The Reading and Libraries Challenge Fund was designed to effect long-term change to the way libraries and other institutions work with young people and others with limited access to books and reading. It closed in 2006 having supported 60 organisations across England, Wales and Scotland.
There were three streams of the Fund:
- Right to Read – access to books and reading for children and young people in public care
- Free with Words – access to books and reading for prisoners and young offenders
- Libraries Connect – focused on communities, such as refugees and asylum seekers, which are not benefiting from the services public libraries offer
The Fund was evaluated by Helen Carpenter, whose report provides useful findings about how access to books and reading can help to remove boundaries to participation in society.