NCFL receives grant to advance family literacy in Texas

We’re proud to announce that NCFL has received a new grant to support and expand family literacy programming in Texas and establish three new Family Learning Communities™ across the state. Each Family Learning Community (FLC) will include evidence-based family literacy programming, and partners will work to align and coordinate their efforts to ensure that the programming serves as a key element within a larger system of education and workforce supports for families. 

The grant represents one of the first awards from the George & Barbara Bush Foundation’s new Barbara Bush Fund for Family Literacy, established in fall 2025 to carry forward Mrs. Bush’s commitment to literacy while strengthening the work of outstanding national and community-based organizations that are already making an extraordinary impact on the ground for children and families.

For both organizations, the partnership also carries deeper significance. More than three decades ago, the late First Lady Barbara Bush and NCFL founder Sharon Darling forged a friendship grounded in a shared belief: when parents and children learn together, entire families and communities thrive. Combining Sharon Darling’s deep expertise in literacy and family learning with Mrs. Bush’s influence, visibility, and unwavering tenacity, the two helped elevate family literacy from a promising idea into a national movement. Together, they championed approaches that recognized parents as their children’s first and most important teachers while creating opportunities for adults to build their own literacy, educational attainment, and economic mobility.

Today, that vision continues to transform lives across the country. This new investment represents not only a continuation of their shared commitment, but also a powerful reminder that lasting change is built over generations. 

Organizations across Texas that are committed to implementing or expanding family literacy programming and strengthening systems of support for local families are invited to respond to NCFL’s Expression of Interest form, available here. Expressions of Interest will be accepted through July 31, 2026. 

Three selected partners will receive coaching and technical assistance from NCFL to implement or expand family literacy programming, as well as support and facilitation to create a local Family Learning Community. Selected partners will also gain access to NCFL’s national network of Family Learning Communities.

Questions about the project can be directed to cwohlschlegel@familieslearning.org.