Local and Collaborative Grants
Local and Collaborative Grants, funded through the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), help California’s libraries respond effectively to local needs and align services with local community aspirations; support experimentation and research and development in California’s libraries; and provide training and support in grant writing and grant management for the California library community.
Local and Collaborative projects align with Goal 1 of the State Library’s five-year plan, which is to strengthen the ability of California libraries to design equitable programs and services in collaboration with their local communities.
Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Grantees
Benicia Public Library: The creation of a dedicated space for teens and tweens will enable underserved community members to access library space, staff, resources and programming during off-school hours.
Glendale Library Arts & Culture: The Public Librarian Diversity Residency Program offers Residency positions for post-graduate librarians, providing first professional job experiences in preparation for long term career success as public librarians.
Monterey County Free Libraries: Older adults with sensory, cognitive, or learning disabilities engage with library services, prepare for emergencies or disasters, and try technology and tools for home use.
Moreno Valley Public Library: The MoVal Gamers Lair provides children and teens a safe place to play, experiment, and learn about emerging technologies with hands-on activities and STEAM programs.
Oceanside Public Library: Teens have opportunities to participate in training centered on social justice, engage in community conversations, and create programs and services for the public.
Redwood City Public Library: Library programming, including makerspace activities, career development workshops, and cultural events, will be made available to non-English speakers with the help of community members serving as interpreters.
San José Public Library: The Holistic Library Initiative engages with and supports people who are housing-insecure by providing programming and referrals for basic needs, mental heath services, and legal help.
Sunnyvale Public Library: STEM Sunnyvale enables girls and participants from culturally diverse communities to access science and technology-based programming, collections, and equipment.
Fiscal Year 2022-2023 Grantees
Glendale Library, Arts & Culture: The Public Librarian Diversity Residency Program offered Residency positions for post-graduate librarians, providing first professional job experiences in preparation for long term career success as public librarians.
LA County Library: Participation in Work Ready and Adult 101 programming enabled Transition Aged Youth and Non-Minor Dependents to improve their socioeconomic outcomes, boost academic achievement, and engage in the community.
LA County Library: Empowering Older Adults Through Multilingual Digital Literacy increased digital inclusion and social connectedness for English and Spanish-speaking older adults who are building their digital skills and comfort level with technology.
Long Beach Public Library: Rising 6th–8th graders from marginalized communities had opportunity to come together in workshops and summer institutes to gain knowledge and build skills via the SEED: Growing a STEAM Ecosystem.
Madera County Library: “Improving Relevancy in Our Communities” provided access to materials, circulating tools, and a collaborative space to enable community members to gather, share resources, support each other, and collaborate on projects at the library.
Riverside County Library System: Project Connect Now enabled marginalized community members to connect immediately to onsite and virtual social services, legal, and health services.
San Diego Public Library: Homeschool Resource Center provided a warm and welcoming environment to support homeschooling families with educational materials and opportunities to connect with others in the homeschool community.
San Jose Public Library: The Holistic Library Initiative recruited and trained social work interns and volunteers focused on reaching people experiencing homelessness in order to provide basic supportive services and referrals to meet their urgent needs.
Santa Barbara Public Library: The Community Connections program reduced barriers for people trying to access social services, obtain vital documents, and ultimately, accessing housing.
University of Southern California: The Safeguarding L.A. Community Histories initiative helped Southern California community archives share knowledge and gain skills in archival operations to address impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, enhance preservation and access for their cultural and historical collections, and serve diverse California communities.
Califa Group: The Community Connections Collaborative, composed of Glendale Library, Arts & Culture; Oceanside Public Library; and Madera County Library strengthened the libraries’ capacity for social services support via training and a community of practice for library staff.
Contact LSTAgrants@library.ca.gov with any questions.