LOS ANGELES — The Library Foundation of Los Angeles (LFLA) announced today a $1 million gift from philanthropist Marisa Antonini to establish the Marisa Antonini Reading Initiative for Success and Achievement (MARISA) at the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL). The initiative will address a critical need for literacy support for children and teens across the city, enhancing and expanding services for emerging and struggling readers, including those with learning differences and disabilities, like dyslexia.

MARISA funding will allow the creation of new, innovative, research-driven programs and adapt existing LAPL youth literacy services that currently reach tens of thousands of children and families annually through community-centered events, hands-on workshops, and other educational services.

“We are deeply grateful for Marisa Antonini’s generous gift and vision, which enable the Los Angeles Public Library to advance programs that provide crucial support to struggling readers and their families,” said Stacy Lieberman, president and CEO of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. “Her passion for the Library’s mission to champion free access to knowledge and ideas will have far-reaching impact—transforming the lives of individual students while setting a new standard for urban library systems nationwide.”

LAPL’s Youth Services Department, which oversees the cornerstone We Read Together and Future Ready Teens initiatives, will lead the project through 2026. New funding supports contracting a literacy research specialist and training consultant to assess how inclusive LAPL’s programs, materials, and spaces are for neurodivergent youth or youth with learning and developmental disabilities; collaborate with the Library’s Los Angeles Unified School District liaison to strengthen partnerships with schools; and collect staff and community feedback to guide the program’s design.

MARISA will also support LAPL’s ongoing youth literacy services for children and teens. This includes a program that educates and empowers parents to support their babies with early-literacy development; a program where volunteers from the community engage children in one-on-one and small group reading activities; and Student Zones—an expansive service that offers free in-person, after-school homework help at 37 LAPL branch libraries across the city. The funding also encompasses expenses such as program materials, library furnishings to make youth spaces more accessible and inclusive, and honoraria for presenters.

Antonini, founder of the Marisa Antonini Foundation, described the initiative as deeply personal. “I believe in the power of the Library to open doors, spark imagination, and instill a love of learning,” she said. “Yet too many children and teens struggle because of barriers that require specialized approaches. My hope is that MARISA will provide the support young readers need to gain confidence and thrive—not only in school, but in life.”

Marisa Antonini—a decades-long patron of the Los Feliz Branch Library—is a dedicated member of The Council of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, the organization’s premier fundraising group. She is the president of the Marisa Antonini Foundation which provides philanthropic support for Our Mother of Good Counsel, St. Vincent de Paul, Villa Scalabrini, Little Italy of Los Angeles Association, and Cedars-Sinai. She has served on the boards of Good Shepard Home for Homeless Women, Archdiocese of Los Angeles Education Foundation, Cedars-Sinai, and the National Charity League, Los Angeles.