“Without access to books that capture their imagination and speak to their experiences, children miss developing the essential skills that shape future success, creativity, and emotional wellbeing.”
As we approach the momentous 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth in 2025, we are launching a special campaign to honour Jane’s enduring legacy by nurturing a love of reading in children who need it most.
For over a decade, the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation has been supporting literacy projects around the world, including projects in India, Ghana, Syria, Lebanon and Timor, for remote Indigenous Australians and Ukrainian refugees.
In 2025, as well as continue our current work, we wanted to focus a little closer to home for Jane in a special commemorative fundraising campaign.
A Writer Who Changed the World Through Reading
Jane Austen's relationship with books and reading was profound and lifelong. From her earliest years at Steventon Rectory, Jane had access to her father's library of some 500 volumes – a considerable collection for a country clergyman. This early and continuous exposure to literature helped shape the woman who would become one of the world's most beloved authors.
In her novels, Jane frequently portrays characters whose reading habits reveal much about their personalities and values. In Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland's imagination is fired by Gothic novels. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet is praised by Mr. Darcy for her love of reading, while Mr. Bennet retreats to his library as a sanctuary. In Persuasion, Anne Elliot finds solace and wisdom in books during her years of quiet disappointment.
Most telling, perhaps, is the scene in Mansfield Park where Fanny Price shows Edmund her small collection of books, revealing how she has educated herself through reading despite her marginalized position in the household. Fanny's transformation through literacy serves as a powerful reminder of how access to books can elevate and empower individuals regardless of their circumstances.
Jane herself was known to read aloud to her family in the evenings – a common entertainment in an era before electronic diversions. Her letters frequently mention books she has read or plans to read, and she maintained this passion throughout her life. Even during her final illness, she continued to read and to write.
The Crisis in Children's Reading Today
In stark contrast to Jane Austen's book-rich environment, many children today lack access to diverse, engaging reading materials, even in the UK. Recent research from the National Literacy Trust reveals a troubling statistic: two out of three children and young people in the UK do not enjoy reading during their free time – the lowest level recorded in nearly 20 years.
Without access to books that capture their imagination and speak to their experiences, children miss developing the essential skills that shape future success, creativity, and emotional wellbeing. This is particularly true for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, who may have limited access to books at home or live in areas with reduced library services.
The parallels to Jane Austen's time are striking. In the early 19th century, literacy was a privilege largely reserved for the wealthy and well-connected. Books were expensive, and formal education was not universally available. Jane Austen herself was fortunate to grow up in a household that valued reading and learning, but she was keenly aware that this was not the case for everyone.
Jane Austen, as she appears in Chawton Manor and It’s Owners - A Family Record, published by William Austen Leigh and Montagu Knight
Celebrating Jane's 250th Birthday Through Literacy
To honour Jane Austen's 250th birthday in a meaningful way, the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation is launching a campaign to fund 25 Literacy Toolkits from the National Literacy Trust for primary schools in areas of high need across the UK – one toolkit for each decade of Jane's remarkable legacy.
Each Literacy Toolkit costs £850 and provides schools with a carefully curated selection of diverse books along with tailored resources for lessons at all age levels. These toolkits are specifically designed to support children in developing a love of reading, regardless of their background or circumstances.
For example, the National Literacy Trust’s Wellbeing Literacy Toolkit contains books that explore themes such as confidence and growing up - relatable issues throughout primary school. However, with the opportunity to read these books and explore their themes, children will have the opportunity to work through and discuss these feelings.
The National Literacy Trust’s Wellbeing Literacy Toolkit
Just as Jane Austen's novels continue to delight and inspire readers across generations and cultures, these toolkits will introduce children to stories that can transport them to new worlds, help them understand their own experiences, and ignite a lifelong passion for reading.
How You Can Help
As lovers of Jane Austen's work, we understand the transformative power of literature. Many of us have experienced firsthand how Jane's novels can provide comfort, insight, and joy. Now, we have an opportunity to extend that gift to children who might otherwise miss out on the pleasures and benefits of reading.
There are several ways you can support this campaign:
Make a direct donation through our JustGiving page, contributing whatever amount you can toward our goal of funding 25 Literacy Toolkits.
Organize a fundraiser to support the campaign, by opening a fundraising page via our JustGiving page
Sponsor another fundraiser or support someone else's fundraising efforts, like Jessie below.
Spread the word about this campaign among fellow Jane Austen enthusiasts and on social media
Click here for our JustGiving fundraising page:
This weekend, author Jessie Lewis has completed an incredible 50km hike around Bath to raise money for our Jane Austen 2025 fundraising campaign with the National Literacy Trust. In an extraordinary effort, Jessie has raised over £1,200 - Congratulations and thank you Jessie! It’s not too late to sponsor Jessie and add to our fundraising total: https://www.justgiving.com/page/jessie-lewis-author
Jessie Lewis raising money for our Jane Austen 250th Birthday fundraiser
In the most unique fundraising idea yet, long time Foundation supporter, Felicity Porter (nee Curtis) has just got married and in lieu of wedding shower gifts, asked her guests to make a donation to the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation. Congratulations Felicity and thank you!
Felicity Porter raising money for the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation
All fundraisers will be featured online by the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation and receive a personal thanks from our founder and chair, Caroline Jane Knight, the last of Jane's nieces to grow up at Chawton House, where Jane herself lived and wrote.
Jane Austen's works continue to resonate with readers because they speak to universal human experiences and emotions. Her keen observations of society, her wit, and her compassion transcend the centuries and cultural differences that separate her time from ours.
By supporting this campaign, you're not only honouring Jane's legacy but extending it in a way that addresses one of today's most pressing issues: ensuring that all children, regardless of their circumstances, can discover the joy and power of reading.
In Emma, Jane wrote: "The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." While we might phrase it more diplomatically today, the sentiment remains true – reading enriches our lives immeasurably.
As we prepare to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, let us come together to ensure that more children have the chance to discover the pleasures of reading that Jane herself so cherished. In doing so, we create a fitting tribute to an author whose words continue to inspire, entertain, and illuminate our understanding of ourselves and each other.
To donate or start your fundraiser, click HERE. Your support will help create a new generation of readers – perhaps even a future Jane Austen – who will carry forward the love of literature for the next 250 years.
The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation was founded by Caroline Jane Knight, Jane Austen's fifth great-niece and the last of Jane’s nieces to grow up at Chawton House, in the heart of Jane’s literary legacy. The Foundation is run entirely by volunteers, ensuring that 100% of donations go directly to literacy programs and initiatives worldwide.
The Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Writing Competition 2025 is open!
Enter FREE for a chance to have your story recorded as an audiobook by the super talented top selling Austen audiobook narrator, actress, writer and comedian, Alison Larkin.
The authors of the three winning stories will be invited to attend Jane Austen’s 250th Birthday Celebration at Chawton House with Jane’s family, where the winner will be named the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Writer of 2025.
Whether new or experienced, we invite writers from around the world to enter the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Writing Competition 2025.
For a literary treat, click below to hear Alison’s beautiful reading of the Jane Austen Literacy Foundation Writing Competition Winning Stories 2024:
Our Community in April
Miss Austen Book Wrap: Book Club Chat Friday, April 5th at 3PM EST
Did you fall in love with the story of Cassandra and Jane? Join fellow readers as we discuss our thoughts, feelings, and reactions to Miss Austen in a warm, friendly conversation.
We'll explore the relationship between the Austen sisters, the historical elements, and share what resonated most with each of us.
Bring your favorite tea, your copy of the book, and your thoughts for this literary gathering where book people find their people. Hope to see you there!
Step into the world of one of literature's most beloved authors this April as we read At Home With Jane Austen by Lucy Worsley! Join us as we explore the domestic spaces that shaped Jane Austen's life and work.
Worsley's engaging narrative takes us through the houses Austen called home and reveals how these environments influenced her timeless novels.
Whether you're a dedicated Janeite or simply curious about the woman behind the classics, this book offers fascinating insights into Austen's daily life and creative process.
Join as a FRIEND OF THE FOUNDATION to take part in the conversation. More details coming soon on meeting dates and how to participate. We can't wait to see you at our virtual meet ups!