The Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants $248,406 to ALSC and YALSA

CHICAGO — The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded a Youth Literacy grant in the amount of $248,306 to the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

ALSC will use its funding to help libraries provide children’s programming that strengthens community opportunities for STEAM learning during school breaks. ALSC will award 12 $5,000 Strengthening Communities Through Libraries minigrants to members in public libraries and develop supplemental resources that will be made widely available to support the out-of-school time programming of libraries and their community partners.

“The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has been instrumental in helping ALSC to fulfill its purpose of creating a better future for children through libraries,” says ALSC President Betsy Orsburn. “With 98% of libraries offering summer literacy programs and increasingly adopting additional out-of-school time programming, ALSC looks forward to using this year’s grant to support libraries in their collaborations with community partners to engage children in learning throughout the year.”

With the grant funds, YALSA will provide summer learning and Teen Read Week™ minigrants to libraries in need. A total of 10 Teen Read Week, 20 Summer Learning Resources and twenty Summer Teen Intern minigrants will be awarded to libraries across the nation.

“The Summer Learning Resources, Summer Teen Intern, and Teen Read Week™ minigrants are valuable grant opportunities used by libraries all over the country to support teen literacy efforts,” said YALSA President Sarah Hill. “We’ve seen the impact they’ve had on teens in libraries across the nation and we’re extremely grateful for the continued support from The Dollar General Literacy Foundation.”

For more information about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation or for a complete list of grant recipients, visit www.dgliteracy.org.

About YALSA

The mission of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is to support library staff in alleviating the challenges teens face, and in putting all teens ‒ especially those with the greatest needs ‒ on the path to successful and fulfilling lives. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.

About ALSC

The Association for Library Service to Children is the world's largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. ALSC's network includes more than 4,000 children's and youth librarians, children's literature experts, publishers, education and library school faculty members, and other adults dedicated to creating a better future for children through libraries.

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 $97 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 5.8 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, visit www.dgliteracy.org.

About Dollar General Corporation

Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for over 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. With more than 11,700 stores in 43 states, Dollar General has more retail locations than any retailer in America. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America's most-trusted manufacturers such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg's, General Mills, and PepsiCo. For more information on Dollar General, please visit www.dollargeneral.com.

Related Links

ALSC Strengthening Communities Through Libraries minigrants

YALSA Summer Learning Resources minigrants

YALSA Summer Teen Intern minigrants