REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action to Approve the Fiscal Year 2026/27 California Library Literacy Services (CLLS) Adult and Family Literacy Grant Award for the Read Santa Clara Program and Approve the Related Budget Amendment
Report
BACKGROUND
The California State Library, California Library Literacy Services (CLLS) provides a package of annually funded grants for ongoing operations of Adult and Family Literacy Services. The Santa Clara City Library Department’s Read Santa Clara program qualifies for these grants.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26, Read Santa Clara received $115,361 from CLLS for Adult and Family Literacy Services. This funding allowed the Library Department to achieve the following outcomes:
57 trained volunteer tutors tutored 85 adult learners with limited literacy skills, providing 1,136 one-on-one tutoring sessions and 275 small group sessions during the year.
70% of adult learners served achieved a goal they had set.
The program held 12 monthly family literacy events at the library and 54 family literacy visits at state preschool classes, serving 116 families.
The FY 2026/27 award will provide continued support for these services and is $114,250, a decrease of $1,111 from the FY 2025/26 award.
At their September 14, 2026 meeting, the Board of Library Trustees recommended Council approval and appropriation of these grant funds to support the Read Santa Clara Adult and Family Literacy Services for FY 2026/27.
DISCUSSION
The total grant award amount of $114,250 for FY 2026/27 (Attachment 1) includes two components: Adult Literacy Services and Family Literacy Services. This year’s awards are provided using the “block grant” model, which provides libraries with greater flexibility in allocating funds among eligible programs. The grant award for Read Santa Clara requires that a minimum of 51% of the block grant award ($58,268) is allocated to Adult Literacy Services, and a minimum of 26% of the block grant award ($29,705) is allocated to ...
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