Language Learning and Community Building: How Carnegie Corporation Grants Support Libraries

Libraries welcome people from all walks of life and provide access to free educational resources. No other institution offers such a wealth of information at no cost, making libraries a unique and vital fixture in their communities. Given this singular role, libraries strive to meet the specific needs of their patrons through specialized programs and other resources.

More and more libraries have begun providing English language learning resources to help people who have immigrated to the United States improve their language skills to get ahead at work or pursue additional education. To support this growing endeavor, the Carnegie Corporation of New York recently awarded $5 million in grants to eleven public library systems to fund English language instruction and college access programs.

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What Is the Carnegie Corporation of New York?

The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic foundation established in 1911 by Andrew Carnegie. It awards grants to numerous important causes and is dedicated to promoting the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. The foundation also works to reduce political polarization by supporting education, democracy, and peace.

Andrew Carnegie was one of the wealthiest men of his time, but he didn’t start out that way. As a boy, he immigrated to the United States from Scotland and began working at age thirteen to help his family make ends meet. Unable to access formal education, Carnegie instead borrowed books from a retired merchant, Colonel Anderson. Even when Carnegie grew older and amassed his vast fortune, he never forgot Colonel Anderson’s kindness.

Carnegie believed the wealthy had an obligation to use their money to help others. He came to devote his life to philanthropy, establishing multiple institutions to support the long-term progress of society. Building public libraries was Carnegie’s first act of philanthropy. Thanks to grants from him and his foundation, 2,509 libraries were built around the world, earning him the nickname the “Patron Saint of Libraries.”

Libraries as Pillars of Education and Democracy

The recent grants are part of a new Carnegie initiative called Libraries as Pillars of Education and Democracy. This effort aims to help public libraries deliver services that promote socioeconomic mobility, civic participation, and social belonging.

Grants of up to $500,000 in funding, awarded over twenty-four months, were offered to library systems that submitted proposals for programs supporting either English language proficiency or college readiness and access. Both types of programs help build strong communities and develop essential job-related and educational skills for adults and teens.

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How English Language Instruction Helps People and Communities

The United States, a country founded by immigrants, has long been lauded as the “land of opportunity,” but those opportunities can be difficult to come by for people with limited English proficiency (LEP). According to the US Commission on Civil Rights, more than 25 million people in the United States today have LEP, which is about 8 percent of the population.

Many jobs and higher education courses are out of reach for people with LEP, and English instruction can be expensive, requiring lessons or private tutoring that not everyone can afford. That is why libraries have stepped in to provide free language learning resources—to help people with LEP improve their economic and educational opportunities and build confidence and a sense of belonging in their communities.

For instance, when the New York Public Library (NYPL) received a separate grant in 2024 from the Carnegie Corporation to expand its English language services, demand skyrocketed. Attendance in its programs surpassed 200,000, making NYPL the largest provider of free English language education outside of the New York City public school system.

The Carnegie Corporation’s Libraries as Pillars of Education and Democracy grants will support programs like the NYPL’s. They are being awarded to libraries whose language instruction and college access programs have demonstrated success in their local communities.

One recipient, the Plainfield Public Library in New Jersey, provides free English classes. Its Level 1 courses have helped many immigrants with LEP gain enough proficiency to improve their confidence, apply for better-paying jobs, and seek higher education. With the Carnegie Corporation’s grants, Plainfield will now be able to introduce Level 2 courses, as well as increase the number of classes offered per week.

Another recipient is the Prince William Library Foundation in Prince William County, Virginia, which oversees the Prince William Public Library (PWPL) system. With the new grant, PWPL plans to expand its English as a Second Language (ESL) and workforce development programs in response to the rising demand from its diverse, multilingual community.

PWPL intends to partner with a local university to offer leveled ESL classes, provide free placement tests, and train at least twelve librarians in English instruction. The grant will also help cover interpreter services for job-readiness programs and expand access to other ESL learning resources, such as translated materials, language learning software, and take-home kits.

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Other Free Language Learning Resources

The Carnegie grants have been a boon for the libraries that have received them, but many others also have free English language learning resources. Some host English conversation groups to help people practice their English-speaking skills. Most library collections include a number of print and digital language learning books.

Many libraries also offer free subscriptions to language learning apps like Mango Languages, Rosetta Stone, and Pronunciator through their digital resources. Check your local library’s website to see what’s available—there may be a wealth of language learning resources already waiting for you to explore.

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