First Book - First Book at a Glance

First Book at a Glance

First Book’s Mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books.
First Book was founded in 1992.
First Book has distributed more than 50 million new books to children from low-income families across the United States.
First Book works in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 1,300 communities nationwide.
At the local level, First Book has more than 250 volunteer Advisory Boards that raise funds and select the most effective programs in their community as First Book grantees.
First Book is the signature charity of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard provides volunteer support and warehouse space around the nation.

You can also view a list of our recent honors and awards.

The First Book National Book Bank (FBNBB) is the first and only centralized on-line system for publishers to donate large quantities of books to the social sector for distribution to children from low-income families.
FBNBB was created in 1999 and is now supported by donations from more than 50 publishers.
The largest single donation to the FBNBB was 1.9 million books from Random House in 2005.
The largest single distribution of the FBNBB was 2 million books in 2002.

The First Book Marketplace (FBMP) is the first-ever online sales opportunity that offers a large selection of high quality new books at the lowest possible cost to nonprofit and related organizations serving children in need.

The FBNBB and the FBMP currently reach more than 13,000 registered recipient groups.

First Book spends less than 2.0% of funds on non-programmatic expenses for management and fundraising. More than 98% of our funds are spent directly in service of our mission.
Every $1 donated to First Book results in $10 worth of books being distributed to children in need.