The Robert W. Woodruff Library Of The Atlanta University Center, Inc.

The Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc. is a tax-exempt nonprofit educational institution and historically black college/university library located in Atlanta, Georgia that receives federal grants as a prime recipient for educational programming, archival research, and humanities public events. The library operates exclusively as a grant recipient with no federal contracting footprint and no subcontract activity.

The library's federal footprint spans grant work with three agencies. The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded $199,914 under the National Leadership Grants program (CFDA 45.312) on September 1, 2026, to establish the Atlanta University Center Archives Research Center Teaching Faculty Residency over two years through August 31, 2028. The residency engages teaching faculty from Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College in hands-on workshops, a two-week institute, and guided visits to cultural institutions, with librarians and archivists providing individualized support. The project will produce openly available teaching resources, a digital assignment portal, and a public symposium to strengthen student research skills and engagement with Atlanta University Center and American South histories. The National Endowment for the Humanities provided a second grant to reestablish African American and diasporic humanities public programs, funding the retention of five positions and the reestablishment of symposia and speaker series on figures including Asa G. Hilliard III, Walter Rodney, and Joseph E. and Evelyn G. Lowery, with digital exhibitions to provide virtual access to archival collections. The Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, awarded a $6,500 purchase order on April 18, 2024, for AUC Career Fair and Workshops held at the Robert W. Woodruff Library in Washington, DC.

The library has received four federal awards since 2015, with modest recent activity — one award per year in 2024 and 2026. One grant reaches completion within the next twenty-four months. Combined potential value across all awards is $7 thousand, though obligated dollars total $659 thousand, indicating substantial historical performance against small ceiling values.