Is my organization eligible for a grant?

To be eligible for a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, your organization must be a nonprofit organization as determined by the IRS, a public library, school, or college providing direct literacy services within a state that Dollar General Corporation operates in and whose organization address is within 15 miles of a Dollar General store. Other eligibility requirements are specific to each grant type and can be found within the grants themselves.

Can my organization apply for more than one grant program?

Yes, if your organization has programs that qualify for multiple grant categories, you can apply for more than one grant type. For example, if you have a literacy program that serves adults and also run a program over the summer for youth, you could apply for both the Adult Literacy grant and the Summer Reading grant.

What is the maximum amount my organization could receive?

For the Adult and Family literacy grant programs, the maximum grant amount is up to $10,000. The Summer Reading maximum is $3,000 and the Youth Literacy grant is $4,000. Applying for a grant does not guarantee that amount due to the large volume of requests we receive.

Can my organization receive a grant for consecutive years?

For the Adult and Family literacy grants, there is no restriction on the number of years in a row that your organization can apply and receive grants at this time. For the Summer Reading and Youth Literacy grant, there is a “Two Year Rule” that applies to organizations receiving grants for two years in a row. They would not be eligible for the third year.

I am a public library or public school and have not applied for a grant, how do I register my organization to apply?

During open solicitation, click on the link through our website (dgliteracy.org) to access our grant platform. You will create an account or log in, and then click on the grant type you are applying for.

The first step it to complete the pre-screening section to ensure your organization is eligible.

For nonprofit organizations: use your 9 digit tax ID number.

For schools, you will need your school and district ID number that can be found on the National Center for Education Statistics site (NCES): NCES School Finder

If you are a public library (and not using a 501c3 status such as a “friends” group) you will use your IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) library ID: IMLS Search (use the FSCS ID)

Verification of an organization can take up to 48 hours.

What items are funded through your grant programs?

Each grant type funds different items, but all our grants focus on student success. Below are the items the Foundation can support.

Adult: Salaries, instructional materials, software, supplies, travel ($500 max.), training, printing and publications, computers and technology and professional development.
Beyond Words: Books, instructional materials, computers and technology, software and supplies.
Family: Salaries, instructional materials, software, supplies, travel ($500 max.), training, printing and publications, computers and technology and professional development.
Summer Reading: Books, computers and technology, incentives ($500 max.), instructional materials, salaries/staff support and software.
Youth: Books, instructional materials, computers and technology, software and professional development.

I moved schools/organizations; can my grant funds transfer to my new school?

Our grants are non-transferrable and must stay with the organization that was selected to receive the grant. The new contact person should reach out to the Foundation to change contact information at 615-855-5201.

Where is my organization’s historical grant data?

If your organization has submitted grants in previous years, historical data will be transferred over to our new platform in the coming months. Please ensure when you create your new account, that your email matches up with your previous login on our former site to ensure a smooth transition for transferring data. During the transition, you will still be able to access your previously used account via CyberGrants:

Adult Literacy: http://www.cybergrants.com/dollar_general/adult_literacy
Family Literacy: http://www.cybergrants.com/dollar_general/family_literacy
Summer Reading: http://www.cybergrants.com/dollar_general/summer
Youth Literacy: http://www.cybergrants.com/dollar_general/youth_literacy

How can I access the site after I have submitted my application?

You will need to bookmark or save the log in page and your password to access the site after your application has been submitted. This is extremely important due to grant deadlines. For reference, the log in page is: grantprograms.dgliteracy.org

Can you provide copies of the applications or the application questions?

During the grant cycle: As you go through the application, you will be able to download your pre-screening and full application answers as PDFs. You will also receive an email copy of your submissions for both the pre-screening and full application for your records.
Outside the grant cycle: We do not share questions or copies of blank applications outside the grant windows.

I have submitted my application, now what?

After submitting your application, mark your calendar for the announcement date. A list of grant recipients will be posted on our website, www.dgliteracy.org and an email will be sent to all that applied. The grant contact will receive an email whether they were selected for funding or not. If selected, your organization will receive follow up information within 10 days of the announcement date.