The International Library & Cultural Exchange Interest Group of CAL is pleased to announce that three grants will be awarded to international and cultural projects this year.

ILCE-IG’s grant committee has awarded $1,500 to Mesa County Libraries’ Culture Fest; $1,500 to Hester J. Hodgdon Libraries for All Foundation; and $100 to the Nederland Community Library District.

The funds granted to the Mesa County Libraries’ Culture Fest will be used for event supplies, marketing and publicity. The Culture Fest is an annual event created to enrich the community and reflect the diversity and cultural heritage of its residents. The event uses visual, performance, culinary and musical art forms as a stimulus for creating cultural awareness and celebrating diversity. The event, co-sponsored by the City of Grand Junction Commission on Arts and Culture and the Friends of Mesa County Libraries, will be held on the first weekend in November.

The funds granted to the Hester J. Hodgdon Libraries for All Foundation will be used for a workshop for staff from government libraries on the Pacific side of Nicaragua as well as staff from all non-government organization libraries. Program events will include a give-and-take table with supplies donated by programmers and attendees; early childhood programming; a craft session; a book cleaning and repair session; and an internet safety session.

The $100 to the Nederland Community Library District will be used for hospitality gifts for Cuban Library peers as part of the 2020 Cuba for Book Lovers Tour, co-sponsored by the Nederland Community Library Foundation and Viva Cuba Tours.

ILCE-IG offers grants to support individual and library partnerships and activities that enhance cultural understanding and to support cultural programming and activities that celebrate ethnic and immigrant cultures in Colorado.

Although two grants for up to $1,500 each were available, the grant committee felt that all three projects merited funding.