Bridge Of Books Foundation

What Bridge Of Books Foundation does

Bridge of Books Foundation is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-led nonprofit organization that collects new and gently used books and distributes them free of charge to underserved children throughout New Jersey. Founded in San Francisco in 2000 and expanded to New Jersey in 2003 by founder Abigail A. Daly, the organization operates across all 21 NJ counties and reports having distributed over 1.5 million books to approximately 600,000 children since 2005. Its portfolio includes the core book donation and distribution service, Book Ark community library structures (with Camden County Pop Up Library), My Little Library for foster and adopted children, Books & Barbers (literacy libraries in 22 barbershops), Teens Talk Books writing contests at high schools, Books for Birthdays party donations, and Free Book Fairs in schools. The organization runs school distributions, community event outreach, and partnerships with NJ Youth Corps (all 11 sites), civic groups, barbershops, and media outlets.

Name

Bridge Of Books Foundation

Legal name

Bridge Of Books Foundation

Website

https://bridgeofbooksfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bridge of Books Foundation is a 501(c)(3) volunteer-led nonprofit that collects and distributes free new and gently used books to underserved children across all 21 New Jersey counties, operating programs including Book Ark community libraries, Books & Barbers, and school Free Book Fairs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Literacy Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Library, Reading Motivation & Independent Reading Programs (EDAMAJAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO), Literature & Book Clubs / Guided Reading Groups (EDAMAJAG)

Keywords

• Children's literacy programs
• Book donation services
• Nonprofit literacy outreach
• School book distributions
• Community reading initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlantic Highlands

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Individual and Corporate Donations: The organization collects financial contributions from individual donors, corporations, and community sponsors to purchase books (including bilingual and teen titles), cover operational costs, and fund programs. Corporate sponsors such as Amazon, Charles Edison Fund, and Vonage have provided direct support.
2. Fundraising Events: Bridge of Books raises funds through organized events such as the annual Run for Reading 5K, Ladies Night Out fundraiser, An Evening with Chef Covas, and birthday party campaigns (Books for Birthdays). Tito's Raising Spirits Program raised nearly $10,000 for the organization.
3. Grants: The organization pursues grant funding from foundations and civic associations. Notable grants include $1,500 from the Vin Gopal Civic Association (2025) and support from the Charles Edison Fund.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bridge Of Books Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that collects new and gently used books and distributes them free of charge to underserved children across New Jersey. The organization operates volunteer-led programs such as Book Ark, My Little Library, Teens Talk Books, Books & Barbers, and Books for Birthdays to place books directly into the hands of children via schools, shelters, barbershops, and community partners. Its core output is book collection, curation, and free distribution services delivered through community-based program partnerships.

Product overview

Bridge of Books Foundation is a nonprofit organization operating a portfolio of book access programs for underserved children across New Jersey. The core offering is book donation and distribution services, collecting new and gently used books through drives and distributing them directly to children. Supporting programs include the Book Ark Program (community library structures), My Little Library (book bags for vulnerable children), Teens Talk Books (high school writing contests), Books & Barbers (barbershop bookshelves), Books for Birthdays (party donation program), and School Book Distribution (Free Book Fairs and lending libraries). An online fundraising platform enables virtual book dives, birthday donations, and creative campaigns. All programs work together to ensure ongoing access to books for children from birth through age 18 across all 21 New Jersey counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Book Ark: A community library program in collaboration with The Free Books Project (CCPUL), allowing community groups to construct and manage three-shelf structures filled with children's books in underserved areas.
• My Little Library
• Books & Barbers
• Teens Talk Books

Products and services

• Book Ark A core book collection and distribution program that gathers books and places them directly into the hands of underserved children in New Jersey.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1.5 million books distributed since 2005; 1,258,468 books donated to date; 600,000+ children helped
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AmazonminorOthers · 1 January 2026Amazon volunteers participated in Read Across America Day at Keansburg Early Learning Center (KELC), joining Bridge of Books Foundation volunteers in leading story time sessions for over 150 students.
• News 12 New JerseyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Partnered with Bridge of Books for Back to School Giveaways at the Boys & Girls Club of Newark and YMCA Perth Amboy, helping amplify the event and reach more families.
• OptimumminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Co-partner with News 12 NJ and Warner Bros Discovery in the Back to School Giveaway events with Bridge of Books at the Boys & Girls Club of Newark and YMCA Perth Amboy.
• Warner Bros DiscoveryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Co-partner in the Back to School Giveaway events with News 12 NJ and Optimum, helping distribute books to children at the Boys & Girls Club of Newark and YMCA Perth Amboy.
• The Booksmiles Book BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2021Larry Abrams, Founder and Executive Director of Booksmiles, arranged a donation of over 5,000 books (approximately half for children, half for adults) in two drop-offs of 2,500 books each for displaced Afghan families at Fort Dix. Booksmiles and Bridge of Books are described as 'non-profit siblings' in providing books for those in need in New Jersey.
• Camden County Pop Up Library (CCPUL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2021Tom Martin, Founder and Executive Director of CCPUL, contributed approximately 1,000 adult books focused on professional development, light mysteries, cookbooks, and magazines for displaced Afghan families at Fort Dix. CCPUL also collaborated on the Book Ark program, sharing designs for the community library structures.
• The Free Books Project (CCPUL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBook Ark Program is a collaboration with The Free Books Project (Camden County Pop Up Library). CCPUL founder Tom Martin designed and built the original Book Ark structures. Bridge of Books provides book donations and program support for communities where Book Arks are installed.
• VonageminorOthersVonage donated space at their Holmdel, NJ facility to Bridge of Books from 2015 until mid-March 2020, when Vonage closed the building during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vonage subsequently consolidated operations and took back the donated space.
• New Jersey Youth CorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBridge of Books developed an early partnership with NJ Youth Corps, a full-time voluntary program providing education, work experience, and life skills training to approximately 1,000 low-income out-of-school youths ages 16–25. Youth Corps members distributed donated books to underserved children in their own communities. Over the course of the partnership, tens of thousands of books were donated through all 11 Youth Corps sites including Asbury Park, Camden, Trenton, Vineland, Jersey City, and Edison.
• Jersey Explorer Children's MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted the Winter Wonderland Free Book Fest with guest appearance by Miss Teen USA 2023-24 UmaSofia Srivastava, who read her book 'The White Jaguar' to children and families. Bridge of Books distributed books at this community event.
• Department of Child Protection and Permanency (Essex County)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpearheaded the 'Read Up to Shape Up' initiative, placing free book libraries in Essex County barbershops as a literacy program for underserved children, particularly boys.
• Long Branch Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirector Tonya Garcia created the 'Fade to Books' initiative, a literacy program placing free book libraries in barbershops. Bridge of Books supported this by providing enough books to create free libraries in 22 separate Essex and Monmouth barbershops.
• NJ BITE (Jersey City)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor the third consecutive year, Bridge of Books brought book donations to distribute to children and families at NJ BITE's holiday food distribution event in Jersey City.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Camden County Pop Up Library (CCPUL): Co-design partner on Bridge of Books' Book Ark program. Operates free community pop-up libraries in New Jersey, with overlapping mission of providing free book access to underserved communities; founder Tom Martin designed the Book Ark structures.
• Booksmiles: NJ-based nonprofit collecting and distributing books to children in need; described as 'non-profit siblings' to Bridge of Books. Operates the Booksmiles Book Bank in the same state with a similar community-led, donation-driven model.

Emerging players

• Little Free Library: Network of small community book exchanges; structurally similar to Bridge of Books' Book Ark and Books & Barbers programs. Both put free book-access points directly into underserved neighborhoods, though Little Free Library is decentralized and unfocused on children's literacy.
• PJ Library: Sends free children's books to families on a monthly basis to foster Jewish literacy and identity. Similar subscription-style book distribution model but with a focused demographic and content niche compared to Bridge of Books' broader underserved-children focus.
• Books for Africa: Nonprofit that collects and ships books to address the book famine in Africa. Shares the take-a-book-to-those-who-need-it model but operates internationally with a different beneficiary geography.

Broad incumbents

• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library: Books-by-mail program delivering free age-appropriate books to children from birth to age 5. While it operates nationally and via mail rather than community distribution, it shares the same mission of providing ongoing book access to children in underserved communities.
• First Book: National nonprofit that provides new books to children in need, primarily through educator and program partner networks. Significantly larger scale but addresses the same 'books to underserved children' problem Bridge of Books tackles in New Jersey.
• Reading Is Fundamental (RIF): Pioneer nonprofit providing free books to children in underserved communities, with established school and educator partnerships. Comparable in mission to Bridge of Books but operates at national scale with broader program portfolio.
• Room to Read: Global nonprofit focused on literacy and gender equality in education, with book publishing and distribution programs. Operates internationally but shares the 'books to children who need them' core mission of Bridge of Books.
• Reach Out and Read: National nonprofit partnering with pediatric clinics to provide books to children during well-child visits. Addresses the same childhood literacy gap; uses a healthcare-channel distribution model that contrasts with Bridge of Books' school/community-channel approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BridgeofBooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/bridgeofbooksfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bridge-of-books

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Bridge Of Books Foundation