The Oakland Literacy Coalition’s (OLC) Action Grants support literacy and reading projects outside of school time for Oakland youth ages 0-18.
Donor Name: Oakland Literacy Coalition (OLC)
State: California
City: Oakland
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/15/2026
Size of the Grant: Less than $1000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
As the OLC and partners gear up to launch the Oakland is a Reading Town citywide campaign, they are aligning the Action Grant Program to go beyond access and to support opportunities for young people to read with one another, talk about books, and build connection through shared reading experiences.
If you’re planning a program or event that builds a shared culture of reading and discussing books, they can support it with books, funding, and literacy resources. They welcome applications from individual literacy champions, community organizations, faith-based groups, and cultural collectives who weave reading as a shared social activity into your work with children throughout Oakland.
The OLC promotes the joy of reading by providing grant funds and books to those working with Oakland youth outside of school time. Action Grants are part of the Reading Everywhere program, because they share the value of children reading not only at school, but all through their day – on the bus, at their after school program, at the park, at mosque, temple or church, and at home.
Action Grants support community members and organizations to do creative and engaging literacy activities, ensuring that Oakland’s children have both access to books and adults who will read with them, not just read to them or have them read by themselves. They provide new, high-interest books for your students, and grantees can receive funds to cover project expenses, including food, author visits, and supplies.
Potential projects could look like:
- Book clubs or reading circles: Youth read the same book together and engage in regular, structured or informal discussions about what they’re reading
- Reading block party: a community event with a storytelling stage for read alouds, space to read and eat, and time for book discussions
- Daily reading conversation calendar: adults and youth choose a prompt from a daily calendar to get them talking about the books they’re reading.
Priorities
This summer, they are asking applicants to ask themselves “How can I level up the way I promote connection and comprehension?” They are prioritizing projects that make reading interactive, social, and meaningful. Strong applications will describe how youth will:
- Talk about books (share ideas, opinions, and recommendations)
- Read together (through read-alouds, partner reading, or small groups)
- Respond to books in engaging and creative ways
Funding Information
Grant up to $500.
Eligibility Criteria
- Community programs play a critical role in fostering a shared culture of reading and providing access to books. You are eligible to apply if you’re a:
- Oakland-based community organizations and faith-based groups that work with children from preschool through high school (0-18 years old)
- Informal neighborhood or cultural groups, childcare providers and individual literacy champions.
- Your project serves Oakland students during the summer of 2026.
- Please note that schools and school-based programs are not eligible for Action Grants.
- They believe literacy happens everywhere and want to collaborate with various groups to reach kids where they are. They welcome projects that promote literacy in languages other than English.
For more information, visit OLC.
