Our Mission

Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF) is the oldest children's literacy organization in the United States. It is a nationwide non-profit which brings children and books together to help young people acquire the habit of reading.  Children who are read to, then read themselves, and grow up to be adults who can read.  So, RIF does more than help local sponsors distribute books to children, it develops a better-educated, more informed public.   

From its headquarters in Washington, DC, RIF supports more than 5,500 programs serving 5 million children in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.  RIF serves young people from pre-school through high school, from all economic and social backgrounds.  Project sponsors include local, non-profit groups such as parent-teacher associations, Kiwanis Clubs, and others and public agencies such as schools and libraries.   

RIF negotiates substantial discounts from more than 150 book publishers and distributors. Sponsoring groups select and purchase the books and administer the program in their communities.  A local program makes reading exciting and allows children to chose books to take home, to read and to keep, without cost to the children or their families.

 Jean Dean RIF/Kiwanis is the largest RIF project in the United States serving pre-schoolers.  It serves 26,000 at-risk young children (primarily 0 through 5 year olds) in every county in Alabama through a total of 550 sites.

Every TAX DEDUCTIBLE $2 donated to JEAN DEAN RIF means