Black Gold | Stronger Together: Early Learning Hubs Opportunity

As part of the California State Library’s “Stronger Together: Early Learning” grant initiative, Black Gold Cooperative Library System invites California public libraries to apply for funds to strengthen their roles as Early Learning Hubs and improve or expand Early Learning programs and services in their communities. These grants will support the critical role that libraries play in providing much needed wraparound services and resources, ensuring equitable access to opportunity for young children and their families across the state.

Project Details

Public libraries are trusted, vital community spaces that create opportunities for family engagement and serve as one of the most important supports for children’s early development. Libraries with Early Learning Hubs provide families with easy, supported, and tailored access to high-quality early learning, school readiness, and other community resources. Early Learning Hub projects will help libraries partner with community organizations to innovate and provide access to new services and technology, broaden community impact, provide youth and families with opportunities that build skills, enrich imagination and develop social-emotional skills that support whole child development and promote healthy futures. 

Please choose the option that best matches your proposed project:

Partnerships and Programming

These projects focus on building collaborative partnerships with existing community organizations and creating programs that connect early learners and their families with community resources. Proposals will likely not include activities to create a physical space for these Early Learning programs and services, but rather use existing space within the library. Funded projects can include supplies, technology, collections, materials and services.

Maximum proposal request = $100,000

Partnerships, Programming, and Space

These projects provide wraparound services for early learners and their families as well as physical space for community partners to engage with the community and deliver tailored programming. In addition to building partnerships and creating programs, proposals for these projects will likely include activities to create a physical space for engaging early learners and their caregivers. Funded projects can include the purchase of furniture, supplies, technology, collections, materials, and services that connect children, families and caregivers with the resources they need to thrive.

Maximum proposal request = $225,000

Successful projects will be guided by the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging in all aspects of project planning, implementation, and evaluation.