Since 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has continued to uplift, empower, and positively impact communities through education.
According to the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF)’s 2022 State of American Literacy Research Report, which polled students, parents, teachers, and adult learners—along with experts working to solve the U.S.’s literacy challenges—80% of respondents believe low youth literacy is a problem in the country, hindering opportunities for future success.
Research confirms low literacy is a widespread issue. In 2022, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), an organization that measures academic performance from a representative sampling of students across the country, issued the Nation’s Report Card, which found that 67% of fourth graders and 69% of eighth graders nationally scored below the NAEP Proficiency level in reading. Additionally, more than 40 million adults in the U.S. score at or below the lowest levels of literacy.
To help close the literacy gap, the DGLF collaborates with national, regional, and local organizations to enhance the quality of classroom instruction, increase access to literacy programming, advance innovation, and inspire a joy of reading. In 2023, the DGLF celebrates its 30th anniversary. While work is still needed, the DGLF’s incredible impact on communities over the past three decades includes:
The story behind the DGLF
When J.L. Turner was 11 years old, his father tragically passed away from an accident. J.L. left school with the equivalent of a third-grade education so he could support his family’s farm and help provide for his mother and siblings. Despite being functionally illiterate, he knew his limited education demanded that he find ways to learn and study the world around him, which ultimately led to his success. In 1939, J.L. and his son, Cal Turner, Sr., founded J.L. Turner and Son Wholesale, which soon gave way to Dollar General retail stores.
To honor J.L.’s legacy, Cal Turner, Jr., established the DGLF in 1993 to advance literacy and education initiatives that help individuals of all ages pursue their educational goals and achieve their dreams.
The DGLF serves communities across the nation by helping provide meaningful access to literacy skills, which exemplifies Dollar General’s mission of Serving Others.
Nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center are eligible to apply for DGLF adult, family, summer, and youth literacy grants.
Supporting communities across the U.S.
We believe everyone deserves access to a quality education. Whether you look at education through the lens of personal growth and development, workforce and economic mobility, or civic engagement, education is critical to building a thriving society—and a great education starts with being able to read.
—Denine Torr, Executive Director, The Dollar General Literacy Foundation
Literacy experts state that adult literacy plays a critical role in an individual’s success due to its positive correlation to higher levels of income and better health.
According to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy research, communities at risk for unemployment and poor health outcomes across the U.S. are often the same communities where low literacy rates are most prevalent.
The DGLF supports organizations that provide direct services to adults in need of educational assistance in:
Adult literacy grants
For many years, Rosa* regularly attended English classes at the Learn to Read Council, an Alabama nonprofit teaching adults literacy skills that received a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. When she needed support obtaining U.S. citizenship, she turned to her tutor to help strengthen her literacy skills for the citizenship test and interview. With support from her tutor, Rosa passed the interview and test, allowing her to officially become a U.S. citizen in January 2022.
—Rosa
I’m grateful that the Learn to Read Council program and my
tutor helped me with my English. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t
be able to help others in need of learning the language. I’m grateful that I am now able to help others with the citizenship test.
Impact in Action
All audiences surveyed in the DGLF’s State of American Literacy Report saw literacy as a top factor for a child’s success in life. Furthermore, a 2023 study on child literacy in America by Regis College found that children with low literacy are more likely to get bad grades, have more school absences, and display behavioral issues. Additionally, poor literacy can make students feel incompetent, which can result in low self-esteem and isolation.
The DGLF supports youth literacy strides and awards grants to schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations helping students that have skills below grade level or have trouble reading. These funds are used to:
Youth literacy grants
Impact in Action
—Jessica Sisil, Superintendent, Palestine Community Unit School District in Illinois
In August 2023, the DGLF donated nearly $70,000 to schools, libraries, and nonprofit organizations in central Illinois. The grants allowed recipients to purchase additional books, technology, equipment, and materials for K-12 students.
The grant allowed us to expand our library collection, update technology resources, and offer additional tutoring and mentoring services to students. As a result, we have seen a significant improvement in literacy rates and academic achievement among our students. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation grant has truly transformed our school and empowered our students to reach their full potential.
Research has found that a child’s literacy is correlated to parental literacy, which is one of the strongest indicators of the child’s likelihood of educational and, later, vocational success.
The DGLF supports nonprofit organizations that aid the whole family in literacy, providing:
Family literacy grants
Impact in Action
—Emmalynn
During Rex’s* 23-year U.S. Navy career, he was often deployed overseas and away from his wife and four children. With help from United Through Reading, an organization that enables military families to read together, and a DGLF family literacy grant, Rex has been able to video record bedtime stories his family can watch on demand. These videos not only helped maintain his connection to his children, but they also helped his youngest daughter, Emmalynn*, learn to love reading.
United Through Reading helped me read better. I have trouble reading because I am dyslexic. When Daddy reads to me, I can listen to the words, and I can follow along by looking at the pictures and words in the book. Even though it is hard for me,
I love reading with my family.
Impact in Action
—Stephanie Fair, Assistant Library Director, St. Clair Shores Public Library
In June 2023, DGLF awarded the St. Clair Shores Public Library in Michigan with $2,500 as part of its historic, largest one-day literacy donation of more than $13 million. The funds aim to help the library’s summer literacy program and provide residents a wide variety of services to help improve literacy in the state.
Approximately 80% of children living in economically disadvantaged communities will lose reading skills over summer breaks, due to a lack of access to books and other resources.
The DGLF’s support to local nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries includes summer reading programs that:
Summer reading grants
We will be able to enhance children’s summer literacy by offering new programs, books, software, and rewards, thanks to this grant.
In 2006, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation created the Beyond Words grant program, a disaster relief fund to help public school libraries rebuild, reestablish, and/or expand library resources following devasting impacts of natural disasters. Beyond Words serves as a beacon of hope for schools, teachers, and students in Dollar General’s hometown communities as they work to recover from the aftermath of a disaster.
Since its inception in 2006, the Beyond Words program impact includes:
Beyond Words
Impact in Action
—Sandra Jones, Librarian, Wynne High School
In early 2023, a tornado destroyed Wynne High School in Wynne, Ark. To help restore the high school library, DGLF awarded a $20,000 Beyond Words literacy grant. The funds were used to create a space where students can find inspiration and engage in enriching learning experiences.
Wynne High School lost its entire school in a tornado, and many
of its families lost their homes. Our goal as a learning community was to return to ‘normal’ as quickly as possible, and the Beyond Words grant was a huge help in achieving that goal.
Following the destruction caused by Hurricane Michael in 2018, Dollar General moved quickly to begin recovery efforts and help the community. One year later, the company celebrated the grand opening of its 16,000th store in Panama City, Fla., where a former store had stood. At the celebration, Dollar General presented two $16,000 checks to Cedar Grove Elementary School and Parker Elementary School to aid their recovery efforts and support the schools’ reading and literacy programs.
The Yellow Glasses Project
Introduced by DGLF in 2019, the Yellow Glasses Project aims to reframe the discussion around literacy and highlight how literacy can open doors to brighter futures. In 2023, DGLF launched the fourth annual Yellow Glasses Project campaign, which allows customers to purchase a pair of yellow glasses for $2 and encourages them to post photos in the glasses to spread awareness on social media. One hundred percent of the proceeds from each purchase go directly to DGLF in support of literacy and education initiatives across the country.
Each year, the campaign’s impact includes:
Advancing literacy is a team effort, and the DGLF partners with numerous organizations to promote learning and provide resources to all learners. Key partners include:
United to create a pathway forward
In partnership with worldwide edtech leader Discovery Education, the DGLF helped launch Discovery Literacy, a program offering teachers, students, and caregivers access to a powerful suite of in-school and after-school digital resources at no cost.
The partnership also helps upskill teachers and after-school professionals with research-based support for professional learning and shows students the long-term impacts of literacy. The DGLF’s most recent financial support to Discovery Education further aids its efforts to help educators provide equitable learning experiences to students and support higher academic achievement on a global scale.
Discovery Education
—Denine Torr, Executive Director, The Dollar General Literacy Foundation
When you help someone learn to read, you give a gift that lasts a lifetime and has the power to open doorways to new opportunities. I am proud of Dollar General’s 30 years of unwavering support of literacy and basic education programs that uplift and empower individuals of all ages. To every teacher, school administrator, volunteer tutor, nonprofit organization, librarian, reading specialist, and community leader who has helped students thrive through funding from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, I am forever grateful and thankful.
To learn more about how Dollar General is supporting communities through literacy, visit dgliteracy.org.
* Full names of those impacted by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation impact stories were not disclosed to protect their privacy.
Celebrating
30 Years
of the Dollar General
Literacy Foundation
$238M+
awarded to nonprofits, libraries, and schools advancing literacy
individuals
supported
19.6M+
Adult basic education
GED or high school
equivalency preparation
English language
acquisition
Purchase books, materials, or software for literacy programs
Implement new or expand existing literacy programs
Supply new technology or equipment to support literacy initiatives
Children’s education
Parent and Child Together Time (PACT)
Adult education instruction
Target below-grade-level readers
Assist readers with learning disabilities
Target pre-K to 12th grade students who are new readers
awarded in grants
$2.9M+
students supported
~123,000
states aided
32
raised
$1M+
Dollar General stores participated
19,000+
national partners
30+
When J.L. Turner was 11 years old, his father tragically passed away from an accident. J.L. left school with the equivalent of a third-grade education so he could support his family’s farm and help provide for his mother and siblings. Despite being functionally illiterate, he knew his limited education demanded that he find ways to learn and study the world around him, which ultimately led to his success. In 1939, J.L. and his son, Cal Turner, Sr., founded J.L. Turner and Son Wholesale, which soon gave way to Dollar General retail stores.
To honor J.L.’s legacy, Cal Turner, Jr., established the DGLF in 1993 to advance literacy and education initiatives that help individuals of all ages pursue their educational goals and achieve their dreams.
When J.L. Turner was 11 years old, his father tragically passed away from an accident. J.L. left school with the equivalent of a third-grade education so he could support his family’s farm and help provide for his mother and siblings. Despite being functionally illiterate, he knew his limited education demanded that he find ways to learn and study the world around him, which ultimately led to his success. In 1939, J.L. and his son, Cal Turner, Sr., founded J.L. Turner and Son Wholesale, which soon gave way to Dollar General retail stores.
To honor J.L.’s legacy, Cal Turner, Jr., established the DGLF in 1993 to advance literacy and education initiatives that help individuals of all ages pursue their educational goals and achieve their dreams.
To honor J.L.’s legacy, Cal Turner, Jr., established the DGLF in 1993 to advance literacy and education initiatives that help individuals of all ages pursue their educational goals and achieve their dreams.
Literacy experts state that adult literacy plays a critical role in an individual’s success due to its positive correlation to higher levels of income and better health.
According to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy research, communities at risk for unemployment and poor health outcomes across the U.S. are often the same communities where low literacy rates are most prevalent.
The DGLF supports organizations that provide direct services to adults in need of educational assistance in:
According to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy research, communities at risk for unemployment and poor health outcomes across the U.S. are often the same communities where low literacy rates are most prevalent.
The DGLF supports organizations that provide direct services to adults in need of educational assistance in:
All audiences surveyed in the DGLF’s State of American Literacy Report saw literacy as a top factor for a child’s success in life. Furthermore, a 2023 study on child literacy in America by Regis College found that children with low literacy are more likely to get bad grades, have more school absences, and display behavioral issues. Additionally, poor literacy can make students feel incompetent, which can result in low self-esteem and isolation.
The DGLF supports youth literacy strides and awards grants to schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations helping students that have skills below grade level or have trouble reading. These funds are used to:
The DGLF supports youth literacy strides and awards grants to schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations helping students that have skills below grade level or have trouble reading. These funds are used to:
—Denine Torr, Executive Director, The Dollar General Literacy Foundation
—Jessica Sisil, Superintendent, Palestine Community Unit School District in Illinois
Approximately 80% of children living in economically disadvantaged communities will lose reading skills over summer breaks, due to a lack of access to books and other resources.
The DGLF’s support to local nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries includes summer reading programs that:
—Stephanie Fair, Assistant Library Director, St. Clair Shores Public Library
In 2006, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation created the Beyond Words grant program, a disaster relief fund to help public school libraries rebuild, reestablish, and/or expand library resources following devasting impacts of natural disasters. Beyond Words serves as a beacon of hope for schools, teachers, and students in Dollar General’s hometown communities as they work to recover from the aftermath of a disaster.
Since its inception in 2006, the Beyond Words program impact includes:
—Sandra Jones, Librarian, Wynne High School
Introduced by DGLF in 2019, the Yellow Glasses Project aims to reframe the discussion around literacy and highlight how literacy can open doors to brighter futures. In 2023, DGLF launched the fourth annual Yellow Glasses Project campaign, which allows customers to purchase a pair of yellow glasses for $2 and encourages them to post photos in the glasses to spread awareness on social media. One hundred percent of the proceeds from each purchase go directly to DGLF in support of literacy and education initiatives across the country.
Each year, the campaign’s impact includes:
©2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy (Your California Privacy Rights) | CCPA Do Not Sell My Information Fortune may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Quotes delayed at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Interactive Data. ETF and Mutual Fund data provided by Morningstar, Inc. Dow Jones Terms & Conditions: S&P Index data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Terms & Conditions. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. | EU Data Subject Requests
—Denine Torr, Executive Director, The Dollar General Literacy Foundation