Statements

Mission

The mission of Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) is to strengthen early literacy in Tennessee. GELF equips Tennessee's children with books and innovative literacy tools that encourage lifelong learning for a brighter future.

Background

Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) is an independent, non-partisan 501(c)3 headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Formerly Governor's Books from Birth Foundation, GELF began in 2004 as a statewide, public-private partnership to foster a love of reading in Tennessee by providing every child from birth to age five with a book each month at no cost, delivered right to their mailbox through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program. By 2006, GELF had expanded Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to serve each of Tennessee's 95 counties.

In recent years, GELF has grown from solely a book-gifting organization to an early literacy leader serving children from birth through third grade, as well as their caregivers and teachers, by providing free books, resources, and programs designed to strengthen early literacy in Tennessee and build a brighter future for Tennessee's children. GELF now pursues its mission through six key initiatives: Birth-5 Book Delivery, through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (IL); K-3 Home Libraries; Caregiver Engagement; Book Buses; Storybook Trails; and the Statewide Early Literacy Collaborative of Tennessee (SELECT).

Each of GELF's initiatives prioritizes granting access to books, resources, and programs at no cost to families or schools. Many programs, such as the Book Bus program, are designed to reach high-needs and underserved communities. GELF is driven by a belief that books are for everyone and that every Tennessean should receive the resources and support to become literate, contributing members of our state. GELF serves all young Tennesseans, regardless of income, race, religion, politics, or Tennessee zip code. In fact, most Tennesseans with young children have at least one thing in common - their children are enrolled in a GELF initiative (Dolly Parton's Imagination Library or K-3 Home Libraries) and have received books at no cost to support their early literacy journey. Books bring us together.

GELF is rooted in the idea that literacy is a human right…and it is best established at an early age. Our early literacy mission is driven by a long-term goal to increase Tennessee's 3rd grade reading proficiency, the benchmark where children transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" and a key indicator for a child's future educational success and workforce readiness. Our vision is a Tennessee where all children have access to the resources, guidance, and support they need to become lifelong learners.

Impact

As Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF) enters its 20th year of strengthening early literacy in Tennessee, GELF now sustains six initiatives focused on improving early literacy outcomes for children across the state, including Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, K-3 Home Libraries, Caregiver Engagement, Book Buses, Storybook Trails, and the Statewide Early Literacy Education Collaborative of Tennessee (SELECT). Its early literacy mission is driven by a long-term goal to increase 3rd grade reading proficiency in Tennessee. Powered by partnerships, GELF provides children, as well as their caregivers and teachers, with resources to develop reading proficiency and lay the foundation for lifelong learning. To date, GELF has provided over 56M books to children across the state.

GELF's impact and success is demonstrated, in part, through its growth. GELF has responded to Tennessee's early literacy needs by recently expanding each of its initiatives and is now serving over 600K children, 200K caregivers, and 13K teachers each year. All of this would not be possible without the help of dedicated partners, donors, institutional supporters, and volunteers across the state. While GELF has over tripled its budget since 2017 and expanded its team, it still delivers its programs with a very lean team (15 FTEs) and a high degree of financial stewardship, with approx. 93% of the budget spent on programs.

As it delivers and expands its initiatives, GELF also seeks to evaluate them, measuring their impact to ensure that they are effectively supporting the early literacy development of Tennessee children. GELF prides itself on being able and willing to pivot and change to best serve Tennessee's young children and pursues opportunities and resources to invest in the research, program evaluation, and internal analysis required to determine the impact and effectiveness of its initiatives. (See program information for specific outcome details.) With the help of its partners and community supporters, GELF is encouraged to continue working passionately and prudently to serve the early literacy needs of Tennessee children.

Needs

GELF seeks the support and partnership of individuals, corporations, foundations, service providers, and government agencies passionate about strengthening early literacy in Tennessee.

Donors can trust that their support will serve the early literacy development of Tennessee children. GELF is recognized by its partners, supporters, and recipients as managing its resources with the highest standards of stewardship ¬- over 93% of its budget is spent directly on programs, 3.3% on marketing/communications, and 3.1% on fundraising. Donations help GELF meet fundamental needs, including sustaining Imagination Library in all 95 Tennessee counties, increasing the number of K-3rd grade students receiving summer book packs, providing greater access to caregiver engagement initiatives, growing the number of Book Buses serving Tennessee communities, installing new Storybook Trails in parks across the state, and strengthening the statewide collaborative.

Beyond financial support, GELF seeks committed volunteers and local partners to expand its initiatives across Tennessee. Volunteers can join their local Imagination Library team or bring a Storybook Trail or Book Bus to their county, working to maintain and grow early literacy efforts in their community.

CEO Statement

Our mission is to strengthen early literacy in Tennessee. Since GELF's inception, we have impacted the families and children in our state through our partnership with Dolly Parton's Imagination Library and in more recent years, through our K-3 Home Libraries, Caregiver Engagement, Book Bus, Storybook Trail, and SELECT initiatives. As we work to fulfill our early literacy mission, we're not only helping families bond through the joy of reading together, we're also helping our children become more equipped students and helping our state build a ready workforce. As we enter the years ahead, Governor's Early Literacy Foundation seeks to further increase our impact in Tennessee by pursuing innovative partnerships to continue providing children access to the resources, guidance, and support they need to become lifelong learners.

Board Chair Statement

A love of reading sets a child's course towards a bright and productive future. As an educator, mother, and grandmother, I have had the blessing of watching this miraculous learning process unfold. That is why the vast opportunities provided to the children of Tennessee through Governor's Early Literacy Foundation are so important to me. I am honored to be part of the work of this dedicated staff and impressive board. I am watching with pride and great anticipation as we continue to inspire this new generation of Tennesseans.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Education  - Single Organization Support
Secondary Category:	Human Services  - Children's and Youth Services
Tertiary Category:	Public & Societal Benefit  - Fund Raising & Fund Distribution

Areas Served

We serve all 95 counties in the state of Tennessee.

TN