Dollar General puts literacy first with $4M donation

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General is giving major financial support to a cause that may appeal to many value-oriented shoppers.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation announced that it has awarded over $4 million to approximately 870 schools, nonprofits and literacy organizations to enhance and support youth literacy and education across the 43 states Dollar General serves.

“At Dollar General, our mission is Serving Others, and we are committed to making a difference in people’s lives through the support of literacy initiatives and educational programs in communities across the U.S.,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO. “These grants fill a critical need in our communities by providing a timely funding boost at the beginning of the school year for the enhancement of literacy programs.”

The retailer said the grants are awarded at the beginning of the academic year in an effort to give teachers, schools and organizations a great start with the funding and resources they need for the upcoming school year.

In the past 22 years, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $100 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than six million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.

A complete list of grant recipients may be found online at www.dgliteracy.org. Grant applications for adult, family, summer and youth literacy grants will be available in January 2016.