The partners library action network and techbridge girls will develop a model for bringing structured programming to small and rural public libraries in texas

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded Partners Library Action Network $370,200 on September 1, 2026, under the National Leadership Grants program (CFDA 45.312) to develop a model for structured STEM programming in small and rural public libraries across Texas.

Partners Library Action Network will recruit partner libraries from its network, provide librarians with professional development in culturally responsive STEM facilitation, equip participating sites with hands-on STEM kits and curriculum, and support librarians as they deliver STEM programming to sixth through eighth-grade students. The project will produce two nationally disseminated deliverables: a Rural Library STEM Programming Toolkit and a Partnership Development Toolkit designed to generate practical resources and evidence about how small and rural public libraries can implement structured STEM learning programs.

Performance takes place in Austin, Texas, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2028. The project is structured to generate results—models, tools, and practices—that can be widely adapted, scaled, or replicated across the library field, consistent with the National Leadership Grants program's mission to advance museum and library practice.

The project will recruit partner libraries from partners library action network's network, provide librarians with professional development in culturally responsive stem facilitation, equip each site with hands-on stem kits and curriculum, and support librarians as they deliver stem programming to 6TH- through 8TH-grade students in their communities. The project will produce two nationally disseminated deliverables, a rural library stem programming toolkit and a partnership development toolkit. The project will generate both practical resources and new knowledge about how small and rural public libraries can successfully implement structured stem learning programs for young people.