Læs for Livet

What Læs for Livet does

Læs for Livet (Read for Your Life) is a Danish nonprofit association (forening) founded in 2012 by Rachel Røst, headquartered at Bogensegade 2-4 in København Ø, with a paid staff of 13 and more than 40 active volunteers. The organization collects donated books from individuals, publishers, and bookstores at a central book cellar housing approximately 80,000 titles, plus 60+ public library collection points across Denmark, and curates tailored library collections of 400-1,000 books per site for institutions serving children and youth in difficult circumstances. Beneficiaries include residential care homes (døgninstitutioner), internal/special schools (SBU and BOS), child and adolescent psychiatric wards, crisis centers, prison visiting rooms, and institutions for criminal and at-risk youth; a literature guide visits each institution to consult with children before assembling the collection.

Since 2012 the organization has deployed 419 libraries (main-page counter) totaling over 175,000 books with a cumulative donated value of 26 million DKK (approximately $3.7M USD). The portfolio extends beyond one-off library drops to include follow-up book packages (over 100 per year), personal book packages pilot, Christmas book package day, an internship program for at-risk youth, book cellar visits, and training courses for social pedagogues. Recent programs include an 18-library internal schools initiative (2023-2025) funded by the Ministry of Children and Education, a city-wide Esbjerg project funded by Lauritzen Fonden, and a 2024 prison visiting room plus 31-library criminal-youth program funded by Østifterne.

Revenue comes from individual memberships (250 DKK/year), tiered corporate memberships (2,500-15,000 DKK/year depending on company size), and foundation grants; book donations themselves are free to beneficiaries. The organization received the 2020 Egmont Foundation anniversary award worth 1 million DKK. There is no commercial product, software platform, API, or AI capability; operations center on physical book logistics, human curation, and volunteer-driven engagement.

Name

Læs for Livet

Legal name

Læs for Livet

Website

https://laesforlivet.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Læs for Livet is a Danish nonprofit founded in 2012 that collects donated books and curates tailored 400-1,000 book libraries for residential care homes, special schools, psychiatric wards, crisis centers, prisons, and at-risk youth institutions across Denmark.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Literacy Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Children's literacy nonprofit
• Institutional library donations
• Book donation programs
• Community literacy services
• Vulnerable youth support

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen (København Ø)

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership: Individuals can become members for 250 DKK per year, contributing to social change and ensuring children in difficult circumstances receive good reading experiences and better life chances.
2. Corporate Membership: Businesses can purchase corporate memberships at tiered annual rates: 2,500 DKK/year for 1-9 employees, 5,000 DKK/year for 10-50 employees, and 15,000 DKK/year for 50+ employees. Corporate members receive a custom badge for their website, firm letters or email signatures, and a framed poster.
3. Book Donations: Læs for Livet collects book donations from individuals, publishers (forlag), and bookstores (boghandlere). Publishers and bookstores donate overstock, discontinued titles, or promotional copies, which form the raw material for the organization's social mission.
4. Foundation Grants: The organization receives grants from foundations such as Lauritzen Fonden (for Esbjerg city-wide project), Børne- og Undervisningsministeriet (for internal schools project 2023-2025), and Østifterne (for prison visiting room libraries and criminal/criminality-threatened youth institutions).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Læs for Livet is a Danish nonprofit organization that collects donated books and assembles curated library collections of 400-1,000+ physical books for donation to institutions serving vulnerable children and youth in Denmark, including residential care homes, special schools, psychiatric wards, crisis centers, and prisons. The organization consults directly with each child to tailor the library to their interests and reading level, then provides ongoing support through follow-up book packages, staff training, internship programs, and book cellar visits.

Product overview

Læs for Livet (Read for Your Life) is a Danish nonprofit organization founded in 2012 by author Rachel Röst that operates as a literacy nonprofit rather than a technology company. The organization collects donated books and creates customized library collections for children and youth in difficult circumstances. Core offerings include library donations (400-1,000 books per location) to residential care institutions, special schools, psychiatric wards, crisis centers, and prisons; follow-up book packages; personal book ownership programs; and educational courses for social educators. The portfolio consists of library donation programs, youth internship and visit experiences, annual events (Christmas packages), and membership programs for individuals and corporations. No software products, APIs, or AI-powered features are offered—the organization's work is entirely focused on physical book collections and literacy support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Library Donations to Institutions Donation of curated library collections (400-1,000 books) to residential care institutions, foster homes, and treatment facilities for children and youth in difficult circumstances. Libraries are customized based on consultations with children and staff.
• Special School Library Program Donation of approximately 1,000-1,200 books to internal schools at residential institutions and special education facilities, including summer books, Christmas books, and interior decoration packages for reading environments. 18 libraries planned for 2023-2025.
• Follow-up Book Packages Ongoing book replenishment packages sent to institutions to maintain library relevance as children grow, interests change, and new residents arrive. Over 100 follow-up packages are sent annually.
• Prison Visiting Room Libraries Library donations to prison visiting rooms to support parent-child reading activities and strengthen family bonds during visits. 13 libraries planned from 2024 onwards, supported by Østifterne foundation.
• Crime Prevention Library Program (Læs dig fri) Targeted library donations to institutions for criminal and at-risk youth, including 31 planned libraries. Combined with social educator training courses to support reading culture at institutions.
• Crisis Center Libraries Library donations to both women's and men's crisis centers, with focus on children and parents in crisis situations. Includes books for read-aloud sessions and materials for various reading levels.
• Christmas Book Package Day Annual event in November sending Christmas books to previously donated library institutions before December 1st. Includes advent calendar books requiring one chapter daily through December 24th.
• Book Cellar Visits Invitations for children and youth from partner institutions to visit the Copenhagen book cellar and reading cave. Each visitor selects books to keep (typically 5+), receives a reading kit and canvas bag, with visits lasting 1-1.5 hours.
• Esbjerg City-Wide Library Program Comprehensive program donating libraries to all 14 institutions for placed children in Esbjerg, with connections to public libraries and participation in the annual fantasy festival, supported by Lauritzen Fonden.
• Individual Membership Annual membership at 250 DKK per year supporting book donations to institutions, with benefits including ensuring quality books on shelves for placed children.
• Corporate Membership Program Corporate membership tiers: 1-9 employees at 2,500 DKK/year; 10-50 employees at 5,000 DKK/year; 50+ employees at 15,000 DKK/year. Includes custom badge for website, framed poster, and firm letterhead/mail signature integration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 79% of institutions report that the books have had a positive impact on children's overall wellbeing
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Folkebibliotekerne (Public Libraries in Denmark)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic libraries throughout Denmark serve as book collection points for Læs for Livet, accepting book donations from the public and forwarding them to the organization. Libraries also collaborate on bridging placed children to public library services (Esbjerg project). Over 60 library locations participate as collection points.
• Boghandlere (Bookstores)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBookstores donate overstock, discontinued titles, and promotional copies to Læs for Livet. They can also organize in-store book collection campaigns where customers donate books. Contact: [email protected].
• Forlag (Publishers)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublishers donate overstock, discontinued titles, or books scheduled for destruction (makulering) to Læs for Livet. All genres and age groups are accepted, from board books and picture books to comics, non-fiction, and novels for older teenagers. Contact: [email protected].
• Krisecenter Hjemmet i Nykøbing FalsterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKrisecenter Hjemmet in Nykøbing Falster is a specific crisis center mentioned as receiving and actively using donated books. The center's leader Pia Lyndelse provided testimonials about the positive impact of the library on residents.
• Børns Vilkår (Children's Welfare Denmark)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharlotte, a literature guide volunteer at Læs for Livet, works professionally as a child welfare consultant at Børns Vilkår. This represents an informal professional connection between the organizations.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BookTrust (UK): UK reading charity that provides books and reading support to children, including children in care and disadvantaged families. Comparable mission of book ownership and reading engagement for vulnerable children, in a different national market.
• Room to Read: Global nonprofit focused on literacy and gender equality in education, distributing books and supporting libraries for under-resourced children. Closely comparable operating model (book donation + curated library support) at significantly larger international scale.
• Books for Africa: US-based nonprofit that collects and ships donated books to libraries and schools across Africa. Comparable book-collection-and-distribution model, though focused on cross-continental shipping rather than in-country institutional curation.
• Børns Vilkår: Danish children's welfare nonprofit working on behalf of vulnerable children and youth in Denmark. Directly comparable to Læs for Livet in mission focus on at-risk Danish children; one Læs for Livet literature guide also works professionally at Børns Vilkår, indicating operational proximity.
• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: Global book-gifting program that mails free books to children from birth to age five to foster early literacy. Comparable as a book-distribution nonprofit for children, though focused on early-age gifting rather than curated institutional libraries.
• First Book: US-based nonprofit that distributes books and educational resources to children in low-income communities, primarily through curated book distributions to schools and programs. Closely comparable model of targeted book donation with institutional partner focus.

Broad incumbents

• Børnefonden (Children's Fund Denmark): Danish nonprofit focused on children and youth in difficult circumstances in Denmark and developing countries. Comparable mission and beneficiary profile to Læs for Livet, with broader programmatic scope and more established institutional donor base.
• Red Barnet (Save the Children Denmark): Large, established Danish children's rights and welfare organization serving vulnerable children nationwide. Comparable as a Danish nonprofit serving overlapping child-welfare populations, though with a much broader mandate and significantly larger scale than Læs for Livet.

Emerging players

• Libraries Without Borders (Bibliothèques Sans Frontières): France-based nonprofit deploying libraries and reading resources to vulnerable populations including children in crisis, refugees, and underserved communities. Comparable book-access mission with international footprint and emerging programmatic overlap with Læs for Livet's crisis-center and youth-criminal work.

Others

• Folkebibliotekerne (Danish Public Libraries): Danish national public library system that already serves as a book collection point and bridging partner for Læs for Livet. Comparable as the broader Danish reading infrastructure that Læs for Livet both draws from and routes children toward, rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/laeslivet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/l%C3%A6s-for-livet
• Instagraminstagram.com/laesforlivet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Læs for Livet