It truly “takes a village” of authors, moderators, Library of Congress staff, curators and coordinators, contractors, partners, volunteers and other “ambassadors” to bring the Library of Congress National Book Festival to fruition annually.
Among the most important of these ambassadors are our devoted and generous Festival sponsors, who provide the essential support necessary to bring our National Book Festival to the public. As we put the finishing touches on this year’s Festival, want to take this opportunity to thank these important sponsors for the 2022 Festival:
National Book Festival Co-Chair
David M. Rubenstein is the co-founder and co-executive chairman of The Carlyle Group. He is a major benefactor of the Library of Congress and the chairman of the Library’s lead donor group, the James Madison Council. In 2013 he originated the Library of Congress Literacy Awards, which honors organizations doing exemplary, innovative and replicable work and recognize the need for the international community to unite in achieving universal literacy.
Charter Sponsors
The Washington Post is a leading global news source that informs readers through exceptional journalism and personalized experience. It combines the latest breaking news in politics, national, foreign and business with in-depth analysis and engaging opinions in lifestyle, entertainment and more. The Post has been a Festival sponsor since its inception in 2001 as part of its ongoing commitment to literacy.
The mission of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people with information and ideas. A charter sponsor since 2002, IMLS is partnering with the Library’s Center for the Book in past festivals to sponsor the “Roadmap to Reading,” whereby representatives from state libraries and Centers for the Book across the country staff state tables, interact with enthusiastic festival attendees, and provide a wealth of information on their state’s literary heritage and its local libraries and festivals and careers and opportunities in library and information science.
Patron Sponsors
AARP’s mission is to empower people to choose how they live as they age. At its heart, the work that AARP and its affiliates do can be summed up in just 12 words: “We fight for and equip each individual to live their best life.” For more than 20 years, AARP has supported a wide range of signature programs at the Library of Congress. A Festival supporter since 2004, AARP is the 2022 sponsor of the National Book Festival Opening Celebration.
General Motors and Cadillac are new partners for the 2022 Festival. Their Future Fiction Collective campaign focuses on diversifying science fiction media to encourage youth from historically unrepresented communities to explore their STEM identities. Providing unique opportunities for young people to engage in STEM activities, like building their own battery powered electrical circuits to take home, General Motors and Cadillac will bring focus to diverse realms of literature and hands-on learning opportunities to the Festival expo floor. General Motors is sponsoring the Science Fiction and Fantasy Stage and is the Festival Accessibility Sponsor.
The James Madison Council is comprised of public-minded philanthropists seeking to advance the Library’s efforts to inspire and engage Americans and to make our national treasures more accessible and dynamic. More than 400 Library initiatives have received the Madison Council’s support since its founding in 1990. A Festival sponsor since the very first in 2001, the Madison Council is proud to sponsor the History and Biography Stage.
The John W. Kluge Center of the Library of Congress brings together the world’s best thinkers to contribute to the conversation about the challenges facing democracies in the 21st century. Founded in 2000, the Kluge Center works to distill wisdom from the rich resources of the Library and to foster mutually enriching relationships with lawmakers and other policy leaders. Returning as a sponsor, the Kluge Center is supporting three festival programs promoting the values of democracy: “Women Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement,” “Heal Thyself? Mental Illness and Me,” and “Are We Eating Our Young?”
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. A Festival supporter since 2005, the NEA traditionally supported the Festival’s Poetry and Prose stage. For 2022, this stage has transformed into the new Writers Studio Stage, sponsored by NEA.
The mission of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is to serve and strengthen our nation by supporting high-quality projects and programs in the humanities and by making the humanities available to all Americans. A Festival supporter since 2013, NEH is the 2022 sponsor of the Society and Culture Stage.
Presenting & Media Partners
Presenting and media partners widen the National Book Festival experience by sharing content broadly on their media channels and/or provide professional talent as interviewers and moderators of author talks and presentations.
- C-SPAN2’s Book TV (presenting partner)
- NPR (media partner)
- El Tiempo Latino (media partner)
Additional Generous Support
We are exceptionally grateful to these additional groups and friends of the Festival for their kind and generous support for the 2021 event:
- Joseph and Lynn Deutsch
- For The People Fund, with seed funding provided by the Ford Foundation
- Friends of the Library of Congress
- The Hay-Adams
- The Junior League of Washington
- Library of Congress Federal Credit Union
- Library of Congress Publishing Office
- National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled
- Timothy and Diane Naughton
- Rancho Mirage Writers Festival
- Scholastic
- Sharjah Book Authority
- Washington Nationals
Philanthropy like theirs is important to the National Book Festival and important to our country. You can join this group of important of donors and sponsors by making a gift to support the Library of Congress. Thanks to all of our supporters, and thanks to you.
This guest post was written by Andrew McCarthy-Clark, manager of corporate and foundation relations in the Library’s Development Office.