Welcome our New Board and Advisory Members
First Book is proud to announce Sharon Price John, President & CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, has joined our Board of Directors, and Andrew Roberts, President of the Barbara Bush Foundation, has joined our Advisory Council.
Meet the 2024 Time for Change Youth Challenge Winners!
From bold new ideas to expanding student-led initiatives, 17 outstanding youth-led projects from across the country have been selected as winners of the Time for Change Youth Challenge. Two Grand Prize Winners will receive $5,000 grants, and 15 changemakers will each receive $1,000 to bring their visions to life.
Celebrating Our Impact: 600,000 Educators & 250 Million Resources!
Join us as we celebrate reaching over 600,000 educators and program leaders and distributing 250 million books and educational resources to low-income communities. Together, we’re impacting 6.5 million children every year.
Support First Book
Millions of children from low-income areas don’t have the tools they need to learn. You can help us reach more children and educators.
Jeff Kinney Teams Up with First Book to Donate 160,000 Books to Kids Nationwide
Big news! Bestselling author Jeff Kinney is partnering with First Book to gift 160,000 books to kids in low-income communities across the country—an exciting announcement featured in USA TODAY. Thanks to Jeff Kinney, ABRAMS Books, and Wimpy Kid Inc., we’re helping more children experience the joy of owning their very own books and building a stronger foundation for learning.
Our Mission
We envision a world where every child has access to a quality education.
Because education transforms lives.
- We level the educational playing field for children in need.
- We’re on a mission to ensure that all children, regardless of their background or zip code, can succeed and reach their full potential.
Our Impact
First Book reaches 6.5 million kids each year in low-income communities across North America through a powerful network of more than 600,000 individual educators, professionals and volunteers specifically working with children in need. This is the largest online community of its kind.
Over 32 years, First Book has distributed more than 250 million high-quality books and educational resources to support kids, and the educators who serve them.
Our Model of Change
First Book is a nonprofit working to remove barriers to quality education for children living in low-income communities. We are passionate supporters of individual educators, professionals and volunteers who serve kids in need. We pride ourselves on having business minds and non-profit hearts. First Book is dedicated to breaking down the barriers to a quality education by increasing access to evidence-based best practices, books, and resources in low-income communities. And First Book is a bridge-builder, collaborating with public and private partners, translating best-in-class expertise into educational resources to support learning for children in need.
First Book Network
The First Book Network is made up of more than 600,000 individual educators, professionals and volunteers who exclusively serve kids in need.
First Book Marketplace
The First Book Marketplace provides 24/7 access to high-quality, new books, and educational resources at deeply discounted prices to First Book’s network of individual educators, professionals and volunteers working with kids in low-income communities.
First Book Research & Insights
First Book Research & Insights conducts qualitative and quantitative research, providing essential insights that guide the field and helps us identify what students need to overcome learning barriers.
First Book Accelerator
The First Book Accelerator turns our cutting-edge research into expert-informed, actionable teaching tools — in weeks rather than decades — so our members don’t have to wait for the latest evidence-based strategies that will help the kids they serve.
Featured Partners
Dedicated partners help us create even more opportunities for educators and kids in need.
This is one of the best organizations I have ever worked with in my many years in education and library services. The vast knowledge, resources, and opportunities that First Book provides are superb.
First Book Supporter