Reading Everywhere Action Grants

The Oakland Literacy Coalition’s (OLC) Action Grants support literacy and reading projects outside of school time for Oakland youth ages 0-18. As the OLC and partners gear up to launch the Oakland is a Reading Town citywide campaign, we are aligning our 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, we can support it with books, funding, and literacy resources. We 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.

What Are Action Grants?

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 our Reading Everywhere program, because we 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.  We provide new, high-interest books for your students, and grantees can receive funds up to $500 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 (example from Read Together)

Click here for more project ideas

These projects are just examples of the diverse and creative ways that Oaklanders incorporate talking about books into their community activities. We welcome your creative ideas!

New for Summer 2026: 

Grant Priorities: This summer, we are asking applicants to ask themselves “How can I level up the way I promote connection and comprehension?”  We 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

Proposals that move beyond simply distributing books to creating shared reading experiences and conversation will be prioritized.

A STEAM focus is not necessary for this summer grant cycle.

Who Should Apply?

• 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.
• We believe literacy happens everywhere and want to collaborate with various groups to reach kids where they are. We welcome projects that promote literacy in languages other than English

Important Details and Dates

• Applications for the Summer 2026 grant cycle will be released on April 17, 2026 and can be submitted online anytime until May 15 by 11:59 pm.
• Each participating student must receive at least one new book to keep. Grantees will need to come to the OLC office (2744 E 11th Street) to pick up books between June 4-25. We will work with you to coordinate a time for pickup.
• Projects must be completed by August 21, 2026.
• Grantees will be asked to submit a short report by September 11, 2026.
• Orientation: All grantees are required to attend an online learning session the week of June 1-5.
• Family Engagement: Projects should directly engage students’ families or provide information on supporting reading at home. The OLC will supply a toolkit of resources.
• Application Priority: Priority will be given to new and expanded projects serving students who aren’t served by another program, projects that incorporate shared reading and talking about books, and those that involve families. 
• Grant amounts will be awarded based on the estimated number of students served and the project’s scope. Funds can be used for various project activities, including food and supplies.d and the project’s scope. Funds can be used for various project activities, including food and supplies.

Apply Today! 

For any questions or additional information, feel free to reach out to us at julia@oaklandliteracycoalition.org.