Margaret A. Edwards Trust

Margaret Edwards Trust to support teen literacy

In 2014 the Trustees of the Margaret A. Edwards Trust transferred the fund to ALA/YALSA to manage. At the time the fund was approximately $800,000.

About Margaret Edwards

Margaret A. Edwards was administrator of young adult programs at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore for over thirty years. She spent her professional life bringing books and young adults together, pioneering outreach services for teens, and establishing a training program designed especially for librarians beginning their work with teens.Learn more on this web page.

Goals

Interest from the Edwards Trust will be used by YALSA to help build the capacity of libraries to connect teens to literature, especially teens from socio-economically challenged communities.

Use of Funds

As per Edwards wishes, the funds go to support the promotion of free reading for teens, especially those in socio-economically challenged areas. YALSA's Board of Directors voted in January 2016 to use the interest from the fund to support a part-time staff position to work on literacies related project, such as summer learning, Teen Read Week, and the Teens' Top Ten.

For further information, please contact YALSA’s Executive Director at 1.800.545.2433 x4391 or byoke@ala.org.