Kansas City Public Library Gets Grant

Kansas City – Congressman Cleaver is pleased to announce that the Kansas City Public Library will soon receive a grant from the Big Read. The Big Read is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and Arts Midwest. The NEA initiative is an effort to put reading back into the lives of kids, adults, and American culture.

The Big Read will provide opportunities for interested, area residents to read and talk about one or more of 30 selected pieces of literature. Those pieces include The Great Gatsby, A Lesson Before Dying, A Wizard of Earthsea, The Namesake, True Grit, and Into the Beautiful North.

There are close to 80 not-for-profits getting grants that will total $1 million. The Kansas City Public Library grant is for $17,000. Individual grants range from $3,000 to $17,300, and the monies will be used for community-based Big Read programs. Organizations receiving grants include libraries, arts and humanities councils, museums, theater companies, universities, and others.