The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded approximately $240,000 in literacy grants to Florida nonprofit organizations. These grants are part of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s largest one-day grant announcement, which supports summer, family and adult literacy programs. In total, the Foundation awarded more than $8.6 million to approximately 970 nonprofit organizations, libraries and schools to support the educational journey of more than 663,000 individuals, which aim to enhance local literacy and education initiatives throughout the communities Dollar General serves.
“During these extraordinary times, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation remains steadfast in its commitment to support communities’ literacy and educational advancements through funds that will impact thousands of students across the country,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO and Dollar General Literacy Foundation board member. “We are proud to support the meaningful and impactful work that each of today’s recipients conduct and support their ongoing efforts to help individuals improve their lives through literacy and education.”
Grant recipients plan to use awarded funds to promote literacy and learning across a variety of programs including promoting childhood summer reading, helping adults learn to read and prepare for the high school equivalency exam and helping individuals to learn English. Florida recipients are listed below and a comprehensive list of grant recipients may be found online at www.dgliteracy.org. The grants awarded to Florida organizations are expected to positively impact the lives of more than 10,000 residents.
| Organization | City | County | Grant Amount |
| Adult Literacy League, Inc. | Orlando | Orange | $8,000.00 |
| Adult Literacy League, Inc. | Orlando | Orange | $10,000.00 |
| Adult Literacy League, Inc. | Orlando | Orange | $2,000.00 |
| Arbor School of Central Florida | Casselberry | Seminole | $2,000.00 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Polk County | Lakeland | Polk | $2,000.00 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County | Fort Pierce | Saint Lucie | $2,000.00 |
| Children’s Home Society of Florida | Melbourne | Brevard | $3,000.00 |
| Columbia Career and Adult Education | Lake City | Columbia | $8,000.00 |
| ECHO of Brandon, Inc. | Brandon | Hillsborough | $8,000.00 |
| El Sol Jupiter’s Neighborhood Resource Center | Jupiter | Palm Beach | $10,000.00 |
| El Sol Jupiter’s Neighborhood Resource Center | Jupiter | Palm Beach | $1,338.00 |
| Family Literacy Academy at Lake Wales, Inc. | Babson Park | Polk | $10,000.00 |
| Indian River State College | Fort Pierce | Saint Lucie | $6,000.00 |
| Kids In Distress Inc. | Wilton Manors | Broward | $2,000.00 |
| L.O.V.E Our Youth, Inc. | Orlando | Orange | $2,000.00 |
| Learn Tampa Bay | Plant City | Hillsborough | $10,000.00 |
| Learn to Read Jacksonville | Jacksonville | Duval | $7,250.00 |
| Learn to Read of St Lucie County, Inc. | Ft. Pierce | Saint Lucie | $7,000.00 |
| Learn to Read of St. Johns County, Inc. | St. Augustine | Saint Johns | $2,500.00 |
| Lena Vista Elementary | Auburndale | Polk | $2,000.00 |
| Literacy Services of Indian River County, Inc. | Vero Beach | Indian River | $6,500.00 |
| Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach | West Palm Beach | Palm Beach | $2,000.00 |
| Marion County Literacy Council, Inc. | Ocala | Marion | $7,000.00 |
| Masters of Education, Inc. | Jacksonville | Duval | $3,000.00 |
| Milagro Foundation, Inc. | Delray Beach | Palm Beach | $2,000.00 |
| N.M.B. Organization, Inc. | Gainesville | Alachua | $2,500.00 |
| Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition | Boynton Beach | Palm Beach | $10,000.00 |
| Project Light of Manatee, Inc. | Bradenton | Manatee | $8,000.00 |
| Prosperity Social & Community Development Group | North Miami | Miami-Dade | $2,000.00 |
| READ Lakeland, Inc. | Lakeland | Polk | $5,380.00 |
| READ Pinellas, Inc. | Largo | Pinellas | $7,700.00 |
| Read2Succeed, Inc. | Palmetto Bay | Miami-Dade | $8,000.00 |
| Ready for Life Brevard, Inc. | Melbourne | Brevard | $8,000.00 |
| Rise Up 4 Change | Miami | Miami-Dade | $10,000.00 |
| Riverview Elementary | Riverview | Hillsborough | $2,000.00 |
| Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA | Tampa | Hillsborough | $1,940.00 |
| The Immokalee Foundation | Naples | Collier | $2,000.00 |
| The Literacy Council of Sarasota, Inc. | Sarasota | Sarasota | $8,000.00 |
| The School District of Osceola County | St. Cloud | Osceola | $3,000.00 |
| Toussaint Louverture Elementary | Miami | Miami-Dade | $2,000.00 |
| United Methodist Cooperative Ministries/Suncoast, Inc. | Largo | Pinellas | $8,000.00 |
| Vita Nova, Inc. | West Palm Beach | Palm Beach | $8,000.00 |
| Volusia Literacy Council, Inc. | Daytona Beach | Volusia | $6,500.00 |
| Women’s Center of Jacksonville | Jacksonville | Duval | $8,000.00 |
| YOUth CAN, Inc. | Winter Park | Orange | $3,000.00 |
“For more than 26 years, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has invested in programs that help uplift and empower others through education,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “In the wake of the pandemic as more youth are in need of academic support and an increased number of adults are looking to enhance their basic skills and employability, we proudly continue our support of basic education and literacy initiatives for individuals of all ages. We are grateful for the hardworking teachers and nonprofit leaders who are serving students in our hometown communities and hope these funds help advance their efforts.”
In addition to the adult, family and summer program grants, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation is now accepting applications for youth literacy grants through Thursday, May 21, 2020 until 10 p.m. CT. Youth literacy grants support schools, public libraries and nonprofit organizations in implementing new literacy efforts or expanding existing ones. Funding can be used to purchase new technology, equipment, books, materials or software to enhance literacy programs.
Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards funds to nonprofit organizations, schools and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center to support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs. Through partnerships with national literacy organizations like the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, XPRIZE Foundation and the American Libraries Association, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation supports organizations that increase access to educational programming, stimulate and enable innovation in the delivery of educational instruction and inspire a love of reading.
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation also offers a student referral program for individuals interested in learning how to read, speak English or prepare for the high school equivalency exam. Referrals to a local organization that provides free literacy services are available online here or through referral cards found in the Learn to Read brochures that are available at the cash register of every Dollar General store.
