Access to free books for schools and programs serving children in need
The First Book National Book Bank connects leading publishing houses with programs serving children in need. As the nation’s only clearinghouse for large-scale book donations, the First Book National Book Bank distributes 5-8 million books each year to programs where at least 70 percent of the children served are from low-income or military families or Title I eligible schools.
How it works:
- Interested Recipient Groups register with First Book.
- More than 90 publishing partners donate large quantities of new books to First Book.
- First Book notifies registered programs when books become available.
- Educators review title lists, select titles for their children, and apply for selected books online.
- First Book staff members allocate books and use donated warehouse spaces and volunteers to ship books.
- All books distributed through the First Book National Book Bank are free.
- Recipient Groups near the warehouse can pick up their books in person. Programs farther away can have books shipped for the deeply discounted rate of 35 to 50 cents per book (less than the cost of a stamp!).
Donate Warehouse Space
We have an ongoing need for warehouses interested in hosting book distributions. These partners must be able to accept freight shipments of books and hold this inventory for a limited time. Click here to learn more.
Become a Publishing Partner
Publishers donating books to the First Book National Book Bank do so knowing that their gift will quickly and efficiently be channeled to programs nationwide serving children ages 0 to 18. This tax-deductible donation model also saves publishers expenses associated with processing individual donation requests. To get involved, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .