Cal Humanities

"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more in context."

— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project

"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more when it is in context."

— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project

$750,000 in Grants Available to Help Preserve California’s LGBTQ+ History

$750,000 in Grants Available to Improve Californians’ Ability to Help Preserve of California’s LGBTQ+ History

For Immediate Release: November 16, 2021 

[Sacramento, Calif.] The California State Library announces the availability of $750,000 to make California’s LGBTQ+ historical collections more accessible to all Californians.

At the request of the LGBTQ+ members of the Legislature, Gov. Newsom included the funds in this year’s budget to better preserve the state’s growing number of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer archives and make it easier to share their contents. A previous round of grants for LGBTQ+ archives was awarded in 2019.

“There are many stories that explain who California is and who we’re becoming. The contributions of the LGBTQ+ community and the evolution in California’s attitudes toward them are important stories to share. These grants will help do that,” said State Librarian Greg Lucas.

The program will award one-time grants for projects at institutions of all sizes from large archival institutions with a global reach to smaller, localized collections. Applicants may request between $5,000 and $150,000. Proposed projects should be scalable in case the amount offered to grantees is lower than the amount requested.

The multigenerational history of the LGBTQ+ community in California is complex and encompasses a variety of ethnicities, races, and socio-economic groups. The Preservation and Accessibility of California’s LGBTQ+ History grant program is a small step toward helping demonstrate the significant role California has played – and is playing in LGBTQ+ issues.

Applications are due by January 7th at 5:00 p.m. More information is available at https://www.library.ca.gov/grants/lgbtq-history/

# END RELEASE TEXT #

About the State Library: Founded in 1850, the California State Library has an extensive collection of art, books, diaries, maps, newspapers, periodicals, photographs, and posters from throughout California’s rich history. The State Library is also California state government’s information hub and holds federal and state publications, is home to the Bernard E. Witkin State Law Library and the Braille and Talking Book Library, and serves as the lead state agency for library-related services throughout California.   State Library website