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Current Light the Way Grant Winner
Previous Light the Way Grant Winners

About

The ALSC/Candlewick Press "Light the Way" Grant is sponsored by Candlewick Press in honor of author Kate DiCamillo and the themes represented in her books. The award consists of a $3,000 grant to assist a library in conducting exemplary and replicable outreach to underserved populations through a new and innovative program or an expansion of work already being done. The grant is administered by the ALSC Programs and Services Recognition Committee of the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the 91´«Ã½.

Winners will be announced here and via a press release on the ALSC website in February/March.

Committee Resources

Light the Way Grant Committee Manual PDF

Application Information

Applications for the 2025 ALSC/Candlewick Press "Light the Way" Grant are now closed. They will reopen for 2026 in the fall of 2025.

Please do not fill out and submit the application until you have all the necessary materials to complete your application.

• Application form - Due Dec 16, 2024
• Signature Form found here.
• Please see here for sample itemized budget.
• Please see here for sample timeline.
• If you have questions about your application, please reach out to the co-chairs of the ALSC Program and Services Recognition committee, Jennifer Knight (jknight@coosbaylibrary.org) and Tammie Benham (tbenham@sekls.org).

Award Criteria

Eligible Ideas

The ALSC/Candlewick Press “Light the Way” Grant is open to any project that seeks to engage an underserved population of children from birth up to the age of 14. Special population children may include (but are not limited to) those who have learning or physical differences, those who are speaking English as a second language, those who are in a non-traditional school environment, those who are in non-traditional family settings (such as teen parents, foster children, children in the juvenile justice system, and children in gay and lesbian families), and those who need accommodation service to meet their needs.

The grant recognizes that underserved populations vary from community to community, and all programs that seek to specifically address concerns in this area are eligible for consideration.

Selection Criteria

The ALSC Programs and Services Recognition Committee will select the winner of this award based on an application process. The committee will use a standardized weighted rubric that evaluates each project on innovation, impact, need, planning, outcomes, and sustainability.

Reporting Requirements

This grant requires two reports: a progress report due June 30 and a final report due on September 15. Pictures, anecdotes, and data are encouraged. Additionally, the grant recipient will be responsible for writing a blog post to be posted to the ALSC blog as part of the marketing cycle for the next round of the grant.