BOSTON, MA — June 10, 2025 — The Boston Public Library (BPL) has received a $500,000 grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York as part of the foundation’s Libraries as Pillars of Education and Democracy initiative. The grant, made through the Boston Public Library Fund, places the BPL among a select group of public libraries nationwide recognized for innovative approaches to help deliver critical services that promote socioeconomic mobility.
With this grant, the BPL will expand its English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Workforce Initiative to address the growing population of patrons seeking both English-language learning and employment support. Specific activities include:
- Hiring a Bilingual Workforce Skills Specialist to work directly with patrons at all BPL locations, and to develop Workforce-Oriented ESOL courses.
- Expanding Career Counseling services to immigrant communities, including resume building and job search strategies.
- Strengthening partnerships with community-based organizations, employers, unions, and training providers to connect patrons with job opportunities across Boston.
“We are honored to receive this generous support from Carnegie Corporation and to be recognized alongside leading libraries across the country,” said David Leonard, President of the Boston Public Library. “This award affirms the essential role public libraries play in expanding opportunity and fostering inclusion. Libraries are trusted public institutions and Carnegie’s investment strengthens our ability to meet people where they are and help them fully participate in civic life.”
The BPL offers Boston’s only year-round, 100% free ESOL program with open enrollment. This accessibility has led to a surge in attendance, rising from 4,800 in 2022 to nearly 15,000 in 2024. As Massachusetts faces both a growing labor shortage and an increasingly multilingual population, Carnegie’s grant will expand the library’s capacity to meet this demand ensuring that all residents—regardless of language background—can access the tools they need to succeed.
“Learning English is just the beginning,” said Jessica Elias, Manager of Community Learning. “This grant allows us to go further—to help patrons connect the dots between language learning and meaningful employment. We’re so grateful to Carnegie Corporation for making this possible to more patrons.”
This expansion means more patrons like Mireille can take advantage of the library’s resources. A recent immigrant, Mireille discovered the BPL while searching online. “I saw the English classes,” she said. “I saw they also had help for jobs. It felt like I could go to one place and know what to do next.” With the BPL’s wraparound services, she found a job and began building a new life.
“At the BPL, we take a case management approach,” said Lauren Butler, BPL Career Counselor a. “We meet each patron where they are, whether that’s learning English, working on their resume, or navigating the job market for the first time. It’s not one-size-fits-all. Our goal is to help every job-seeker find a meaningful path forward.”
The BPL is one of just eleven public library systems selected from over 1,400 applicants through Carnegie Corporation’s competitive Libraries as Pillars of Education and Democracy initiative, a national effort to support libraries as trusted public institutions that help reduce political polarization.
“Andrew Carnegie believed libraries were ladders upon which anyone and everyone could rise, and that belief continues to guide us,” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie. “At a time when trust in public institutions is fraying, libraries retain public trust. We are delighted to support these grantees as they provide essential programs and community services.”
To learn more about BPL’s ESOL offerings, visit: bpl.org/esol/. To learn more about BPL’s workforce offerings, visit: bpl.org/job-career-success/.
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ABOUT CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK
Carnegie Corporation of New York was established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. Today the foundation works to reduce political polarization through philanthropic support for the issues that Carnegie considered most important: education, democracy, and peace. @CarnegieCorp
Carnegie has been one of the largest philanthropic funders of libraries, from the early construction of almost 1,700 libraries in the U.S. to helping establish the endowment of the American Library Association, funding the nation’s first graduate library school, and digitizing archival collections around the world. Learn more about Carnegie’s longtime support of libraries at carnegie.org/libraries.
ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
Established in 1848, the Boston Public Library is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large, free municipal library in the United States; the first public library to lend books; the first to have a branch library; and the first to have a children’s room.
The Boston Public Library of today is a robust system that includes the Central Library in Copley Square, 25 neighborhood branches, the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center, the Kirstein Business Library and Innovation Center, and an archival center, offering public access to world-class special collections of rare books, manuscripts, photographs, and prints, along with rich digital content and online services.
The Boston Public Library serves nearly 4 million visitors per year and millions more online. All of its programs and exhibitions are free to all and open to the public. The Boston Public Library is a department of the City of Boston, under the leadership of Mayor Michelle Wu. To learn more, visit bpl.org.
ABOUT THE BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY FUND
The mission of the Fund is to provide financial support to the Boston Public Library, ensuring that it remains viable, engaging, accessible, and free to all. The Fund fulfills this mission by working in partnership with the Library, donors, and other funders in supporting BPL programs and special initiatives. Support from the Fund supplements, but does not supplant, other BPL resources, including City of Boston funding.