Funding Announcement
Hanover School Division is thrilled to announce that Parkhill School has received a $40,000 grant from the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. One of five schools in Manitoba to be awarded funding this year, Parkhill School received the largest grant in the province, supporting efforts to expand its library collection and strengthen literacy opportunities for students.
(L to R) Superintendent Joe Thiessen, Students, Library Support Specialist Katrina Hiebert, Principal Kim Koop.
The announcement was made as part of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation’s Literacy Fund Grant Day on June 4. Hanover School Division extends its sincere thanks to the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation for its generous investment in student literacy and learning.
The official news release from the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation follows below:
Indigo Love of Reading Foundation Makes Record-Breaking Donations to Schools in Need this Grant Day
Toronto, ON, June 3 – On June 4, the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation is committing a record-breaking $1.8 million dollars to 50 elementary schools in high-need Canadian communities. This is a 20-school, $800,000 increase from the foundation’s 2025 $1 million grant disbursement, dramatically transforming school library collections and impacting nearly 17,000 students.
Funds will be distributed to schools in 11 provinces and territories to increase, update and diversify book collections, ensuring every student has access to titles that reflect their identities, experiences, languages and histories.
“The Literacy Fund Grant’s goal is to equip as many schools as possible with the ability to offer high-quality, engaging reading materials,” said Ian McCann, Senior Manager of the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation. “This year’s schools face severe budget challenges, while their students manage obstacles ranging from geographic isolation to socioeconomic vulnerability, all making accessing relevant literature difficult. We’re proud to play a role in helping them fight for their literacy goals and engage more children in reading.”
These grants come at a critical moment in Canadian education. In Ontario, only 11 per cent of schools staff full-time teacher librarians, a 70 per cent decrease since 1998. As a result, Ontario and other provinces are reporting decreases in reader engagement.
“At Dorset Park, literacy is a top priority,” said Vanessa Grieve, Principal at recipient school, Dorset Park Public School. “We believe in developing critical thinkers, problem solvers and lifelong learners. Unfortunately, that can become very challenging when many of the resources you have do not meet the needs of our students and the 21st century learner.”
Since the organization’s founding in 2004, the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation has donated $30,458,000 to over 500 Canadian schools, understanding that literacy achievement in early childhood is an important predictor of long-term academic outcomes.
To learn more about the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation, its annual grant program and how you can join the movement, please see here.
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About Indigo Love of Reading Foundation
The Indigo Love of Reading Foundation is committed to addressing educational inequality, and more specifically the literacy crisis in Canada. Since 2004, the Foundation has been dedicated to putting books in the hands of children in high-needs communities across Canada. With the support of Indigo and its customers, they have committed over $36 million to over 3,600 schools, impacting more than 1 million children. The Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness about the critical importance of children’s literacy while providing essential literary support to high-needs children across Canada.
in: Announcements