Florida Humanities is honored to announce $23,500 awarded to 12 Florida Public Libraries through Life, Liberty + Libraries, a collaborative grant program in partnership with PBS Books. Following are the inaugural round of Life, Liberty + Library awardees:

  • Brevard County Libraries/Eau Gallie (Brevard County) – $2,500
  • Broward Public Library Foundation (Broward County) – $2,500
  • City of Fort Walton Beach Library (Okaloosa County) – $500
  • DeSoto County Library (DeSoto County) – $2,500
  • Dunedin Public Library (Pinellas County) – $400
  • Friends of the Library of Tampa-Hillsborough County, Inc. (Hillsborough County) – $2,500
  • Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach (Palm Beach County) – $1,500
  • Miami-Dade Public Library System, Main Branch (Miami-Dade County) – $2,500
  • Panhandle Public Library Cooperative System (PPLCS) (Jackson County) – $2,500
  • Sarasota County Libraries (Sarasota County) – $2,100
  • Tavares Public Library (Lake County) – $1,500
  • Volusia County Public Library (Volusia County) – $2,500

In a few short years, Americans will come together for the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding – known as the “Semiquincentennial.” This landmark commemoration provides Floridians, and the nation writ large, with the opportunity to take a closer look at what it means to thrive in a democratic nation, and more deeply realize the principles set forth 250 years ago which guide us as a country and inspire people throughout the world. Moreover, in 2020 alone, Americans will gather to participate in a U.S. presidential election and celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote.

In response to these significant anniversaries, Florida Humanities and PBS Books proudly partnered to create Life, Liberties + Libraries, making available up to $2,500 in funding to support the purchase of democracy and civic themed books and orchestrate complementary humanities programming within the libraries.

Life, Liberty + Libraries Special Initiative Grant - Infographic

Spanning across 12 counties, Life, Liberty + Libraries will reach over 2.1 million people by providing adults, young adults and children access to new titles (in print and e-books) and engaging diverse communities in new, thought-provoking ways. In short, Life, Liberty + Libraries provides a landmark opportunity for a revitalization of civic engagement within communities and an important refresher for Floridians on the value of upholding democracy.

Florida Humanities anticipates launching a second round of Life, Liberty + Libraries in fall 2020 for public libraries and cultural organizations who have literary collections available for the general public. To stay up to date on this and future grant opportunities, please sign up for E-News.

For more information on Life, Liberties + Libraries, please click here or contact Florida Humanities’ Grants Coordinator Lindsey Morrison at [email protected].