GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awarded more than $8.3 million to more than 1,000 nonprofit organizations, libraries and schools. The grants seek to support the Foundation’s commitment to advancing adult, family and summer literacy programs throughout the communities that Dollar General (NYSE: DG) serves.
“We are honored to fund literacy and education initiatives, which support our mission of Serving Others,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO. “The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2018 and a legacy of helping people improve their lives through literacy and education. Including the grants announced today, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has provided more than $154 million in funding to help more than 10 million people. We believe these programs can have a positive impact on the communities we serve and we look forward to continuing to partner with organizations dedicated to making a difference in the lives of millions of Americans.”
Grant recipients plan to use the 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. With more than 35 million American adults reading at the lowest level of literacy and 63 percent of fourth graders reading below a proficient level, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation believes that these targeted programs can deliver immediate and long-term impact.
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is currently accepting applications for youth literacy grants through Thursday, May 17, 2018. 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.
A complete list of today’s grant recipients and applications for youth literacy grants are available online at www.dgliteracy.org.
Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards funds to nonprofit organizations, schools and libraries within a 20-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.
For additional information, photographs or items to supplement a story, please visit the Dollar General Newsroom or contact the Media Relations Department at 1-877-944-DGPR (3477) or via email at dgpr@dollargeneral.com.
About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $154 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 10 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, visit www.dgliteracy.org.
About Dollar General Corporation
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for more than 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares and seasonal items at everyday low prices in convenient neighborhood locations. Dollar General operated 14,609 stores in 44 states as of March 2, 2018. In addition to high-quality, private brands, Dollar General sells products from America's most-trusted brands such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg's, General Mills, and PepsiCo.
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