As a restricted fund of the Bush Center, the George W. Bush Institute is proud to support the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries which provides library grants to our nation’s neediest schools to expand, update, and diversify their book and print collections to help students continue to develop a love of reading and learning.
Studies have shown that the quality of a school library has a major impact on reading test scores and academic success of children. All of the elements for a good library are needed to positively affect academic achievement, such as adequate staffing, technology, and the quality of the print collection, including the date and quantity of the books.
Impact
Since its founding in 2002, the Foundation has awarded over $14.3 million to more than 2,700 schools in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and military bases. School Library funds have helped purchase more than 850,000 books and other reading materials for school libraries from 2002 to 2016.
Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Fund
A separate and special fund was raised for the “Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative” to help rebuild school library collections affected by the devastation of the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Between 2006 and 2012, the Foundation awarded more than $6.4 million in grants to 124 schools in the Gulf Coast area.
Learn more at www.laurabushfoundation.org
