'Books Save Lives' Book Grant For School Libraries

If you are a volunteer or staff member attached to a school library, the national nonprofit We Need Diverse Books has a time-sensitive materials opportunity just for you.

Books Save Lives is a grant program allocating up to $10,000 for a school media center to purchase diverse titles to augment existing collections. Titles may come from a long list pre-vetted by WNDB (here), though schools are welcome to suggest their own titles so long as those books meet program eligibility criteria.

Teachers, parents, and community boosters (like Friends) may all nominate their library for consideration. Click here to read the FAQ and access the online application. Submit your candidate school by February 28.

For the 2023 cycle, We Need Diverse Books will prioritize applications submitted on behalf of libraries serving communities with a demonstrated history of book banning or other censorship challenges.

Wondering why library book challenges are grabbing headlines? Check out MALF’s recent webinar Book Banning Then and Now, co-hosted with The Friends of the Brainerd Public Library last June.If you are a volunteer or staff member attached to a school library, the national nonprofit We Need Diverse Books has a time-sensitive materials opportunity just for you.