GOODLETTSVILLE, TN (MPG) - The Dollar General Literacy Foundation announced the recent award of more than $217,000 in youth literacy grants to California teachers, libraries and nonprofit organizations. The grants aim to support youth literacy programs in the communities Dollar General serves. California recipients are listed below, and a comprehensive list of grant recipients may be found online at DGLiteracy.org. The grants awarded to California organizations are expected to positively impact the lives of more than 42,591 residents.

This week’s grant announcements are also part of a collective $4.5 million effort from Dollar General and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation that includes more than $3 million in youth literacy programs from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, a new $1.45 million partnership with education nonprofit DonorsChoose and a $50,000 donation to a West Virginia literacy organization to recognize World Teacher Day.

“At Dollar General we’re committed to being here for what matters most to the communities we call home,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s chief executive officer and Dollar General Literacy Foundation board member. “The urgency to support childhood literacy has never been greater, and we are honored to support the teachers, school officials, library staff and a network of nonprofits working every day to ensure the next generation is able to build the skills necessary to thrive and achieve their ambitions.”

Local grant recipients include Yuba County-Sutter County Regional Arts Council of Marysville, Yuba Gardens Intermediate of Olivehurst and Helen M. Wilcox Elementary of Oroville.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s fall grants aim to support nearly 760 schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations across the 46 states in which Dollar General currently operates. More than 425,000 students nationwide are expected to be positively impacted by projects receiving funding, including new and/or expanded literacy programs, and through the purchase of technology, equipment books or materials to enhance literacy programs. Applications for the 2022 Dollar General Literacy Foundation grant cycle will be available at DGLiteracy.org in January 2022.

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. Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards funds to nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center to support adult, family, summer, and youth literacy programs.  The 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.

To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, visit www.dgliteracy.org.

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 $203 million in grants, helping more than 14.8 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Cal Turner, Jr. founded the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to honor his grandfather and Dollar General’s co-founder, J.L. Turner, who was functionally illiterate having dropped out of school in the third grade to support his family. The Foundation aims to provide support to schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations that seek to improve adult, summer, youth and family literacy initiatives.  To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, visit www.dgliteracy.org.