Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation

The mission of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation is to improve the quality of life of Houstonians of all ages through the power of literacy - the ability to read, write, speak clearly, and think critically.

We believe that literacy is a foundational and fundamental right of everyone and we view literacy as a necessary skill to achieve individual, family, and community success. Raising the community's awareness of this crisis is paramount to the success of moving the needle on low literacy rates.

The Foundation works directly with literacy providers who offer literacy programs and activities, including schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries. In addition, we foster partnerships with cross-sector organizations – faith, civic, corporate, philanthropic and others – to bring the literacy crisis to the forefront in our city. Through our dynamic partnerships and financial, human, technology, volunteer, materials and other resources we provide, the Foundation helps to build the capacity of literacy providers to serve people in need.

The Foundation invests in worthy and effective literacy programs in Houston in order to make a collective impact in our community. We believe that the most significant improvement in literacy rates will occur when stakeholders unite by using a collective impact framework in geographic areas where there is the greatest need.