National Book Foundation
| Founded | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit |
| Headquarters | New York City, USA |
| Services | Celebrating literary achievements |
| Fields | Literary Prize |
|
Key people
|
Lisa Lucas, Executive Director (March 2016) |
|
Staff
|
7 staff, 21 board members |
| Website | nationalbook |
The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America". Established 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc., the foundation is the administrator and sponsor of the National Book Awards, a changing set of literary awards inaugurated 1936 and continuous from 1950. It also organizes and sponsors public and educational programs.
The National Book Foundation's Board of Directors comprises representatives of American literary institutions and the book industry. For example, in 2009 the Board included the President of the New York Public Library, the Chief Merchandising Officer of Barnes & Noble, the President/Publisher of Grove/Atlantic, Inc., and others. In 2016, Lisa Lucas became the Foundation's third Executive Director.
The National Book Foundation states the mission "to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of great writing in America."
The original task of the National Book Foundation was to award the National Book Award. The Award was given without the foundation from 1950 until it was replaced with The American Book Awards in 1980, with 16 different categories. In 1987, the National Book Award was reestablished. The award split into 4 categories in 1996: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature. The winner in each category is decided by an independent panel of writers, librarians, booksellers, and critics.
In addition to four National Book Awards to authors for particular books, the Foundation presents two lifetime achievement awards: the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters and the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.
The Foundation annually awards the Innovations in Reading Prize ($10,000) to "individuals and institutions—or partnerships between the two—that have developed innovative means of creating and sustaining a lifelong love of reading."
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