Book Industry Charitable Foundation Launches Fundraising Campaign

During the month of May, the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation will be seeking 50 new sustaining donors to provide ongoing support for its bookseller assistance programs. The national fundraising initiative Campaign to Sustain aims to ensure that financial assistance will be available for years to come for booksellers facing hardships caused by serious medical expenses, domestic violence, disasters, a death in the family, and other emergency situations.

The Binc Foundation, which began as the Borders Foundation almost 20 years ago, today awards 80 percent of all assistance grants to employees of independent bookstores. From its first grant of $323 given to a single mother struggling to pay her bills, the level of assistance has steadily grown, with the average grant today exceeding $1,500.

“In 2014, grant requests increased, and we received on average one request for assistance every week,” said Binc Foundation Executive Director Pam French. “To continue to meet grant requests, we are focusing on becoming sustainable and expanding our fundraising efforts. Booksellers are like a big, extended family and willing to help each other out — becoming a sustaining donor is one way for booksellers to ensure help is there when it is needed.”

Anyone interested in making a sustaining donation during the Campaign to Sustain can do so via the secure Binc donation page.