United Through Reading Joins Diverse Books for All Coalition

June 12, 2023

United Through Reading is excited to announce that we have joined the Diverse Books for All Coalition. The Coalition is a national consortium of nonprofits and membership organizations working together to increase access to affordable children’s books by and about diverse races and cultures. One of their goals is to double the number of affordable, quality diverse children’s books accessible to members in five years.

“United Through Reading has long prioritized curating a wide array of diverse and inclusive titles and authors amongst the books we distribute, and we’re honored to join more than 30 fellow organizations working together to increase access to books that reflect the rich diversity of our nation, our world, and our military-connected families,” said Tim Farrell, CEO of United Through Reading. 

The Diverse Books for All Coalition launched in October 2022 with 27 nonprofits and membership organizations from across the U.S. to tackle a common challenge that has impeded children’s literacy for decades: the lack of high-quality, affordable children’s books by and about diverse races and cultures. Among its strategies, the Diverse Books for All Coalition, which includes many of the nation’s largest nonprofits that distribute books to children, will leverage the power of aggregate buying to influence the availability and pricing of diverse children’s books. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded First Book, the nonprofit social enterprise that organized the coalition, with a $1 million, 18-month grant to support the initiative. 

To support educational and racial equity, the Diverse Books for All Coalition is developing a plan for collective action designed to double the number of affordable, quality children’s books by and about diverse cultures and races over the next five years. The group is focused on unifying the market of nonprofits and membership organizations serving children in low-income communities; framing a narrative to promote the importance of diverse books; providing educators with support and resources to advocate for diverse books; and ensuring that parents/caregivers have a voice in defining and promoting diverse books. 

In 2023, United Through Reading is committed to distributing 5,500 books through military and veteran nonprofit partners who support underserved and historically marginalized groups. Their book list features over 100 books with diverse characters, see them here.