How are the community organizations chosen?
The application and guidelines for The Big Read, developed by the Arts Endowment and Arts Midwest, are distributed nationwide to arts, cultural, literary, and civic organizations, such as libraries, museums, and local arts agencies. After each application deadline, a panel of arts and literature professionals reviews the applications. Community organizations are selected based on the quality of outlined plans to develop and implement a community-wide reading program. Competitive applications demonstrate experience in building strong local partnerships, reaching and engaging new and diverse audiences, working with educators, involving local and state public officials, and working with media.
