MEET OUR GRANTEES

Spring 2026 Grantee 

• Child Crisis Arizona
• Chinle Planting Hope
• Elevate Phoenix 
• Literacy Connects
• Make Way for Books
• Read Better Be Better

Child Crisis Arizona, Preschool Program: Nurturing a Foundation for Success

Inspired by the work at Child Crisis Arizona, standard success metrics only tell half the story. The real magic happens in the classroom every day.

The Child Crisis Arizona Preschool Program is helping young children build the early literacy skills and confidence they need to become lifelong readers. Through books, stories, and meaningful learning experiences, children are discovering the joy of reading and building a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning. 

Chinle Planting Hope, R.E.A.D. in Beauty Bookmobile: Bringing Literacy to the Heart of the Community 

Chinle Planting Hope’s R.E.A.D. in Beauty Bookmobile: Bringing Literacy to the Heart of the Community is making books and the joy of reading accessible to children and families throughout the Chinle community. 

The Bookmobile has reached an incredible milestone: 50,000 books checked out! In 2026 alone, it has welcomed more than 6,000 individual visits at schools and community events, creating thousands of opportunities for children to discover new stories, build literacy skills, and develop a lifelong love of reading.

Chinle Planting Hope is making sure young readers have continued access to books in their communities and at home. 

These milestones are more than numbers. They represent children discovering the magic of books and building a foundation for lifelong learning.

Elevate Phoenix, Elevating Reading for Academic Success Program: Building a Path to a Successful Future 

Thanks to the generous support and commitment of the Literary Society of the Southwest, more than 3,500 young people have built vital literacy and leadership skills through our programs over the past six months. Using a life-skills-based reading curriculum in the classroom, students did more than strengthen their reading abilities, they grew into confident leaders.

Each week, dozens of our remarkable middle and high school students created original lessons and brought them into partner elementary schools, where they served as inspiring peer mentors and teachers. Through these experiences, they developed leadership, communication, and teaching skills while helping younger students build a love of reading.

Your support makes these opportunities possible, empowering young people to learn, lead, and make a meaningful impact in their communities. Thank you for helping us create brighter futures through literacy.

Literacy Connects, Reading Seed Program: Cultivating a Love of Reading Through Mentorship 

During the 2024–25 school year, Reading Seed empowered 867 young learners across 20 Pima County Title I schools, sparking renewed reading confidence and a lifelong love of learning. Thanks to 279 dedicated community coaches, including 105 new volunteers, students received nearly 17,000 hours of personal mentorship and 21,133 free books to build their home libraries. Through high-impact initiatives like two-year K–1 coaching pairs and high school mentor internships, Reading Seed strengthened community bonds and set local children up for bright academic futures. Building on this success, Reading Seed is projected to match this powerful impact in the 2025–26 school year, continuing to inspire and uplift even more young readers across Southern Arizona!

Make Way for Books, Story School: Empowering Families Through Shared Learning 

With generous backing from the Literary Society of the Southwest, Make Way for Books brought the joy of reading to 671 parents and 789 children across Maricopa County through FY25 Story School. The program’s hands-on approach sparked incredible progress; 95% of young participants boosted their early reading skills, 93% built a brighter enthusiasm for learning, and 93% of parents gained confident new ways to read with their kids. Make Way for Books looks forward to carrying this extraordinary momentum as they work to bring these life-changing literacy tools to even more local families!

Read Better Be Better, Empowering Young Readers Through Leadership and Literacy  

During the FY24–25 program year, Read Better Be Better empowered 2,817 students across Arizona, driving impressive gains in both literacy and youth leadership! Thanks to RBBB’s targeted approach, 74% of readers felt higher reading comprehension, 90% of parents noticed boosted understanding, and 89% of teachers saw a genuine new excitement for reading. The program also inspired the next generation of leaders, leaving 93% of student mentors confident in their leadership abilities. Looking ahead, RBBB is set to maintain this fantastic momentum, continuing to build bright, confident readers and leaders across our communities!

VIEW MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SPRING 2026 GRANT RECIPIENTS AND THE PROGRAMS YOU HELPED MAKE POSSIBLE

Past Grant Recipients and Programs