• Educational reading grants can help increase literacy.reading with mum image by Renata Osinska from Fotolia.com
  
  As literacy continues to be a national, regional and household priority, so do funding initiatives that support educational reading programs. Thanks to the generosity of corporate foundations and national associations, reading programs beyond the scope of the classroom will continue to be funded, and programs that benefit students will continue to keep them reading.
  
  

The RGK Foundation

• The RGK Foundation provides funding that promotes programs in reading, literacy and teacher development. Previous funding has included $10,000 for the English at Work program in Austin, Texas, to support workplace language classes; $60,000 to BookSpring in Austin, Texas, for the Neighborhood of Readers program; and $65,000 for the Children's Literacy Initiative in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for its early literacy curriculum.
  
  RGK Foundation
  1301 West 25th Street, Suite 300
  Austin, TX 78705
  512-474-9298
  rgkfoundation.org
  
  

The Verizon Competitive Literacy Grant

• The Verizon Foundation supports literacy programs in elementary schools through the Competitive Literacy Grant program. Their mission is to help children become educated and better prepared to reach their goals through literacy. Technology use is also encouraged through the many Verizon literacy partnerships that include Thinkfinity.org and ReadWriteThink.org, all of which support teachers with free K-12 web-based lessons. All funded programs must be geared toward increasing literacy and educational achievement.
  
  The Verizon Foundation
  One Verizon Way
  Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
  (800) 360-7955
  foundation.verizon.com
  
  

State Farm Insurance Foundation Grants

• The State Farm Companies' Foundation supports literacy educational initiatives through school grants that contribute to school or curriculum reform. Previously funded programs included the development of ABC books for preschool children, hosting of a special author's week with reading time in the classrooms and a project in which students took samples of the local water, analyzed it for pollutants and then wrote letters to the local government about the results with recommended steps to take.
  
  State Farm Corporate Offices
  One State Farm Plaza
  Bloomington, IL 61710
  statefarm.com
  
  

Phi Kappa Phi

• Since 2003 the Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grants have been championing literacy initiatives with grants of up to $2,500 for institutions of higher education in partnership with individual Phi Kappa Phi members. Their mission is to "engage the community of scholars in service to others." Past grants recipients include the Southeast Missouri State University's program "Born to Read" for its promotion of early literacy by providing books to newborns at an area hospital. The Valdosta State University's "Cartoon Economics" in partnership with the Phi Kappa Phi chapter to provide economics education to kindergarten students in area schools; and the University of Tennessee-Martin's program "Yes We Can -- Read" for a literacy program at the Martin Housing Authority that provided children with weekly read-aloud time and other after-school literacy events.
  
  Phi Kappa Phi Literacy Grants
  7576 Goodwood Boulevard
  Baton Route, LA 70805
  225-388-4917
  phikappaphi.org