The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) is committed to ensuring that all children in New Hampshire and Vermont have access to enriching literacy experiences, the resources they need to learn, and high quality books in the spaces where they spend time, particularly in the home. Literacy skills are one of the strongest indicators of a child’s future success, and the best way to ensure children develop those skills is to provide them with books they want to read.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, low income, at-risk and rural kids are in danger of falling further behind in literacy. Too many lack access to books at home and the materials they need to learn. CLiF offers grants to schools, afterschool programs, English Language Learner classrooms, meal programs and food banks, homeless shelters, libraries, and other spaces where children spend time. CLiF has adapted to virtual storytelling sessions and modified grants designed to serve a wide variety of programs.
“CLiF knows how draining these COVID years have been on educators, and we hope these grant opportunities will bring some joy and renewed excitement about reading and writing.”
CLiF Program Director Meredith Scott
Grant applications for CLiF’s Year of the Book grant and Rural Library grants for the 2022-2023 school year, as well as applications for CLiF’s Community Building/Revive grant for Spring/Summer 2022 and Summer Readers 2022, are now available at www.clifonline.org.
The Year of the Book grant provides $25,000 in new books for the school and local library, author visits (virtual this year), special literacy programming and ten new books for each child to choose. The goals of the grant are to supplement schools’ existing literacy efforts, encourage reading and writing for fun, celebrate a community-wide culture of literacy, and provide access to high-quality reading materials that meet kids’ needs and interests. See www.clifonline.org for more information and the application, due March 9, 2022.
Through these and other grants, CLiF aims to ensure all children continue to learn and develop strong literacy skills amidst the challenges of our current world.
About the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF)
CLiF is a non-profit organization whose mission is to nurture a love of reading and writing among low income, at risk and rural children up to age 12 throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. Since 1998, CLiF has supported and inspired 300,000 young readers and writers through its literacy program grants and has given away $8 million in new, high quality children’s books. For more information about CLiF and to apply, visit www.clifonline.org.