First Book Canada is a top-rated 5-star charity with High impact. It has an A- results reporting score, which is above average. Its overhead spending is within Ci’s reasonable range, and it has reserve funds to cover program costs for 1 month.

Founded in 2009, First Book Canada works with educators and partners to remove barriers to learning. It distributes free and low-cost books and resources to educators and kids who need them.  Since its founding, it has distributed over 10 million books and resources. First Book reports that almost 25% of Canadian households do not have a single book and 30% of Canadian third graders lack basic literacy skills. Many schools in economically disadvantaged areas can only afford one new book a year for every three children. First Book is a social enterprise. It uses market forces to deliver books to kids in under-resourced communities. First Book also focuses on providing Canadian stories and Indigenous-authored titles. Its Stories For All project increases access to diverse and affordable children's books.

A Charity Intelligence 2023 Top 100 Rated Charity

First Book distributes books to the First Book Canada Network. The Network is a community of over 18,000 educators and professionals. Distribution occurs through three main channels: the Marketplace, the Book Bank, and Pop-Ups. The First Book Canada Marketplace provides the Network with access to affordable books and resources. In 2023, the Marketplace provided over 115,000 titles and resources. The Book Bank provides donated books and resources to Network members for only the cost of shipping and handling. Pop-Up Book Distributions are local, free distributions of donated books. In 2023, First Book Canada held five pop-up distributions. These supplied over 99,000 free books to over 75,500 children.

First Book Canada hosted 26 events in 2023. This included 13 reading celebrations for 683 students. Reading celebrations invite authors and illustrators to present to students. First Book Canada also partnered with the LEGO Group to distribute over 10,000 packages of LEGO to educators. In 2023, First Book Canada served over 130,000 children, 70% of whom are BIPOC represented. In 2023, it distributed over 415,000 books and resources.

First Book Canada is a small-sized charity in terms of donations. It received $911k in donations in 2023. In 2023, First Book Canada received $2.7m worth of donated books (62% of total revenue). Its programs also generated $721k (16% of total revenue). Administrative costs are 8% of revenue, and the charity reported no fundraising costs. Overhead spending is 8%, which is within Ci’s reasonable range. For every dollar donated, 92 cents are available for the cause. Excluding the value of donated goods in kind used in its programs, First Book Canada spent $1.4m (83% of total revenue) on its programs in 2023.

In 2023, First Book Canada had a deficit of $67k and reported no spending on capital expenditures.

At the end of 2023, First Book Canada has $128k in reserve funds, which can cover 9% or 1 month of its annual program costs excluding donated books. This indicates a need for funding.

This charity report is an update that has been sent for review to First Book Canada. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Profile created on June 17, 2024 by Thea Clark.