Book Trust

A nonprofit organization

Book access remains the single biggest barrier to literacy in the United States. 

In collaboration with Scholastic, every student in a Book Trust classroom has access to a rich selection of culturally relevant, reading-level appropriate titles. Students chose books from Book Trust’s customized catalog throughout the year—at no cost to their families. Having the agency to make their own choices about what they read, and having books in the home, are critical to motivating young readers. 

Through our partnership with Scholastic and donors like you, Book Trust acts as an equity game changer, providing students from Title I elementary schools the opportunity to choose and keep their own books. It’s about leveling the playing field and giving every child the opportunity to read and succeed. 

We partner with schools across the country to serve over 50,000 students annually. In Colorado, we serve nearly 20,000 students in 55 schools across the state.

Please consider supporting Book Trust. Visit www.booktrust.org to learn more. 


Mission

Providing all children equitable access to books of choice in order to promote reading motivation and engagement.

Background Statement

In 2001, Book Trust’s founder Adrienne Schatz recognized that many children did not have books at home. Adrienne decided to launch Book Trust to ensure all children have the opportunity to choose and own books from the Scholastic Book Clubs flyer throughout the school year.

The Book Trust program was piloted with 170 students in Larimer County, Colorado, under the Serimus Foundation. Book Trust was spun off as its own 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in 2006. Since then, we’ve engaged nearly 600,000 students across the country in interest-based book choice and ownership and invested over $27M in books.

At Book Trust, we believe that literacy is a human right, and that reading has the power to transform lives and communities, breaking the cycle of poverty. We believe all students should have equitable access to a wide variety of books and the opportunity to choose books that spark their curiosity—because we know this is what motivates students to read. We also know through decades of research with children of all ages, in varied socioeconomic and cultural groups, that access to books in the home is one of the strongest predictors of educational achievement.

Building a culture of literacy at school and at home nurtures fosters a lifelong love of reading and learning.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Book Trust

Year Established

2006

Tax id (EIN)

20-4124164

Category

Education

Organization Size

Large Organization

Address

191 University Blvd, Suite 527
Denver, CO 80206

Service areas

CO, US

Phone

720-458-9889

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