The mission of KPMG Family for Literacy (KFFL) is to eradicate childhood illiteracy by putting new books and educational resources into the hands of children in need and developing the next generation of young leaders through reading. KPMG volunteers work with KFFL in its collaboration with the award winning nonprofit social enterprise, First Book, to organize and distribute books to young readers. KFFL has provided over 1 million books to Chicago children in low-income communities since its inception in 2008.
KFFL Chicago and the McCormick Foundation together have launched the KPMG Literacy Fund, which distributed $150,000 to First Book and Bernie’s Book Bank in its first year. This funding will go directly towards book purchases for Chicago’s underserved readers.
McCormick Match
The McCormick Foundation matches funds raised at 50 cents on the dollar. We pay all campaign and administrative expenses, so one hundred percent of all donations, plus the match is granted to qualified nonprofit organizations.
At a Glance
PARTNERSHIP ESTABLISHED
2024
TOTAL FUNDING
$150K
in grants paid to date
PROGRAMS FUNDED
2
nonprofit organizations benefitted in 2025
AVERAGE GRANT SIZE
$75K
in 2025
Our Grants Support
First Book
First Book is dedicated to ensuring that all children, regardless of their background or zip code, can succeed by removing barriers to equitable education. They reach 6.5 million kids each year in low-income communities across North America, providing books and resources through a powerful network of more than 600,000 individual educators, professionals and volunteers specifically serving children in need. First Book partners with KFFL in Chicago to provide books to organizations like Chicago Public Library, SitStayRead, Working in the Schools (WITS) and more.
Bernie’s Book Bank provides free quality books to children in under-resourced communities to build personal libraries. Bernie’s believes that books and book ownership create pathways to success. Since 2009, Bernie’s Book Bank has distributed more than 27 million free children’s books in counties including Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will. Bernie’s Book Bank partners with KFFL in Chicago to provide books to all 72 Big Shoulders Fund Chicagoland schools.
