First Book-Greater Springfield

About Us

First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 65 million free and low-cost books to disadvantaged children and the programs that serve them.

First Book-Greater Springfield has a simple mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. Our local advisory board was established in December of 2008 and we have already provided over 2,500 books to children in our community.

The children we serve come from traditionally underserved areas, where research shows that nearly two thirds of families own no books at all. They are enrolled in a variety of early learning and after-school programs administered by social service agencies, daycares, and schools. We award book grants to these local literacy programs and provide books at no cost to the children or the programs. Most importantly, the children take home and keep the books they receive.

Our goal in 2010 is to distribute an additional 4,000 books to children in our community. You can help us reach this goal. With a $10 donation, we are able to purchase 5 books for a child in our community. A $50 donation will provide a new book for every child in a classroom. If you would like to make a donation to First Book-Greater Springfield, please contact us or make an online donation.

Are you an organization in need of books for the children you serve? We accept grant applications throughout the year. Our grant application and guidelines are in the Receive Books section of this website. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Contact Us

You can contact us by sending an email.