Richards School Receives $25,000 Literacy Grant from the Children’s Literacy Foundation Newport, NH:
Richards School is excited to announce they have been selected to receive a CLiF Year of the Book grant by the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF). Over the course of the 2025-26 academic year, the school will receive in-person visits from professional authors and illustrators; new books for the school and public libraries; new books for each student to choose and keep; classroom enrichment mini-grants; and many additional literacy resources.
We applied for the CLiF grant because we are passionate about fostering a love of reading and writing in all of our students. This grant offers a unique opportunity to enrich our literacy programming, expand access to high-quality books, and inspire young readers through meaningful author visits and engaging literacy activities. We are especially excited about the chance to build home libraries for our students and to create a school culture that celebrates storytelling and imagination. With CLiF’s support, we look forward to igniting a lifelong love of literacy across our school community.
Richards School is one of 14 public elementary schools in Vermont and New Hampshire to receive the Year of the Book grant, which provides up to $25,000 in support to build a culture of literacy within a school community. Richards School also receives a follow-up Momentum grant for 2026-27 to support additional books, events, and activities in order to sustain engagement and excitement around the grant.
“CLiF is very pleased to support the children, teachers, and families at this deserving school,” stated CLiF Executive Director Laura Rice. “We are so impressed with the deep commitment expressed by each applicant to provide opportunities for literacy growth and excitement in their students. We are honored to partner with them in this important effort.”
The Year of the Book is designed to supplement a school’s existing literacy efforts, encourage reading and writing, increase family engagement, and make high-quality books accessible to all students. Eligible schools must demonstrate a significant percentage of students scoring below proficiency on reading and writing assessments, as well as overall community need.
Grant programming will kick off at the beginning of the 2025 school year with a compelling storytelling presentation and an initial book giveaway for students in grades K-5. Additional literacy events and book giveaways will continue through the year.
About the Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) CLiF is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating literacy experiences that support success in life and learning for under-resourced children in New Hampshire and Vermont. Each year, CLiF reaches thousands of young readers and writers through enriching programming, in-person visits from professional authors and illustrators, book giveaways and more. For more information, visit clifonline.org.