Domestic Excellence

Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries

“Once a child learns to use a library, the doors to learning are always open.”
—Mrs. Laura Bush

2,806

Schools have received grants

$16M+

Has been awarded to schools in funds

724K+

Estimated books and materials purchased with these funds

2

Mrs. Laura Bush's 2021 Summer Reading List for Kids

Recommended reading for youngest, elementary, and middle school readers.
Article • May 17, 2021
2

Mrs. Laura Bush's 2020 Summer Reading List for Kids

Recommended reading for youngest, elementary, and middle school readers.
Article • July 22, 2020
Laura Bush Book Club: A Conversation with Author Michele Harper

Event • November 18, 2020
1

Mrs. Laura Bush's 2019 Summer Reading List for Kids

Recommended reading for elementary and intermediate readers.
Article • July 9, 2019
Laura Bush Book Club with Alexander McCall Smith

We join Alexander McCall Smith, author of the best-selling The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, for the first Laura Bush Book Club event.

Event • November 4, 2019
5

Rebuilding School Libraries in Puerto Rico

Scholastic's Darlene Vazquez recounts the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Maria and shares how the Laura Bush Foundation’s 2017 Disaster Relief grants have benefited school libraries and students.
Article • October 5, 2018
2

Mrs. Laura Bush's Recommended Reading List: Comfort Books
Article • August 2, 2018
1

Mrs. Laura Bush's Recommended Reading List: Intermediate Readers
Article • June 7, 2018
2

Mrs. Laura Bush's Recommended Reading List: Family Reading
Article • May 16, 2018

Providing grants to our Nation's neediest schools so they can extend, update, and diversify the book and print collections in their libraries.

A former librarian and teacher, Mrs. Laura Bush understands that limited financial resources often result in school leaders placing a lower priority on their school libraries.

Studies show that the quality of a school library has a major impact on reading test scores and academic success. Since 2002, the Laura Bush Foundation has awarded more than $16 million to more than 2,800 schools across the country.

REBUILDING LIBRARIES AFFECTED BY 2019 Dallas tornadoes

In November 2020, The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries awarded the Dallas Education Foundation $500,000 for the direct benefit of Dallas ISD to rebuild from the October 2019 North Dallas tornadoes. Thomas Jefferson High School, Francisco “Pancho” Medrano Junior High School, and Walnut Hill PK-8 used the grants to expand, update, and diversify their library book collections.

Rebuilding Libraries Affected by 2017 Natural Disasters

After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries awarded grants of $10,000 to $75,000 to school libraries whose collections were damaged or destroyed in the hurricanes. After the devastation we saw from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria as well the California wildfires, the 2017 Disaster Relief Initiative dedicated more than $2 million in grants to affected schools.