First Book

A non-profit social enterprise, First Book uses market forces to address the systemic barriers to quality education for children in need. The organization's revenue-generating models harness the collective voice and purchasing power of educators and other adults serving children in underserved communities, turning this previously fragmented group into a market force to drive the critical resources most needed to fuel learning and advance education for children (ages 0-18) growing up at the base of the economic pyramid in the U.S. and Canada. First Book’s human-centered design is driven by the First Book Network, a community numbering more than 600,000 educators, practitioners, and volunteers who serve children in poverty. First Book's family of social enterprises includes: First Book Research & Insights – which provides aggregated data and research revealing unique insights from adults dedicated to children in need; the First Book Accelerator – which expedites access to research-based tools and resources developed with leading experts on issues identified by educators; and the First Book Marketplace – a nonprofit E-commerce site enabling qualified educators to select from thousands of high-quality, brand new books, school supplies, digital learning content, and educational resources at the lowest costs possible or for free. The First Book Marketplace is award-winning because its unprecedented economic model aggregates a new market for the publishing industry, while lowering the price and increasing the cultural relevancy of books and resources for the First Book community. First Book currently serves more than 6.5 million children annually, with the goal of reaching all 27 million children living in poverty in the U.S. by 2030. At scale, the organization will grow from being 50% self-sustaining to reaching 100% self-sufficiency.