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Image by ElasticComputeFarm from Pixabay

June 7, 2026 - Sacramento, Calif. – The California State Library announces the award of $750,000 in grant funds to ensure the physical and digital preservation and increased accessibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer archives relating to LGBTQ+ history in California.

“Preserving and increasing the accessibility of these LGBTQ+ archives will expand the awareness and understanding of California’s history,” said California Deputy State Librarian Rebecca Wendt. “These collections from different regions of our state will enable researchers and all Californians to learn more about LGBTQ+ history and the individual stories involved through articles, photos, exhibits and other community events.”

The funds will be used by academic institutions, non-profit organizations, and libraries to create and digitally preserve archival documents, create oral histories, make existing records more accessible to the public and hold community events to share LGBTQ+ history with Californians.

The following organizations have been awarded grants:

  • California State University, Fresno Foundation ($126,739) –This project will describe, preserve, and make publicly accessible late activist Jeffery Robinson’s LGBTQ collection–the most comprehensive collection of LGBTQ+ historical materials in the Central Valley–and promote these and other materials documenting LGBTQ+ history in the region through workshops, lectures, exhibits, and community engagement.
  • GLBT Historical Society ($127,287) – The Historical Society will strengthen digital infrastructure and create five new digital collections by processing the LGBTQ Ephemera Collection (94.35 linear feet) and creating an online finding aid as well as hosting four public events to build community engagement.
  • Historical Society of Long Beach ($100,000) – The Historical Society will preserve and share rare photographs and, through expert identification, increase descriptive metadata. It uses oral histories, panel discussions with prominent community members, and digitization to make irreplaceable collections accessible to the public, ensuring this history endures for future generations.
  • Monterey Public Library ($6,418) – This project will preserve, digitize, and expand access to more than 60 issues of The Paper and Manifesto, two publications made for Monterey Bay region’s LGBTQ+ community which amplified their voices. Through preservation-quality digitization, inclusive metadata, and free online access, the library will safeguard the materials, enhance discoverability, and support educational endeavors for all invested in the region’s LGBTQ+ history. 
  • Palm Springs Cultural Center ($183,073) – The Rank and File: LGBTQ+ Digital Oral History Project recovers and reveals the cultural histories of LGBTQ+ individuals from the Silent and Baby Boomer generations, whose lives were shaped by one of the most dramatic shifts in attitudes toward homosexuality in modern history. The funded project will record oral histories, develop a digital archive, and present the work through screenings and educational programs, ensuring these histories are preserved and publicly accessible.
  • The Episcopal Church of Saint John the Evangelist ($10,000) – This project will digitize 1,000+ artifacts from church and diocesan archives, record oral histories with LGBTQ+ seniors, engage a dozen volunteers, and host four public workshops. It will preserve evidence of a largely unknown history: the surge of LGBTQ+ organizing within San Francisco religious communities in the 1970s. All primary sources will be made freely available online.
  • The June L Mazer Lesbian Archives ($37,500) – This project will process and make accessible deceased lesbian filmmaker JD Disalvatore’s collection of born digital films, raw footage, and photographs documenting LGBTQ+ culture including Dinah Shore Weekend, CURVE magazine, Outfest, and Disalvatore’s philanthropy documenting LGBTQ+ life in California, specifically lesbian and queer women, from the 1980s to mid-2000s.
  • The Source LGBT+ Center ($50,053) – The Center will preserve and share LGBTQ+ histories in California’s Central Valley through oral histories, community archiving, and digitization. Serving LGBTQ+ seniors, youth, and rural communities, the project will create a public digital archive and exhibit, increasing access to local history, strengthening intergenerational connections, and ensuring community stories are preserved for future generations.
  • University of Southern California, ONE Archives at the USC Libraries ($108,930) – The project will complete archival processing and create online finding aids for eight of the ONE Archives’ highest-priority archival collections focused on HIV/AIDS, including records for Clean Needles Now and AIDS Service Center, Chuck Stallard photographs, and Dr. Mark Katz papers. These collections are currently unprocessed and difficult for researchers, educators, and the public to access.

About the State Library: Established in 1850, the California State Library is the central reference and research library for state government and the Legislature. The library collection includes more than 4 million titles, 6,000 maps and 250,000 photographs, and includes an extensive collection of documents from and about the state’s rich history. Around the state, the State Library serves California’s local libraries, providing more than $500 million state and federal funds to support public libraries and deliver statewide library programs and services such as the free Parks Pass program in public libraries, Lunch at the Library during school breaks and holidays, and a statewide eBook library with diverse titles in 20+ languages. State Library Website

Source: California State Library