled high school students to build their graphic design skills using Procreate.
Madera County Library: STEM Discovery was a 10-week, hands on, curriculum that uses LEGO DUPLO bricks to ignite the curiosity of children aged four to six.
Los Angeles Public Library: Tai Chi Time’s health literacy and exercise workshops created community, combatted loneliness, and helped participants learn together.
Madera County Library: The Equitable Summer Experiences project provided more equitable access to summer programming by extending the same level of programming to all library locations and the Bookmobile.
Nevada County Library: The Flexible Teen Makerspace at the Grass Valley offered teen-centric programs designed to promote rural teenagers’ sense of inclusion and belonging in the community.
Palo Alto City Library: Community Threads fostered connections among teens and adults as they unleash their creativity in sewing classes and workshops.
Torrance Public Library: Happy Hours @ KGL offered a mix of evening and weekend programs focused on arts, culture, recreation, and civic engagement; highlights included Arts and Culture Nights and a daytime Stroller Striders program.
FY 21-22 Grantees
Blanchard Community Library: Bridging the Digital Divide provided instruction and access to the internet for seniors, unhoused people, and others who are new to online resources or lack access.
City of Huntington Beach: Preschool busy bags are take-home activity kits that empower caregivers to promote early literacy development at home through talking, singing, reading, writing, and playing.
Monterey County Free Libraries: Play-aways for the Whole Family made audiobooks pre-loaded on devices that do not require a connection to the internet, a smartphone, or other related device available to families.
Murrieta Public Library: Library for All provided a welcoming environment for adults and teens and their caregivers by inviting their participation in library activities with themes that change each month.
Nevada County Library: The Recreation Collection created a lending library of sports and recreation equipment that enables residents to explore new sports and hobbies without economic barriers.
Santa Fe Springs City Library: TechLab for Seniors provided a safe learning environment for seniors to gain digital literacy skills and learn to access digital information.
Santa Maria Public Library: Community Cultural Programming featured local community groups offering diverse programs for families and children that explored culture, history, and community.
South San Francisco Public Library: Building 21st Century Skills with a Glowforge Laser Cutter taught lifelong learners of all ages how to design products using computers.
Sutter County Library: Skillshare and Innovation Center is a multigenerational space that encourages lifelong learning through traditional and contemporary crafts and through technology.
The City of Yorba Linda: Young Learner’s Library created kits for loan to families so they can experience hands-on activities at home that are not easily available outside of the classroom.
Whittier Public Library: Plant a Seed to Read inspired intergenerational groups to build environmental consciousness in youth through literature and gardening programs.
Questions? Email us. To learn about the Inspiration grant timeline and eligibility requirements visit Inspiration Grants.
Inspiration Grants are supported with Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funding.