The Readings Foundation

Readings donates 10% of its overall profit to The Readings Foundation each year to support arts, literacy and the community.

The Readings Foundation was established by Readings Managing Director Mark Rubbo in 2009 to support Victorian individuals and organisations that wish to further the development of literacy, community work and the arts.

Money is raised from Readings profits, individual donations and most importantly from Readings customers. You can make a donation to the Foundation at any of our stores in return for gift wrapping, attending Readings events and through using the accommodation window service, as well as via the purchase of the anthology Readings and Writings: Forty Years in Books. All donations to the foundation over $2 are tax deductible.

Readings would like to congratulate the following recipients of the 2012 Readings Foundation grants:

• Save the Children ($20 000): Delivery of weekly literacy and play sessions for refugee and migrant children aged 0-6 years old.

• Asylum Seeker Resource Centre ($14 267): To support a program to foster attitudinal change by providing students and their teachers with facts about asylum seekers.

• The Social Studio ($18 000): To support a specialised ESL literacy and training initiative aimed at refugee youths working in fashion and design.

• Concern Australia ($10 000): To provide a focus on literacy and numeracy skills for young children who live on the Collingwood estate.

• The River Nile Learning Centre ($9670): To support a tutor program that improves literacy and numeracy skills of young African refugee women in the inner west.

The Readings Foundation is also pleased to continue its support of the Sacred Heart Mission ($6,000), the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s HIPPY (Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters) program ($6,000), the Glenfern Writers' Studio ($2,500) and as previously announced to fund the new Wheeler Centre fellowships ($20 000) for 2012.

The 2012 grant committee included author Helen Garner, Readings' staff, Peter Donoghue (ex-managing director of Publishers John Wiley Australia) and Gerald Smith (Phase III Accounting).

Read about the successful applicants for Readings Foundation grants from 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Applications to the Readings Foundation are now closed. We will post information about the 2013 grant application process on our website in August 2012. For all enquiries, or to make a donation to The Readings Foundation email Ingrid Josephine at foundation@readings.com.au.

Weekly literacy tutoring which the Aboriginal Literacy Foundation received a Readings Foundation grant to run in 2010.