RIF has a lot to look back on in its 40-year history! From RIF's first book distribution on November 3, 1966 to today, RIF has served children across the country and given away millions of books. We've spread the joy of reading through many innovative programs and initiatives. Learn more about our history by reading our highlights and milestones below.
60's
*1966 In May 1966, Margaret McNamara has an idea to get free paperback books into the hands of Washington, D.C., schoolchildren: books they will choose, take home, and keep as their own.
*On November 3, the first RIF book distributions are held in two D.C. elementary schools. The program subsequently expands to 60 D.C. schools, with the support of local businesses. In the first year, 41,000 D.C. school children choose 200,000 books.
*1967 RIF expands beyond the schools to reach children in such places as community centers, day care facilities, and even Laundromats, with the help of a RIF Bookmobile.
*1968-1970 In 1968, RIF receives a grant from the Ford Foundation to develop 10 model projects in various parts of the country. RIF focuses on those projects for the next two years.
70s
*In September 1970, the Ford Foundation awards a three-year grant to develop programs and to work with publishers to make low-cost books available to RIF programs. By the end of 1970, RIF is reaching 172,000 children.
*1971 RIF begins a public information campaign to remind Americans of the importance of family reading time. RIF produces a national public service announcement, and its first newsletter.
*1972 In June, RIF receives a three-year grant for national program growth. At year’s end, RIF network embraces 55 projects in 27 states around the country.
*1973 In January, Reading Is Fundamental is formally incorporated.
*Twelve publishers agree to give special discounts to RIF projects, and RIF holds its first national workshop with 54 project directors attending.
*1974 In February, an article on RIF appears in Reader’s Digest, prompting 8,000 requests for more information and a $50,000 contribution from the DeWitt Wallace Foundation.
*1975 RIF receives a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to provide training to local reading motivation programs.
*1976 RIF receives its first federal contract, making it possible for RIF to match local funds for the purchase of books. An editorial in the Wall Street Journal applauds RIF, and wonders what effect federal funding will have on RIF’s innovative approach to reading motivation.
*1977 RIF has almost tripled in size since its pilot project was launched in 1966. RIF now serves more than 1.1 million children through a grassroots network of 1,105 projects spanning all 50 states.
*RIF produces new public service announcements with Carol Burnett on television and Arthur Ashe on radio.
*1978 Statewide studies by the departments of education in Pennsylvania and Texas note the importance of books in the home and specifically cite RIF as a significant program that helps get children to read.
*The International Reading Association, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and the National Education Association all formally endorse RIF.
*1979 First Lady Rosalynn Carter and daughter Amy host the first National Reading Is Fun Day at the White House. Special guests include Carol Burnett, Arthur Ashe, John Chancellor, Maurice Sendak, and numerous schoolchildren.
80s
*1980 The U.S. Department of Education completes an assessment of RIF. It notes the effective and efficient operation of the RIF program and finds that “the majority of the students receiving books developed an overall motivation to read, had a positive attitude towards themselves, used a library, and brought books home.”
*The New York Times and Washington Post carry major articles about RIF. The New York Times article concludes, “Some ideas die because they are simply too good to be true. But RIF seems to be one of those rare examples of how the government has joined with the ‘grass roots’ community and virtually everyone has wound up applauding.”
*1981 Margaret McNamara receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom for founding RIF. Shortly after her death on February 4, 1981, she was posthumously awarded the National Education Association’s Distinguished Service Award.
*1982 RIF is featured in a Voice of America broadcast for African countries.
*1983 Through her newspaper column, Ann Landers urges parents to get in touch with RIF to learn about encouraging their children to read.
*RIF publishes its first brochure of reading tips for the parents of young children.
*1984 RIF launches its first Reading Is Fun week (May 20-26) in honor of its founder, Margaret McNamara. A special celebration for 500 area children is held in Washington, D.C.
With underwriting from the General Electric Foundation, RIF launches its first series of workshops for parents.
*1985 Warner Brothers selects RIF as beneficiary of the world premiere for its movie The Color Purple. The benefit is held in New York City on December 16. On April 27, the New York Mets host “RIF Day” at Shea Stadium; Barbara Bush throws out the first ball with the New York City RIF reader.
*The second annual Reading Is Fun Week is celebrated at the Vice President’s House, hosted by Barbara Bush. Some 200 children attend, and other guests include Education Secretary William Bennett, Pearl Bailey, Tomie dePaola and Frank Herbert.
*1986 In a resolution passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the president, April 20-26, 1986 is proclaimed “National Reading Is Fun Week.” RIF celebrates its 20th anniversary.
*RIF’s national public education campaign continues with appearances on Good Morning America, The Today Show; articles appear in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and others.
*1987 In April, Doubleday publishes The RIF Guide to Encouraging Young Readers, containing hundreds of at-home activities and other suggested resources to help parents encourage their children’s reading.
*1988 RIF launches its model City of Readers program in Chattanooga, Tenn. Through this campaign, RIF establishes a unique community-wide partnership to conduct a yearlong reading campaign that strengthens literacy skills and raises awareness of the importance of reading.
*1989 RIF celebrates the distribution of its 100 millionth book. As part of the celebration, children all over the nation are asked to pick their favorite book, so that it may be named the official 100 millionth book. The winner is Charlotte’s Web.
90s
*1990 RIF receives a grant from the New York Life Foundation to develop a unique family literacy program for teenage parents and their children. Shared Beginnings is field-tested at 10 sites in different areas of the country.
*1991 In RIF’s 25th anniversary year, nearly 3 million children benefit from the RIF program choosing more than 9 million books to call their own, and participating in reading-related activities at more than 14,000 sites.
*1992 In RIF pilots its Family of Readers program, a special literacy program for adults, with support from the Kraft Foods foundation.
*1993 This year, 184,544 volunteers served nearly 4 million children who chose 11,487,975 books.
*1994 The Willy Wonka Candy Factory, a national producer of confections, teamed with RIF throughout the summer of 1994 to sponsor a series of reading celebrations to launch Project Open Book at homeless shelters in Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas.
*1995 The National Basketball Association and RIF release their first national public service announcements starring Shaquille O’Neal. The announcement aired during the NBA playoffs and in top-50 television markets through the year.
*1996 RIF launches Books on the Menu, a creative new program that pairs older elementary school children with younger children to help them read books about food.
*RIF launches its first website.
*1997 In April, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton presents the awards honoring the 1997 RIF National Poster Contest Winner and the National RIF Reader. In February, the NBA designates February as “NBA Reading Month” and various stars make public service announcements.
*1998 RIF establishes the Volunteer of the Year Award. In April, Alison Cruise of Lansing, Mich., is named RIF’s first Volunteer of the Year.
*RIF becomes a founding partner of the National Education Association’s Read Across America campaign, which celebrates Dr. Seuss’ birthday through festive reading celebrations across the country.
*1999 In March, RIF launches its multimedia distance-learning training initiative, RIFNet, which uses satellite television, videotapes, CD-ROMs, and the Internet to deliver information directly to RIF volunteers and others who provide children’s and family literacy services.
00s
*2000 RIF launches its redesigned website: RIF.org. The site provides information about RIF and its various programs. Useful literacy links and information about reading are also provided.
*RIF provides 14 million new books and other essential literacy resources to more than 4 million children and celebrates the milestone of placing more than 200 million books into the hands and homes of America’s children.
*2001 In the largest partnership in its history, RIF and The Coca-Cola Company join forces to promote the importance of reading in America’s homes, classrooms, and communities. The multi-year, multi-million dollar initiative hopes to reach millions of children nationwide through classroom collections, StoryTravelers, the RIF Reading Planet section of RIF’s website, and Ingenuity Grants.
*2002 Riffington, RIF’s motivational icon, makes his debut in May. He also appears at public events, in publications and public service announcements, on RIF.org, and on other materials.
*In 2002, 15.9 million books—1 out of every 25 children’s books purchased in the United States—were distributed by RIF programs.
*2003 RIF completes a year-long effort to reorganize and rejuvenate its website. Customized information for RIF coordinators, literacy-based resources for educators, tips and advice for parents, and interactive games and activities for children are available at RIF.org.
*In September, more than 20,000 children and adults attend the 2003 RIF National Reading Celebration: The Art of Reading at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
*2004 As part of RIF’s Latino Outreach Initiative, RIF creates a bilingual section of RIF.org to help Latino families as they read, sing, and share stories together.
*RIF’s National Book Program reaches an all-time high by distributing 17 million books to more than 5 million children at 21,000 sites across the country.
*After 20 years, RIF hosts its final National Poster Contest.
*2005 RIF revives Reading Is Fun Week; teams up with the National Cartoonist Society to celebrate joy of reading in more than 30 daily cartoon strips syndicated in hundreds of newspapers across the country.
*To begin the celebration of RIF’s 40th anniversary, RIF partners with Dutton Children’s Books to publish The Art of Reading. In it 40 renowned children’s book illustrators re-imagine books from their own childhoods that inspired them to love books and become illustrators.
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