“The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation has grown into a worldwide community, making a real-world contribution to literacy. ”
As the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation celebrates ten years of operation, our founder and chair, Caroline Jane Knight, a fifth great-niece of Jane Austen, reflects on the growth of the Foundation from conception to the worldwide literacy organization it is today.
‘I had a wonderful childhood at Chawton House with my loving family in our ancestral home in the heart of Jane’s literary legacy. With a large house and 20 acres of gardens, there was always somewhere to explore and play with my cousins. I was very proud of my family heritage, of Jane, and of my ancestors. The family fortune was depleted decades before I was born, and it took a lot of work for my family to keep Chawton House running. I earned my pocket money working in Granny’s tearoom in the Great Hall of Chawton house, meeting thousands of visitors who had made the pilgrimage to Jane’s literary home. I loved helping Granny and meeting people from all over the world. I never dreamed that 25 years later, I would start a charity in Jane’s name: the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation.
Chawton House, in the South of England
Caroline Jane Knight, aged 18, in the dining room at Chawton House
My life changed dramatically in 1988 when my family left Chawton House. I was 18, and for the next 25 years, I didn’t discuss growing up in Chawton or my connection to my fifth great-aunt, Jane Austen, who spent her most productive writing years in Chawton. I attended university in London in my mid-20s. I then carved out a business career, which eventually took me to Australia in 2008 to become the CEO of a large marketing agency. I maintained a successful career, was on the board of a couple of education-focused charities and enjoyed a good life in Australia. No one in my new home knew of my connections to one of the world's most beloved authors or my childhood at Chawton House.
My life changed dramatically again in 2013, when the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice, marked in cultural venues all over Melbourne (where I now live), with Jane Austen documentaries on television and numerous mentions in mainstream media, brought me back to my roots and sparked an idea. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to harness the passion for Jane Austen today to benefit a charitable cause? It had to be literacy; this cause aligned perfectly with Jane, and I truly believe that, in the famous words of Kofi Annan, “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope,” The organization would be called the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation. I was so compelled to begin this journey that I resigned from my corporate CEO job and have worked part-time in business ever since, allowing me sufficient spare time to run the Foundation.
Phase 1: Getting to know the worldwide Jane Austen community and literacy landscape
Unlike most charities, the catalyst for the Foundation wasn’t a specific need; it was inspired by the extraordinary reach and influence of Jane Austen today and the strength and passion of her worldwide following. I didn’t know what we were going to do in literacy at the beginning. I spoke to a few friends in Melbourne who, once they overcame the surprise of my connection to Jane, were keen to help. And so, we formed the first board. I started discussing my plans with friends and my professional network in Melbourne. Soon, I was connected to the organizers of The World Literacy Summit, held annually at Oxford University. They invited me to attend their gathering in April 2014 and announce my plans for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation. I hadn’t created the Foundation yet, and it was a bit of a gamble to announce my project. However, I thought a public declaration of my intentions (featured on BBC television) would help attract volunteers and contacts to jumpstart our efforts. My leap of faith was rewarded. We were (and still are) all volunteers, working on the Foundation in our spare time. The Foundation officially launched online and was open for business on October 30, 2014. This date coincided with the anniversary of Jane becoming a published author for the first time upon the publication of Sense and Sensibility in 1811.
Our first goals were to raise awareness of our mission, engage the Jane Austen and book-loving community, and raise money for literacy projects in developing communities. I quickly discovered a myriad of charities and organizations delivering literacy programs in countries all over the world and realized the best way to maximize the money we raise, and the way to have the greatest impact on worldwide literacy, is to help these programs and initiatives expand their reach. The Foundation’s role is to choose the right programs to support. We work with charity partners and support programs that meet our criteria, including goal alignment, a good reputation, financial management, proven literacy outcomes, and transparency over the use of our donations and how they will help the program.
Literacy programs supported by the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation
It was important to me that the Foundation be accessible and inclusive to everyone, regardless of how they enjoy Jane Austen, and I reached out to every corner of the Jane Austen world. In the early days, most of our fundraising was with events both online and in person, at afternoon teas, and by sending everyone that donated through our website a personalized bookplate with their name in Jane Austen’s handwriting. It was our first online fundraising initiative and is now a bookplate shop on our website. There are a dozen bookplates to choose from, all designed by artists exclusively for the Foundation.
Darcy and Elizabeth bookplates available at the Bookplate shop on our website
Our monthly journal Pride and Possibilities, was launched in 2016. We began with an article written exclusively for us by Simon Langton, recalling his memories of directing the BBC's 1995 Pride and Prejudice series; it was such a thrill to hear his perspective. Managed by a volunteer editor, we have now published 116 carefully curated articles, written by people all over the world about a huge range of Jane Austen and literacy-related topics.
As word spread about the Foundation, more and more people came forward to volunteer their time, with ideas and offers of support. Each year we had numerous fundraisers taking place around the world, in person and online. Some were organized by the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, and others by which we were the grateful recipients of the money raised. All the money we raised was spent on literacy activities and programs in developing communities, as it is today.
Literacy programs supported by the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation
As I got to know Austen lovers, readers, authors, teachers, academics, historians, collectors, fashionistas, actors, directors, musicians, artists, book clubs, societies, festivals, superfans, bloggers, YouTubers, audiobook narrators, websites and social media influencers and administrators, I discovered a wonderful commonality of spirit. I encountered an incredible community of highly literate, generous, enthusiastic, and willing people, with a shared love of Jane Austen and a desire to contribute to Jane’s legacy and literacy. The enthusiasm for the Foundation confirmed we were on the right track.
I quickly realized that fundraising was only part of the value we could add to the global literacy effort. The Jane Austen name draws people; one Facebook post asking for volunteers can attract 50 applications, a response rate that most other charities can only dream of. Most volunteers are avid readers, writers and teachers; all highly literate, which presented an unexpected opportunity for us to make a literacy impact. We started our first volunteer literacy initiative, where Jane Austen Literacy Foundation volunteers gave a couple of hours a month of their time as literacy mentors. In our first initiative, our volunteers registered via an online platform to read and provide constructive feedback to school children’s writing, as part of the Pobble’s worldwide literacy program for schools, again using resources from the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation to support literacy programs run by experts around the world.
In the middle of 2017, to coincide with the 200-year anniversary of Jane’s death, I published my memoir, Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage, to share my childhood in Chawton, the influence that Jane has had on my life, and what led me to start the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation. For the next two years, I spoke at over 80 events in Australia, the UK, and Europe, as well as on radio and television in Australia and the UK. I could feel the momentum building more and more, and nothing thrilled me more than meeting people for the first time who already knew about the Foundation.
Phase 2: Building our offer and operational capacity
In 2018, we began hosting an annual event during Jane Austen Regency Week, held in Chawton and neighbouring Alton. Our Jane Austen Regency Picnic held on the grounds of Chawton House is a wonderful event with Jane Austen’s family (my family) and Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Ambassadors. Jane Austen Regency Week has become an annual destination for Jane Austen Literacy Foundation ambassadors, volunteers, and supporters from all over the world. Over a weekend of events including a Regency market, the Ball, and our picnic, we come together for a joyous celebration, to enjoy each other’s company and raise money for literacy programs.
The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation at Jane Austen Regency Week
The most ambitious fundraising event I have organized for the benefit of the Foundation was Dine Like Jane, held at Chawton House in June 2019. I spent over a year developing in my spare time an authentic Regency dinner menu with recipes adapted from my family’s cookbook from Jane’s time, The Knight Family Cookbook. A Michelin star chef prepared the food that night, two courses with over a dozen different dishes per course served as Jane would have known. Fourteen guests flew from all over the world to join Jane’s family in the same dining room Jane knew and to eat from the same dining table that Jane ate from. It was a spectacular evening, for my family and for our guests, and one I shall never forget.
Caroline, her family and guests at Dine Like Jane
In October 2019, I went to India, to see for myself the literacy work we were funding. It was a life-changing visit. Worldreader had worked with the Department of Education in India to develop their Read to Kids program for Anganwadi (early learning) centers in Delhi. The program transforms each center into a bright and colorful learning space with staff training, early learning literacy curriculum, literacy resources, technology, and ongoing support, to prepare the children for school. We visited an Anganwadi center in a very impoverished part of Delhi, where many children are not exposed to books, or reading or writing in any format, in their early years and. Without the Read to Kids program, they struggle to thrive when they start school.
Caroline talking to mothers at an Anganwadi centre in Delhi, India
I sat on the floor with the mothers of some of the children, and, through an interpreter, I asked why the Read to Kids program was so important to them. One of the mothers told me that her greatest desire for her child was to be educated enough that they would be able to get a job working inside. That moment will remain with me forever. It was the first time I really understood how important literacy is to people’s lives and survival. The Foundation has provided the funds for seven Anganwadi centres to participate in the Worldreader Read to Kids program, and we intend to fund more centres in the future. I returned from India with a renewed determination and decided to take a three-month sabbatical from work, starting March 2020, to focus all my efforts on expanding the Foundation.
I finished work on March 12th and flew to the UK, only to return a few days later. The pandemic was spreading, and the Australian border was closing. Melbourne ended up having the longest lockdown anywhere in the world (outside of China), with 262 days in total lockdown unable to leave our homes. My plans were scuppered, but I had a lot of time on my hands. The pandemic brought a global spirit of unity and generosity, and with so many people at home and online, it was a period of dramatic growth for the Foundation. I recruited new teams of volunteers around the world, and together, we built a regular program of fun online literacy activities to engage our community, including our Writing Competition and 30 Day Literacy Challenge. We increased our fundraising capacity with the development of our Jane Austen Tea for Literacy, a global fundraiser that everyone can download and participate in, including authentic recipes from The Knight Family Cookbook and games and riddles Jane would have played. We built capacity in our operations and started creating literacy resources for schools, available on our website.
The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation has expanded into a credible worldwide organization, making a real-world contribution to literacy. We are a community of diverse people from all corners of the globe, brought together by our love of Jane Austen, and our desire to make a difference. Our purpose is clear; to get people reading and writing more and to support literacy programs in developing communities.
The generosity of the Jane Austen community has been extraordinary. Thousands of people have given their time, effort and donations, to support our vision. In 2022, I was personally gifted an extensive collection of antique Regency fashion from Jane’s time, from collector Fiona Baverstock, which I will utilise in my charity endeavours and events. In 2023, the Foundation was gifted a wonderful collection of 235 copies of Pride & Prejudice published in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, at the bequest of Maureen Bathgate.
Jane and her mother, Cassandra Austen, imagined in antique fashion
Phase 3: Creating a sustainable organisation with a greater literacy impact
For the last couple of years, we have been considering the long-term future of the Foundation. Whilst I intend to stay involved with the Foundation for decades to come, I will not be in the driving seat forever and will, eventually, want and need to hand over the day-to-day leadership. I am also keenly aware that the sporadic nature of our fundraising to date has prevented us from supporting programs that need ongoing funding commitments. Without regular and reliable income, we are limited in the literacy impact we can make.
Literacy programs supported by the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation
My objective for the next five years is to continue to deliver and expand our current initiatives, while establishing sources of regular and reliable income that will secure the long term future of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation and the literacy work we support. To this end, we launched the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Community at our LOVE books event in February, offering a range of events, activities and lively discussions to subscribers who commit to a regular contribution of US$10 per month (i.e. regular income). The Community is in its infancy and will be relaunched next year in an exciting new virtual location. You will be able to explore and enjoy Jane Austen and the classics like never before with Jane Austen’s family and Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Ambassadors.
2025 is an important year in the Jane Austen calendar as we commemorate the 250th anniversary of Jane’s birth. My family is marking this historic occasion with the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation in a celebration of the enduring reach and influence of Jane Austen today. We are inviting 250 people from around the world to join us in expressing how Jane Austen has influenced their personal and professional lives. In 250-character testimonials, this eclectic mix of contributors will showcase Jane Austen’s reach and influence 250 years after her birth. The Foundation is publishing a commemorative copy of Pride and Prejudice, Jane’s most influential work, with a special introduction by a family member. It will be the first of her works to carry such an inscription since Henry Austen wrote the introduction for the first editions of Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, which was published six months after Jane’s death. The book will include contributions from Jane’s family and Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Ambassadors sharing how Jane Austen has influenced their life and work. This commemorative edition will also include a link to our Jane 250 website featuring all 250-character testimonials, a gallery of 250 copies of Pride and Prejudice published in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, and a special invitation to read along and discuss Pride and Prejudice with Jane’s family later in the year. Our commemorative copy of Pride and Prejudice will be published globally in e-book, paperback and hardback formats and will be available for pre-order this year, with a publication date of February 2025. All the proceeds will be spent on Jane Austen Literacy Foundation activities and literacy programs in developing communities.
Literacy programs supported by the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation
The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation has an exciting future ahead and I am looking forward to seeing where we are in another decade. To keep up to date with Foundation and our initiatives, please subscribe at the bottom of this page to receive a monthly email with a link to the latest issue of Pride and Possibilities, what’s on in our Community and other Foundation news.
Thanks to all of you, we are succeeding in our endeavours. The Foundation is my life’s work. Thank you to each and every one of you for making my vision a reality, I couldn’t be more grateful. The last ten years have given me more joy than I ever imagined. I am so proud of the organization we have created and the literacy impact we are making.
As an unexpected treat, I have made dear friends all over the world through the Foundation’s worldwide community. Tens of thousands of people have interacted with the Foundation in some way, and hundreds have volunteered for many years. There are too many for me to mention here, and I sincerely thank you all.
Happy 10th birthday to the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation. Congratulations to everyone who has contributed, I’m sure Jane would be proud of our achievements.
Caroline
© Caroline Jane Knight 2024, Jane Austen’s fifth great niece and the last of Jane’s nieces to grow up at Chawton House on the family’s ancestral estate where Jane herself lived and wrote. CEO of The Austen Pathway, Founder & chair of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation, Patron of Jane Austen Regency Week, author of Jane & Me: My Austen Heritage.
Our Community in November
We’re thrilled to invite you to a cozy afternoon with acclaimed author Vanessa Kelly on November 2nd at 2 PM EST! Join us for tea and conversation as we dive into Vanessa’s latest release, Murder in Highbury, a delightful mystery featuring her unique twist on Regency England. Vanessa will share her deep love for Jane Austen’s Emma and its influence on her work.
For access, simply join the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Community.
If Anne of Green Gables holds a special place in your heart, we have the perfect read to transport you back to Prince Edward Island—this time, with a closer look at its beloved creator. Join us as we read After Anne: A Novel of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Life, a heartfelt, intimate portrayal of the woman behind Anne.
Discover the triumphs, struggles, and inspirations that shaped L. M. Montgomery’s world. Journey beyond the pages of Anne of Green Gables and gain new insight into the life of the author who made it all possible.
Let’s read together, reminisce, and explore the world of Montgomery in a whole new way! Join our Community for only $10 a month to become a part of the community and help further support the foundation.