Reading Is Fundamental Program May Lose All Federal Funding

The New York Times (4/9, Strom) reports, "Changes in the way the Federal government plans to allocate money to increase and improve literacy pose a severe threat to one of the country's best-known nonprofit groups, Reading Is Fundamental." RIF, "which provides free books to needy children and has been promoted in memorable public service announcements by celebrities like Carol Burnett and Shaquille O'Neal, stands to lose all of its Federal financing, which accounts for roughly 75 percent of its annual revenues." According to the Times, "Under the Federal budget proposed for the 2011 fiscal year, the Department of Education has proposed pooling the money it allocates to RIF, another nonprofit organization, the National Writing Project, and five of its own grant programs, and instead distributing it to state and local governments."