Contact: Angela Thullen
Program Officer, Communications, PPO
(312) 280-5286
athullen@ala.org

NEWS
For Immediate Release
June 17, 2008

FRONTLINE/World, ALA announce new grant opportunity for libraries

CHICAGO – In celebration of their groundbreaking Social Entrepreneurs Series, FRONTLINE/World, in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, will award grants of $500 plus supporting program materials to 40 public and academic libraries. The grant funds will promote the screening and discussion of one the series' short documentary films on innovative social entrepreneurs around the world.

To be eligible, libraries must:

• Host a screening and discussion of a FRONTLINE/World Series film, and
• In partnership with a local or regional organization engaged in issues of social entrepreneurship, host at least one related program (panel, lecture, forum or other format).

In addition to the $500 grant, selected libraries will receive a DVD containing the FRONTLINE/World series compilation, a facilitator's guide containing promotional material templates, recommended additional resources and reference materials and a supply of FRONTLINE/World Social Entrepreneurs series bookmarks. For an application, visit www.pbs.org/frontlineworld or www.ala.org/socialentrepreneurs.  Applications must be submitted electronically to libraries@flworld.org by August 1. 

FRONTLINE/World is the award-winning PBS international news magazine that turns its lens on the global community, covering countries and cultures rarely seen on American television. The Social Entrepreneurs Series features the stories of people whose ideas and organizations create new and sustainable markets and services that benefit underserved communities everywhere in the developing world. This pilot library program seeks to connect communities to the concept of social entrepreneurship and to promote dialogue on a local level.  Funding for the library program is provided by the PBS Foundation through a grant from the Skoll Foundation.

Established in 1992, the ALA Public Programs Office has an exemplary track record of developing library programming initiatives, including the acclaimed reading and discussion series "Let's Talk About It," film discussion programs on humanities themes, traveling exhibitions, LIVE! @ your library® and other programs. Recently, it has established the Cultural Communities Fund, an endowment created to help all types of libraries across the country bring communities together through cultural programming (www.ala.org/ccf).  More than 10,000 libraries and at least 10 million individuals have participated in library programming initiatives supported by the Public Programs Office.  For more information about the ALA Public Programs Office, visit www.ala.org/publicprograms.