Presented within this section of the Donchian Foundation website is three summary reports describing the objectives and impact of programs funded by the foundation's directors. They are (1) the AmeriCares Pediatric Healthcare Reform Initiative, (2) the National Book Scholarship Fund, and (3) the Institute for Practical Ethics.

2. Literacy – The National Book Scholarship Fund

The National Assessment of Adult Literacy conducted in 2003 indicates that one in five adults in America read poorly or not at all.  To address this critical issue, the Richard D. Donchian Foundation collaborated with the Syracuse, New York-based organization, ProLiteracy Worldwide, to initiate and sustain a number of significant projects.
The most notable of these initiatives has been the Donchian Foundation's provision of seed funding to ProLiteracy Worldwide, which enabled the organization to launch its famed National Book Scholarship Fund (www.nbsf.org). This fund makes possible the awarding of high quality instructional materials and specially written books (from New Readers Press) to grassroots literacy programs serving adults and families with low literacy skills throughout the United States. Also benefiting from the Fund are programs that serve adults seeking English language assistance.
Since its inception in 1995, over 1,500 individual and institutional donors have followed the Donchian Foundation's example, joining with ProLiteracy to make the National Book Scholarship Fund a truly viable program of service to local literacy providers. As a result, 1,095 NBSF grant awards totaling more than $2.2 million worth of books and literacy materials have been awarded to literacy programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 320,000 adults, youth, and children have improved their reading skills as a result of this initiative.
ProLiteracy Worldwide, the largest organization of adult literacy programs in the world, represents 1,200 local program affiliates in all 50 states and 120 partner programs in 62 developing countries. ProLiteracy provides local literacy programs with the training, technical assistance, materials, and other support they need to provide one-on-one, small group, and classroom instruction in literacy and English as a second language to adults and their families. These affiliates and partners work with more than 350,000 adult literacy students each year. ProLiteracy Worldwide has its headquarters in Syracuse, N.Y. For more information, please visit ProLiteracy Worldwide.