California Civil Liberties Grant Program Open

Funding available for projects that educate Californians about civil liberties through projects in education, public media, preservation, and the arts. Deadline: March 4, 2019.

The State library is pleased to announce another round of funding for the California Civil Liberties Public Education program, whose purpose is to educate the public about the events surrounding the exclusion, forced removal, and internment of Japanese Americans during World War II so that similar actions are not repeated in the U.S.
 
In previous years, more than 300 projects have been undertaken by artists, writers, public television stations and other non-profit organizations as well as state and local government agencies.

Those projects have included creation and broadcast of video, films and audio storytelling (narrative and documentary); books, including graphic novels; live readings; photo collections and exhibits; visual art exhibits; museum displays; arts performances of drama, dance and music; oral histories; document and material preservation; educational guides and curriculum; website tools; essay and literature projects; public art and monuments; and music and recordings.

The State Library has also created a simulation of what it was like to be sent to an internment camp. It can be found at internmentexperience.org.

The guidelines, application links and other vital information about the Civil Liberties program can be found here. Applications are due online on March 4, 2019, for review by an advisory committee and the State Library. The program is also intended to educate the public about civil liberties injustices that have been carried out against other communities, both in the past as well as today.

Projects may provide information about civil liberties injustices that are perpetrated on the basis of an individual's race, national origin, immigration status, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, as well as the forced internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

“Fear and bigotry were the root of internment in World War II. Both are still around,” said Greg Lucas, California’s state librarian. “Better understanding of past mistakes and connecting them with current events helps make sure we remember we’re always stronger together.”

History of the California Civil Liberties program
California’s civil liberties program was created to educate the public about the rights violations that occurred in the wake of Japan’s December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942 which put more than 120,000 Japanese Americans into relocation camps throughout the United States. Congress re-examined the issue in the early 1980s, which led to a federal law requiring a public apology for internment, the awarding of individual restitution to those incarcerated and the creation of a public education fund. The California Civil Liberties program continues these public education efforts.

California’s Civil Liberties program was first established in 1998, and funding continued until 2011. The budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2017 contained $3 million with the expectation that $1 million would be spent annually for three years. This is the second round of grants with the 2017-18 funds.

Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations and local and state government agencies. Grant requests for up to $100,000 can be made for large-scale preservation, public media or educational projects. Community projects have a maximum of $30,000.

Questions about the Civil Liberties program for potential applicants can be directed to Mary Beth Barber, Special Projects and Assistant to the State Librarian, at 916-323-9758 or Marybeth.barber@library.ca.gov. The State Library website is at www.library.ca.gov, and the Civil Liberties program may be found under the “grants” tab.

Deadline: March 4, 2019.