Dollar General Literacy Foundation Awards More Than $2 Million During 30th Anniversary

Today, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) announced more than $2 million in grants to Learning Ally, Reading is Fundamental and The Barbara Bush Foundation during its 30^th anniversary celebration. Additional anniversary events will be announced throughout the fall to further mark the milestone.

“We are excited to extend our 30^th anniversary celebration by announcing additional grants to nonprofit organizations empowering others through the power of literacy and basic education,” shared Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “Through these grants, we plan to increase access to books, empower teachers, engage families, and support collective impact initiatives to drive meaningful change. We look forward to additional anniversary celebrations in the coming months.”

Today’s funding includes:

• Learning Ally: DGLF donated $1 million to support Learning Ally’s family literacy and teacher training enhancement, which equips educators with proven solutions that help emerging and struggling learners reach their full potential.

• Reading is Fundamental: DGLF has been a proud supporter of Reading is Fundamental, the oldest and largest non-profit children’s literacy organization in the United States, since 2006. DGLF recently donated $570,000 for the organization’s Books for Ownership program, which provides three free books for each participating student.

• The Barbara Bush Foundation: DGLF provided $500,000 to The Barbara Bush Foundation (BBF), a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to literacy services for adults nationwide. Funding will support efforts to advance the National Action Plan for Adult Literacy, as well as aid the Adult Literacy and Learning Impact Network (ALL IN), which is a collective impact collaborative comprised of representatives from 14 national literacy organizations working to increase access to literacy services and enhance the quality of education.

These grants will support efforts to help transform adult and family literacy by investing in the collective action of expect stakeholders and their efforts to address systemic challenges. Additionally, funding will provide professional development for teachers; family enrichment training; and free books for students to help build home libraries and reinforce literacy skills.

The Foundation’s work and impact continue to be significantly important as outlined in the DGLF’s recent “State of the American Literacy report,” which found more than 40 million American adults scored at or below the lowest levels of literacy and most high school graduates are not proficient readers.

Today’s grants also complement nearly $2.6 million awarded for youth literacy programs and a $1 million donation to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in August.

As a testament to the Foundation’s efforts over the last three decades, the DGLF was recently awarded Significant Contribution by an Organization by the World Literacy Awards, Literacy Champion Award by the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation and Legacy Leadership Award by the Coalition on Adult Basic Education in 2023.

The DGLF was founded 30 years ago by Dollar General’s former CEO, Cal Turner, Jr. in honor of his grandfather and Dollar General co-founder, J.L. Turner, who was functionally illiterate. The Foundation continually supports schools, libraries and non-profit organizations and their efforts to enhance quality classroom instruction, increase access to literacy programming, advance innovation and inspire the joy of reading through adult, family, youth and summer grants.

Since its inception in 1993, the DGLF has donated more than $238 million, which has supported more than 23,000 organizations, schools and libraries and impacted approximately 19.6 million individuals.

About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $238 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 19.6 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation provides financial support to schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of Dollar General stores and distribution centers. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or apply for a literacy grant, visit www.dgliteracy.org.

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