In the Fields / feature
Texas Book Festival — Texas Library Grants
What Happens After the Festival Tents Come Down
Texas Book Festival’s library grants carry its literary mission into public libraries across the state, where access is measured one collection at a time.
The work, made visible
More books. More possibility.
Collection grants give local libraries support for the books and materials their readers need.
2026 grant cycle
70libraries selected
Libraries selected for collection-enhancement support; not an annual count of all libraries reached by every TBF program.
Texas Book Festival — 2026 Texas Library Grant recipients2026 grant cycle
$175,000library grants awarded
Total for 70 libraries as reported by recipient Schulenburg Public Library; annual program awards, not TBF total spending.
Schulenburg Public Library — July 6, 2026 grant announcementCumulative, reported on the 2026 program page
$3.9M+library funding distributed
Cumulative library grant funding since the program began; not a 2026-only figure.
Texas Book Festival — Texas Library Grants program overviewHow the work connects
Fund the collection
Grants support Texas public-library collections.
Let librarians choose
Local librarians select materials for their own readers.
Put books in reach
The investment becomes something a reader can borrow.
The first two figures describe the 2026 grant cycle. The $3.9 million-plus figure is cumulative program funding reported on the 2026 program page.
How to read these numbers
These figures describe the organization’s reported activity or service reach. Each keeps its own reporting period and definition. They are not a ranking, a count of identical outcomes, or a promise of what a particular gift will buy.
The Short Version
A Texas Book Festival program helping public libraries enhance print, e-book and audiobook collections that respond to local readers' needs.
An Austin gathering with a statewide purpose
The public face of Texas Book Festival is a gathering of readers and writers. Its library-grant program points toward a quieter form of literary life: the ordinary opportunity to find a book, borrow it and discover something that matters. Texas Library Grants is a program of Texas Book Festival, rather than a separate nonprofit with its own executive leadership or donation account.
The connection is foundational. Texas Book Festival’s history traces its 1995 creation to Laura Bush, Mary Margaret Farabee and volunteers who wanted to celebrate Texas authors, encourage reading and benefit public libraries. Grants keep that statewide purpose visible beyond the annual event. They also give donors a way to think about literary culture as access, sustained through institutions that readers return to throughout the year.
Collections that answer local needs
The grant program supports additions to public-library collections, including print books, e-books and audiobooks. Its stated goal is to help libraries acquire materials responsive to their communities. The official program page identifies 70 libraries selected for the 2026 grant cycle, spread across the state.
Collection support is a specific intervention. It does not describe every need a library may have, and it should not be mistaken for unrestricted funding for buildings or operations. Its strength lies in giving local institutions more capacity to choose reading materials for the people they serve. A donor interested in that model should ask what librarians requested, which collections need attention and how grant recipients assess whether new materials are being used.
Different routes into a reading life
Texas Book Festival’s other programs help explain the broader strategy. Reading Rock Stars brings authors and illustrators to Title I elementary schools and provides students with signed books to keep. Real Reads connects older students with writers, conversations about the creative process and their own copies of the featured books.
Those programs and the library grants work through different settings. A school visit can introduce a writer as a real person whose ideas began somewhere. A book given to a student becomes a personal possession. A library collection provides shared access across many readers and visits. Together, these activities suggest a mission concerned with both the excitement of discovery and the practical availability of books.
The donor question behind the celebration
A successful public event and a successful grant program require different kinds of attention. One brings people together on a schedule; the other depends on selection, relationships with institutions and follow-through. Texas Book Festival’s support materials present fundraising as a way to sustain its annual gathering and its year-round programs, including library grants.
That is why the distinction between the program and the parent organization matters when giving. The donation link on this profile goes to Texas Book Festival’s general giving page. It should not be read as a promise that every contribution made there is restricted to libraries. Supporters who want their gifts directed specifically to Texas Library Grants should discuss the arrangement with the organization before relying on a designation.
The people behind the work
Texas Book Festival’s official staff directory lists Marianne DeLeón as Chief Executive Officer, Susannah Auby as Chief Impact Officer and Nancy Nesbitt as Development Communications & Engagement Manager. Its contact page identifies Auby for sponsor inquiries and Jose Rodriguez, Communications & Public Relations Manager, for press inquiries. The public office number is 512-477-4055.
For supporters interested in the library grants, the most revealing questions concern the readers and librarians closest to the work. Which requests recur? What can collection support accomplish in different communities? How does the program learn from the people doing the selecting? Those questions help a donor understand the relationship between an award and its local purpose. The grant program’s appeal is already clear: it connects a statewide celebration of literature to the local places where the next reader can begin.
The people behind the work
Leadership & contacts
Select a person’s card to open their official leadership page. Public roles and contact routes reviewed 2026-10-12.
Marianne DeLeón
Chief Executive Officer, Texas Book Festival
Open leadership sourceSusannah Auby
Chief Impact Officer, Texas Book Festival
Open leadership sourceNancy Nesbitt
Development Communications & Engagement Manager
Open leadership sourceConnect with the organization
512-477-4055Contact the organization ↗Use the organization’s public contact route for profile inquiries, partnerships and introductions.
More than one way in
Bring what you can.
Participation routes checked October 13, 2026. Contact the organization for current availability and requirements.
Where the work reaches
Library grants are awarded to named recipients across Texas. Statewide eligibility does not mean that every county has a current grant. Festival volunteering takes place through the parent organization.
No individual county roster listed here.
Check the organization’s geography ↗Put generosity within reach
Give directly.
Stay connected.
Texas Library Grants is a program of Texas Book Festival. This is the parent organization's general donation page; discuss any intended library-grant restriction with staff.
Give to Texas Book Festival ↗Your gift is handled by the receiving organization. UNSUPERVISED* does not process it or take a percentage.Go to the source
Read further.
Organization-published sources, reviewed 2026-10-12.