¾«¶«´«Ã½

CHICAGO — are now open for the 2014 Judith F. Krug Memorial Fund , sponsored by the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF). Organizations are encouraged to apply for grants of $1,000 and/or $2,500 in support of "Read-Outs” or other activities that celebrate (Sept. 21–27, 2014).

Applications for the grants will be accepted through April 30, 2014, and the announcements will be made in June. NOTE: the deadline has been extended to Monday, May 5.

The Freedom to Read Foundation—the First Amendment legal defense affiliate of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½—is an official sponsor of Banned Books Week.

This is the fifth year Krug Fund Banned Books Week event grants will be given. A total of 28 grants have been given to date to support a wide variety of engaging, provocative and fun events celebrating the freedom to read. Check out photos and videos from last year's events at . Photos from all 28 projects at are available on FTRF's and ; more information about all the funded events can be found at

Organizations are required to submit an event description, timeline and budget with their application; they also will agree to provide a written report, photos and video from their event(s) to FTRF following Banned Books Week. Only not-for-profit organizations may apply, although they need not have official 501(c)3 status. Krug Fund grants cannot be used to buy computer hardware. Detailed grant guidelines are available on the .

Note: Organizations that received 2013 grants are ineligible to apply for 2014 grants.

For more information on Banned Books Week, challenges to materials in libraries and schools and resources for combating censorship, visit . A compendium of thousands of books that have been banned and challenged can be found in the 2010 "Banned Books Resource Guide," available through the ¾«¶«´«Ã½Store: . You also can purchase Banned Books Week posters, buttons, bookmarks, t-shirts, bracelets and tote bags there.

Contact Jonathan Kelley at jokelley@ala.org with questions, or call (800) 545-2433, ext.4226.

Judith F. Krug, FTRF’s first executive director, was passionate about Banned Books Week and defending the freedom to read. After her death, the was established to guarantee that the message of Banned Books Week would continue to spread and grow around the United States.