Back in March, we announced a new partnership with James Patterson that aimed to give $1.5 million to school libraries in need across the country. A staggering 28,000 applications later, James Patterson decided to increase his contribution by another $250,000, bringing his total donation to $1.75 million.
We're excited to announce that a total of 467 school libraries will receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 per school - with all funds are being personally donated by James Patterson . Even better: Scholastic Reading Club will match each dollar with bonus points that allow teachers to buy materials, including books, for their classrooms.
It's going to be a very happy holiday for school libraries this season.
“It continues to be inspiring and motivating to work with James Patterson to support school libraries across the country,” said Judy Newman, president of Scholastic Reading Club, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company. “Jim’s unwavering commitment to helping children lead better lives rich with books is transformative. Scholastic is thrilled to be working in such an effective partnership.”
James Patterson donated this money because he believes that fewer children are growing up in a household full of books – and that the effects of this absence could have a profound impact on a child’s future, and on the future of our country. Every child in America should have access to books and a functioning school library, and he believes that improvements in school libraries will foster children’s love of reading and boost their academic achievement overall.
“These grants are my humble acknowledgement of some of the terrific work taking place in libraries,” says Patterson. “Here’s to communities supporting school libraries. Here’s to a country that makes reading a priority. Here’s to flourishing libraries and to a joyful holiday season!”
With the school library initiative, Patterson’s mandate was to make the application process as simple as possible for librarians. The online application poses a single question: “What would your school library do with $1,000 to $10,000?” The most prevalent request on behalf of schools concerned the dire need for funding. Again and again, teachers, librarians, and principals wrote about budget cuts and a dearth of state funding that have left their schools without books, shelves, materials, and, in many cases, librarians.
The full list of schools receiving grants in the first round is available online at www.scholastic.com/pattersonpartnership.
Happy holidays!
#PattersonPledge
David Burnett
