Cortico, in collaboration with the MIT Center for Constructive Communication (MIT CCC) and PBS FRONTLINE, is excited to announce the Teen Dialogue Accelerator! This is a grant opportunity for public libraries to become hubs of youth-led civic dialogue.

We’re looking for 10 public libraries from across the U.S. to join us in piloting a new approach to civic learning, youth leadership, and community connection. Selected libraries will receive grant funding, training, and tools to help local teens lead meaningful conversations on civic issues they care about, building skills and models that can be shared beyond their own communities. As part of the sharing process, teens will create media outputs, such as audio medleys, to powerfully tell the story of these conversations to wider audiences. Their conversations will help shape the future of youth civic dialogue and, as America’s 250th anniversary approaches, become part of a larger collection of voices helping to guide our shared future.

What is the Teen Dialogue Accelerator?

The Teen Dialogue Accelerator is a national initiative equipping libraries to support youth-led small-group dialogue. Over the course of 10 months, the Accelerator equips libraries to:

• Host recorded youth-led small-group conversations related to civic identity, democracy, immigration, AI, and the future of work.
• Work alongside local youth fellows (ages 16-24) to co-design conversation guides, use AI-assisted tools to make sense of conversations, and create voice-powered outputs.
• Share conversation insights nationally through PBS FRONTLINE’s For the Record and amplify them locally through events and community partnerships.

Why Apply?

Selected libraries will receive:

• $14,000 grant to support staff time, incentives, program materials, and marketing
• Access to AI-assisted, human-steered conversation tools developed by Cortico and the MIT Center for Constructive Communication (MIT CCC) 
• Opportunity to participate in cohort learning intensives (virtual + in-person at MIT Media Lab)
• Ongoing coaching and program support from Cortico and MIT CCC
• National storytelling amplification through PBS FRONTLINE
• A leadership role in shaping the toolkit for future library civic dialogue programs

Who Should Apply?

We welcome public libraries with:

• Active teen programming
• A commitment to civic learning and amplifying underheard youth voices
• Capacity to nominate a team of one staff member and one youth fellow to join the pilot
• Interest in exploring AI + dialogue tools to foster local-to-national conversation

We encourage applications from libraries of all sizes and contexts including urban, suburban, rural in order to reflect the full diversity of library communities. This opportunity is open to public libraries located in the U.S. and U.S. territories.

Program Requirements:

Timeline

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

• Call for Applications launches September 16, 2025
• Preview the application here.
• Deadline: October 13, 2025 at 11:59pm EST.

Questions?

Check out our FAQs!

Reach out to Cortico: programs@cortico.ai

Help teens in your community raise their voices, lead civic conversations, and shape a national story. Apply now to the Teen Dialogue Accelerator!