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History

Reading Is Fundamental was founded in 1966 by Margaret McNamara, wife of then United States Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. Her idea for the program came about after she volunteered to read with children at a public school in Washington, D.C., and noticed that many of the students lacked access to books at home. With funding from the Ford Foundation, she launched a pilot project through the D.C. Public School system, providing free books for students to choose to keep. This included the launch of a bookmobile to increase reach outside of classrooms.[7]

Arthur White,[8] was one of the organizations co-founders, with early support from the daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Lynda Johnson Robb.[9]

In 1975, RIF became an independent nonprofit organization. It quickly expanded across the United States, distributing books through partnerships with schools, libraries, and community organizations. By 1980, the program had distributed 37 million books and gained support from both public and private sources.[10]

RIF administered significant federal funding through the U.S. Department of Education for decades, particularly under the Inexpensive Book Distribution Program.[11] In 2011, Congress eliminated congressionally directed spending and thus congressional funding for RIF.[12] RIF then began transforming its model to secure funding to continue its programmatic work via corporate partners, foundations, and individual donors.

Today, RIF continues to operate nationwide, delivering books and literacy programs to millions of children through ongoing corporate partnerships, foundation support, privately funded initiatives, and other federal funding sources.[13]

In 2001, Carol Rasco, the former senior adviser to President Bill Clinton and later United States Secretary of Education Richard Riley, became the president and CEO of RIF, succeeding former Bryant University president William E. Trueheart who served in that role from 1997 to 2001.[14] Ruth Graves led the organization from 1975 to 1997.[15][16] In 2011, Congress eliminated congressionally-directed spending and thus federal funding for RIF.[17][18] RIF then began transforming its model to secure funding to continue its programmatic work via corporate partners, foundations, and individual donors.[19]

In 2015, RIF released the results of Read for Success, a two-year research study funded by a grant from the Department of Education. Read for Success is centered around motivating children to read by providing access to high-quality classroom book collections, books for students to choose and own, enriching STEAM-themed classroom activities, professional development for teachers and parent engagement. RIF continues to offer the Read for Success program.[20]

In 2016, RIF celebrated its 50th anniversary[21] with a national virtual birthday party hosted from Amidon Elementary School in Washington, D.C., where RIF’s first program operated. Rasco departed RIF this same year, succeeded by Alicia Levi as the new and current President and CEO.[22]

Programs

RIF’s flagship program is Books for Ownership which enables children to choose free books to take home and keep.[23]

In 2017, RIF launched its free book resource website, Literacy Central (www.RIF.org/Literacy-Central), an online source of free digital resources.[24]

References

  1. 1 2 Saxon, Wolfgang (February 4, 1981). “MARGARET MCNAMARA, 65, IS DEAD; BEGAN CHILDREN’S READING PROGRAM”. The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  2. ↑ Lamb, Brian. “In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam”. C-SPAN. Archived from the original on 2017-05-08. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  3. ↑ “Reading Is Fundamental Inc”. Nonprofit Explorer. Pro Publica Inc. 9 May 2013. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  4. 1 2 “RIF Charity Navigator Profile”. Charity Navigator. Archived from the original on 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  5. ↑ “RIF Guidestar Profile”. Guidestar. Archived from the original on 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  6. ↑ nc (2023-11-17). “Inspire Reading Joy, Build a Nation of Lifelong Readers”. America’s Charities. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  7. ↑ Bender, Marylin (1972-05-07). “Books for Fun and Their Very Own”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  8. ↑ Times, William; Yardley (September 5, 2014). “Arthur H. White, 90; set up innovative public polling firm – The Boston Globe”. BostonGlobe.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  9. ↑ “Lynda Johnson Robb”. The Institute of Politics at Harvard University. Archived from the original on 2020-08-06. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  10. ↑ Saxon, Wolfgang (1981-02-04). “MARGARET MCNAMARA, 65, IS DEAD; BEGAN CHILDREN’S READING PROGRAM”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  11. ↑ “U.S.C. Title 20 – EDUCATION”. www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  12. ↑ Manager, Zoë TriskaSenior Editorial Product; HuffPost (2011-03-04). “Obama Eliminates Funding For Reading Is Fundamental Program”. HuffPost. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  13. ↑ Gómez, Sarah Hannah (2021-05-24). “A Brief History of Reading is Fundamental”. BOOK RIOT. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  14. ↑ “Carol Rasco | HuffPost”. www.huffingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  15. ↑ “Ruth P. Graves, executive of children’s literacy group”. Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-08-20.
  16. ↑ Mead, Aaron (2010-10-30). “Interview: Carol Rasco, Reading is Fundamental”. Children’s Books and Reviews. Archived from the original on 2018-07-28. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  17. ↑ “Reading Is Fundamental Funding Eliminated”. Huffington Post. 2011-03-04. Archived from the original on 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  18. ↑ The source explains
    More than a dozen education programs—including high-profile efforts focused on literacy, teaching, and learning—face the prospect of a permanent federal funding loss after they were chopped from a stopgap spending measure signed into law by President Barack Obama last week. The temporary spending law, intended to keep the government running until March 18 […], finances most federal programs at fiscal year 2010 levels. But education programs such as Even Start, Striving Readers, and the privately organized Teach For America, ended up taking dramatic hits after Republican leaders insisted on cuts even in the temporary spending bill. The measure slashes nearly $750 million from the U.S Department of Education’s most recent overall discretionary budget of $46.6 billion, excluding Pell Grant funding. Literacy programs bore the brunt. The funding for Striving Readers, which was financed at $250 million, was eliminated. The Even Start family-literacy effort lost its $67 million appropriation.
  19. ↑ D’Arcy, Janice (2011-11-03). “Reading is Fundamental (unless it’s too expensive)”. Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  20. ↑ “Read for Success Overview and Program Details”. rif.org. 2022-05-20. Archived from the original on 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
  21. ↑ Reading Is Fundamental (2015-11-18), Carol Rasco, President and CEO of RIF, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2018-07-28
  22. ↑ “Charity Navigator – Rating for Reading Is Fundamental”. Charity Navigator. Archived from the original on 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  23. ↑ “Books and socks paired up for kids”. The Kokomo Tribune. August 15, 1989. p. 11. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
  24. ↑ “Welcome to Literacy Central”. www.rif.org. 2022-05-20. Archived from the original on 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2022-05-20.