2025- 2026 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Scholarship Call

Posted November 7, 2025

Dr. E. J. Josey Scholarship and Ms. Effie Lee Morris Scholarship are unrestricted grants offered to support African American students enrolled in or accepted by ALA-accredited programs. This year the committee will award two $5000 scholarships. 

Persons Wishing to Apply Must:

• Be an African American Citizen of the United States or Canada
• Be enrolled or accepted by an ALA-accredited graduate program leading to a degree in library and information science at the time of application
• The winning submissions will be announced in February 2026

Applications must be submitted using this form and include an uploaded written essay or video essay.  

DUE JANUARY 20, 2026, by 11:59 pm PST.

Essay Prompt:

As executive orders and policies are mandated by the current administration, some examples of these policies are the closing of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) office, the dismantling of the Department of Education, reducing the federal workforce, and the firing of the Librarian of Congress and the Archivist of the United States. What are the unintentional consequences of those policies that affect librarianship?

Written essay submissions must be three (3) pages. The written essay must be typed and double-spaced. You should include a minimum of 3-5 bibliographical references.

Video essays must be 5-7 minutes long and may be uploaded here or to any platform. We recommend double-checking your video’s privacy settings to ensure reviewers will be able to view it during our review process (Examples: YouTube –the video should be set to “unlisted.” Google Drive —link sharing must be turned on). You should include a minimum of 3-5 bibliographical references. If you post the video on another platform, upload a text document here with the link to the submission.

All applications must be submitted via this form:

https://forms.gle/6RiwT2MY9d9bPLh57

***Please note that if you have been awarded a scholarship from the BCALA Scholarship committee within the past year, you are not eligible to apply for this cycle.

Questions may be sent to: [email protected]