LCRA awards $100,000 community grant to El Progreso Memorial Library in Uvalde
Next Generation Project to expand spaces for community connection, cultural preservation and learning
Dec. 17, 2025
The community grant will support the library’s Next Generation Project to expand and modernize the facility that has served Uvalde County since 1903. Combined with more than $2.6 million already raised through private foundations and individual donors, the LCRA funding will help transform the library into a modern community hub for learning, cultural preservation and connection.
Planned improvements include a new meeting room with a teaching kitchen, an expanded museum and archives area, an updated teen makerspace, upgraded security systems, and an outdoor children’s interactive learning space.
The Next Generation Project includes an oral history and soundproof recording studio to capture and preserve Uvalde’s residents’ narratives in their own words. The expanded Virginia Wood Davis Archives will safeguard family stories, private collections and historical materials that document the region’s heritage.
“The Next Generation Project is about creating spaces that help our community preserve its stories and discover new ones,” Library Executive Director Tammie Sinclair said. “Expanding the archives and museum will give us room to protect and showcase local history while creating flexible gallery space that can host traveling exhibits. These areas will ensure that even our youngest community members have access to the resources they need to grow, imagine and connect. We’re grateful for LCRA’s support in making this happen.”
The museum expansion will enhance exhibits on the region’s farming history, ranching legacy and cultural heritage while providing flexible gallery space for traveling exhibits. Updated facilities will support programs including a Lego club, cookbook club, nature-smart learning and the makerspace.
The library has served as an important gathering place for the Uvalde community. Following the May 2022 tragedy at Robb Elementary School, the library served as a community center where residents shared memories and processed their grief. The archives will include the Los Angelitos de Robb collection honoring the victims and community response.
“El Progreso Memorial Library has been part of Uvalde for more than a century,” LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson said. “It is a place where people come together to learn, to remember, to move forward. In the last few years, the library has proven what community institutions can be when it matters most. This expansion will help the library serve Uvalde for the next century.”
This is one of 41 grants awarded recently through LCRA Community Grants. These grants are awarded twice a year as part of LCRA’s effort to give back to communities in its wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. This fiscal year, LCRA is awarding two special $100,000 grants to commemorate the grant program’s 30th anniversary.
About LCRA
The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.
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