Book Trust Revenue and Competitors

Book Trust is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to empower children from low-income families to choose and own books, inspiring a passion for reading and cultivating increased literacy skills and life-long learning. Access to books and reading materials is our most significant barrier to literacy. In areas of poverty, the ratio of books to children is 1 book for every 300 children, a figure contributing to the reading gap between low and middle income families. Students living in poverty often start school already behind, and it is hard to catch up. By 12th grade, the reading proficiency of students from low income families is 4 years behind middle income students. Studies prove book choice and ownership are fundamental in promoting literacy. Children who are free to choose what to read are more likely to read, and the number of books in a home has the same impact on a child’s level of educational attainment as parental education levels. In 2001, Adrienne Schatz founded Book Trust to help students gain access to books and develop a love for reading. She started with a small pilot program of 170 students in Larimer County, Colorado, providing students money to select and purchase their own books. Today, Book Trust serves over 50,000 kids in 19 states and operates in almost 200 schools with significant populations of low income students as measured by the National School Lunch Program. Book Trust provides students the funds to choose and order books of their very own from the Scholastic Book Clubs each month of the school year. In addition to providing children with books, Book Trust offers resources and support to teachers and families, helping to cultivate a love of reading and learning in the classroom and in the home. Book Trust has a dramatic positive effect on their students’ families, providing a means for parents to learn about and support their child’s interest and education.