Dollar General Literacy Foundation celebrates record-setting one-day donation

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation announced a record-setting, one-day donation in the Foundation’s history of more than $13.2 million to support adult, family and summer literacy programs across the country. The grants will positively support more than 1,200 public schools, libraries and non-profit organizations and approximately 1.3 million individuals. A complete list of grant recipients is available online. 

“For over 30 years, the Foundation has been investing in literacy and basic education programs in our hometown communities,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “Today’s grant announcement is a celebration of our unwavering commitment to student and teacher success. We are grateful to all the grant recipients for their commitment to advancing education and helping students thrive.”

[Read more: Dollar General Literacy Foundation celebrates milestone]

Each year, the DGLF awards grants to public schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center. The Foundation plans to announce its 2025 youth literacy grant recipients in August 2025, and applications for the 2026 grant cycle are currently scheduled to open in January 2026. 

The Foundation also plans to launch its sixth annual The Yellow Glasses Project campaign on July 21, 2025, in which customers can purchase yellow sunglasses at Dollar General stores for $2 each to benefit the DGLF.

[Read more: Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards more than $10.6M]

The DGLF was founded in 1993 by Dollar General’s former CEO, Cal Turner, Jr. in honor of his grandfather and DG co-founder, J.L. Turner, who was functionally illiterate. Since its inception in 1993, the DGLF has awarded more than $271 million to more than 25,000 organizations supporting more than 23 million individuals in their educational journeys.