Guru Krupa Foundation Continues Decade-Long Commitment to Equitable Access to Education through Partnership with First Book 

Multi-Pronged Approach to Social Impact Supports Educators and Uplifts NYC and Nassau County students in low-income communities 

New York City, N.Y. (February 20, 2025) – For more than 12 years, the Guru Krupa Foundation has been a vital partner in pursuing First Book’s mission of ensuring equal access to quality education for children living in communities of need. Their unwavering commitment to improving educational equity has transformed the lives of children in need across New York’s Nassau County and New York City.  

Together, First Book and Guru Krupa Foundation has bolstered classrooms with books and educational resources through First Book Marketplace credits delivered directly to educators who can tailor their dynamic classroom learning environments to the unique needs and interests of their students. This long-term commitment to the students of Nassau County and New York City has immersed communities with the books and resources necessary to foster a love for reading, empower educators, and provide critical support to children in need.   

“As national reading assessments show declining reading skills, bolstering classroom and home libraries with high-quality reading materials offer a proven contributor to literacy development,” said Kyle Zimmer, CEO and President of First Book. “When students are represented in books, reading time increases, classroom outcomes improve, and our workforce is better equipped to succeed. Guru Krupa Foundation has been a consistent and long-term partner in providing our youngest learners access to the resources that nurture lifelong learners and thriving community members.” 

The Guru Krupa Foundation extended their impact through First Book as a key matching fund partner during the end of year First Book Give a Million campaign. During the holiday season, First Book seeks to provide a million books to kids in need. For many, these books may be the only holiday gift they receive – one that brings excitement, relevance and the joy of a brand-new story. As a matching partner, the Guru Krupa Foundation drove First Book closer to its ambitious goal and doubled the impact of holiday donations.  

“The factors affecting student success expand far beyond the classroom and require comprehensive and layered supports,” said Mukund Padmanabhan, President of Guru Krupa Foundation. “We know that a student who is hungry will struggle to concentrate in class and clothing insecurity during winter months will drive chronic absenteeism. The Guru Krupa Foundation embodies this holistic approach to education and has successfully paired the distribution over learning materials with non-book supplies to drive educational equity and support student success.” 

The Foundation’s approach to maximizing impact is defined by an annual trilateral strategy that simultaneously provides priority communities 7,500 books distributed directly to children in need, supports educators with First Book Marketplace credits that translates to thousands of non-book classroom resources, and amplifies the cornerstone year-end holiday campaign through matching gifts.  

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About First Book

Education transforms lives. First Book is building a world where every child has access to a quality education. We work to remove barriers to education and level the playing field for kids in need. At the heart of our work are the more than 600,000 members of the First Book Network, the largest online community of individual educators, professionals and volunteers dedicated to supporting children in need across North America. This Network is the key to creating systemic change. Through our research arm, First Book Research & Insights, we conduct studies that aggregate their voices to identify barriers to equitable education and inform strategic solutions. To address their needs, we provide free and low-cost books, resources, and access to leading experts through the First Book Marketplace, which uses aggregated buying power to support this underserved community. Founded in Washington D.C. in 1992 as a nonprofit social enterprise, First Book is dedicated to eliminating barriers to learning and inspiring young minds. Learn more at www.firstbook.org and visit our award-winning eCommerce website at fbmarketplace.org.