Dollar General Foundation Supports Literacy With $9.2M in Donations

Spring grant recipients to be announced May 12

5/2/2022

In addition to literacy grants, Dollar General will now offer teachers a 5% discount once per month.

In an effort to support literacy in the communities it serves, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation is committing $8.2 million in grants for family, adult and summer literacy programs, as well as a $1 million grant to DonorsChoose in support of a match program for book projects.

The spring grant recipients will be announced May 12 and will include approximately 1,000 schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations. The separate DonorsChoose grant will help celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week and is part of a book match donation for book-related projects.

In addition, Dollar General announced a 5% discount for teachers that can be used once each month. Teachers can sign up to receive the offer through the DG App or website and add the discount as a DG Digital Coupon.

“Today’s announcement further demonstrates our commitment to serving teachers and students across the nation,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “The Dollar General Literacy Foundation believes everyone should have access to programs that help strengthen reading and build critical literacy skills, and teachers should have the tools needed for quality classroom instruction.

“We are proud to offer grants to schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations that help increase access to education and inspire innovation, helping to build brighter futures for all families,” Torr continued.

In March, the foundation donated $5 million in grants to five organizations committed to advancing literacy, providing professional development for instructors and developing technology and learning tools. The recipients were Save the Children, The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, DonorsChoose, Discovery Education and the Children’s Defense Fund.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation was created in 1993 to honor Dollar General co-founder J.L. Turner, who was functionally illiterate and never completed a formal education. Since its inception, the organization has donated more than $203 million to support literacy advancement.

Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based Dollar General is No. 15 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Dollar General is also PG's 2021 Retailer of the Year.