Sponsors

Booktrust is the hub for national literature development and currently receives regular funding from Arts Council England to support our programme of prizes, promotions and campaigns.

Booktrust works with the Department for Education to deliver free books programmes, enabling us to reach every child in England as well as children in Northern Ireland and Wales. Our government funding helps us to generate support from publisher partners in a unique public/private partnership. Our programmes range from universal offers for every child, to programmes targeted at children from more disadvantaged backgrounds or those with more specialised needs.

Booktrust jointly runs Booktime, which gives free books to reception-aged children, with Pearson,  the world’s leading learning company. Since 2006, we have worked with Pearson to give nine million Penguin and Pearson UK books to over 3.5 million children, encouraging families to enjoy sharing books and reading together at home.

The Department of Education is responsible for the central administration of all aspects of education and related services in Northern Ireland. Funding for Bookstart and Booktime has been provided over the last three years through grants from the Literacy and Numeracy Stering Group.

Booktrust Cymru, our Welsh office, works with the Department of Education and Skills in the Welsh Government, to deliver a universal free books programme, Bookstart / Dechrau Da, whereby all children in Wales are eligible for Bookstart Packs at 9 months and 18 months. A targeted programme for looked after children in Key Stage 2, Letterbox Club / Blwch Llythyrau, and book packs for visually and hearing impaired babies are also funded by the Welsh Government. This funding helps us to generate support from Welsh language publishers in a unique public/private partnership.  The programmes in Wales are fully bilingual.

James Patterson in partnership with Random House are Founding Partners for the Children's Reading Fund, helping to establish the Fund with a large donation in January 2013. James will also be involved with a number of the Fund's activities during the year including the Let's Get Dads Reading campaign.

Watch a video of James pledging his support to the Fund

The View from The Shard are launch partners for the Children's Reading Fund and have selected the Fund to be their charity partner for their first year. The Fund was launched at a special reception in the viewing galleries at the top of the Shard - the tallest building in Western Europe - in advance of it opening to the general public in February 2013.

Waterstones are Founding partners for the Children's Reading Fund and have selected the Fund as their charity partner for 2013. They will be working with Booktrust on raising funds to help disadvantaged children across the UK, particularly focusing on children in care. Waterstones' staff have a tremendous track record in fundraising both in-store and at national and international challenge events.

Waterstones are also principal sponsors of the Children's Laureate, a role awarded every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children's books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field and highlight the importance of exceptional children's authors in creating the readers of tomorrow. Julia Donaldson is the Children's Laureate for 2011 - 2013. 

The BBC National Short Story Award, delivered in partnership with BBC Radio 4, is one of the most prestigious awards for a single short story in the world. The shortlisted stories are recorded for on-air broadcast by well-known actors and listened to by millions of people.

Booktrust partners the BBC's Blue Peter for the enormously popular and influential BBC Blue Peter Book Awards, which have been recognising and celebrating the best authors, the most creative illustrators and the greatest reads for children since 2000.

We work with Dahl & Dahl on the unique Roald Dahl Funny Prize - launched by Michael Rosen and Booktrust in 2008 to honour those books that make young people, and all of us, roar with laughter. Dahk & Dahl are also supporting the Children's Reading Fund by granting usage of one of their characters, Matilda.

The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Award honours the finest writers of short stories in the UK and Ireland and is the world's most valuable prize for a single short story. Booktrust has managed the award since its creation in 2010.

Booktrust is a longstanding partner of Orange, administering the UK's most prestigious annual book award for fiction by international female writers, the Orange Prize for Fiction. 

Booktrust partner the John S Cohen Foundation and ACE to deliver the biennial £40,000 David Cohen Prize for Literature, which honours a lifetime's achievement in literature.

Booktrust works closely with ACE and The Independent, with the support of Champagne Tattinger, to deliver the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, which every year celebrates the best contemporary work of fiction in translation published in the UK.

The Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Award honours the finest writers of short stories in the UK and Ireland and is the world's most valuable prize for a single short story. Booktrust has managed the award since its creation in 2010. Find out more about The Sunday Times Find out more about EFG Private Bank

Booktrust works in partnership with a number of well known publishers. Their support for our bookgifting programmes enables us to deliver a broad range of high quality books and resources directly into the hands of those who benefit the most. They also support our many literary promotions including the Children's Laureate, prizes and campaigns.