Small Grants Help Libraries Encourage Creativity

Deadline: Friday, March 15, 2013

Public school libraries and public libraries that host programs encouraging literacy and creativity in children can apply for an Ezra Jack Keats Minigrant of $500. Programs focusing on the work of Ezra Jack Keats are welcome, but not required.

Ezra Jack Keats was the first American author/illustrator to give a Black child a central place in a children's book. The Snowy Day featured a young African-American boy named Peter, and in 1963 it received the Caldecott Award for most distinguished picture book for children. Peter appeared in six more books, growing from a small boy to an adolescent.

Examples of successful minigrant applications include:

• Pen-pal projects bringing disparate communities together
• Multicultural portrait projects
• Art projects culminating in art shows, murals, or quilts
• Bookmaking
• Creation and performance of puppet shows
• Intergenerational journals

Winners are required to submit a final report describing the program funded by the grant.

Visit the Ezra Jack Keats Web site for guidelines and a downloadable application form.