The American Library Association (ALA) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) award over 200 great stories CLUB grants every year to libraries that provide reading and discussion groups for under served teens. The great stories CLUB program encourages young people to read books that are relevant to their lives. The students get to keep the books and participate in discussion groups with their peers. Oprah's Angel Network provides most of the funding for this program. Applications can be downloaded from the ALA website (see Resources).
The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) offers grants of $150 to participating clubs. These grants are limited to GFWC member clubs and come with usage restrictions. The grant money must be used to purchase books or provide literacy needs to children. Visit the GFWC website for a complete listing of rules and restrictions and to download application forms (see Resources). This grant has a rolling deadline, so you can apply any time.
The Target Corporation provides grant money to schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations for starting children's book clubs. The award amount is $2,000 and must be used to promote early childhood literacy from preschool through third grade. Target accepts applications from March 1 to April 30 of each year, and distributes awards in September. For more information and an application visit Target's website (see Resources).
Many states, counties and cities offer grant money to local book clubs. For example, West Virginia's Library Commission awards grants of $250 to $1000 to organizations throughout the state for book clubs and reading initiatives. The town of Sharon Massachusetts offers grants for book clubs at the local schools and libraries from the Sharon Education Foundation. For grants in your area, check with your local library, city council, county seat and state administration.