Corporate Social Responsibility

At Scholastic, we tap into our core strengths of publishing and distribution to improve the lives of underserved children through literacy partnerships, innovative outreach programs, and strategic in-kind giving. We address the reality that many children do not grow up in literacy-rich environments or have access to quality books, and that families need information, resources and assistance as they encourage and support their children’s development as strong readers.

Partnering with communities helps bring books and reading to all children. Programs such One for Books in which Scholastic matches the spare change donated by participants of Book Fairs and then uses those proceeds to purchase and then donate books to national non-profits, and ClassroomsCare, which empowers students to learn about reading and giving through Scholastic Book Clubs and ultimately help donate 1 million books - placing books directly into the hands of kids who need them.

Throughout Scholastic corporate headquarters in New York’s SoHo, employees are surrounded by Scholastic’s mission and credo—literally. The words are printed on the heavily trafficked staircase in the heart of the building. It’s a powerful statement for those who visit the office: that Scholastic is a global business and corporate citizen that is committed to the company mission.

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program and the largest source of scholarship funds in the nation for creative teens. Every year, the Awards receive nearly 350,000 submissions in 29 different categories of art and writing from students in grades 7–12 in all 50 states. The Awards give creative teens opportunities for recognition, exhibition, publication, and scholarships.

The Awards were established in 1923 by the visionary founder of Scholastic Inc., Maurice R. Robinson, as a small writing contest with just six winning applications. Over the course of the next seven decades, they were run as a division of Scholastic Inc., growing to become a national program administered in partnership with Affiliates across the country. These Affiliate Partners manage regional art and writing awards programs in their communities, conducting outreach, overseeing adjudication, and hosting exhibitions and awards ceremonies.

Over the course of their history, the Awards have established a significant track record for identifying the early promise of our nation’s most accomplished and prolific creative leaders. An impressive roster of notable alumni includes Tschabalala Self, Stephen King, Kay WalkingStick, Charles White, Joyce Carol Oates, and Andy Warhol. Outside the arts, Awards alumni employ their creativity in any number of ways—becoming leaders in fields including journalism, medicine, finance, government and public service, the law, science, design, and more.

As they move into their second century, the Awards continue to encourage, inspire, and celebrate millions of young artists and writers and empower teens to share their voices and visions with the world. For many teens, winning a Scholastic Award is life-changing and sets them on the path to becoming lifelong creators and supporters of the arts. Richard Avedon called winning his Scholastic Award “the defining moment of my life.”

Learn More

The Scholastic Possible Fund

The Scholastic Possible Fund was established to provide quality books to children in underserved communities, and in communities recovering from crises or natural disasters with the goal of improving global literacy. Books from The Scholastic Possible Fund are distributed through non-profit partner organizations that y to understanding oneself and becoming a lifelong learner. Through the Scholastic Possible Fund, children around the world have received millions of books through our dedicated partners.

Learn More

Scholastic Reads: Schools and Shelters

The aim of this initiative is to help increase early education and literacy opportunities for children, and particularly at-risk children, in the New York City area with the long term goal of helping break the cycle of poverty and homelessness by supporting the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City and the Department of Homeless Services with book donations, library refurbishment, and employee reading initiatives.

Paper Procurement

Scholastic is dedicated to responsible stewardship of the environment in all of our paper procurement practices, and while we aim to inspire a love of reading and learning in kids everywhere, we endeavor to produce materials responsibly. Our paper procurement policy extends purchasing preference to those products and suppliers that exhibit superior environmental performance, and that align with our goals.

The majority of Scholastic Book Clubs catalogs, which offer top-quality books and reading materials on a monthly basis to teachers and students in pre-school through high school, are now printed exclusively on FSC-certified paper.

Scholastic Family and Community Engagement (FACE)

FACE partners with schools and districts to support literacy development for every child through programs and initiatives that strengthen relationships with families, connect the surrounding community with student learning, and increase access to books in the home. By focusing on five key priorities - early literacy, family engagement, access to books, expanding learning and mentoring partnerships - FACE brings together research-based programs and strategies that equip educators, parents and communities with the resources they need to boost the literacy skills of all children beyond the classroom.