Judy Blume Backs SCBWI Grant for Independent Bookstores

Judy Blume, the celebrated author of books for children and adults and founder of Books & Books @ the Studios of Key West in Florida, has pledged a multi-year donation to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Impact and Legacy Fund’s Independent Bookstore Grant. The support will keep the program going for at least three more years and broaden its reach beyond the United States.

The grant is designed to help independent bookstores stage public events in their communities featuring children’s authors, illustrators, or translators. Under the program, three bookstores receive $1,000 each to host an event, creating a direct link between local bookselling and the creators whose work many indie stores champion.

The initiative first launched as a pilot in 2025. Its inaugural recipients were Honest Dog Books in Bayfield, Wis.; Rooted Books and Gifts in Grand Island, Neb.; and Hudson Valley Books for Humanity in Ossining, N.Y. Those awards established the model Blume is now helping to sustain: modest grants aimed at supporting in-person literary programming at independent stores.

Blume framed the sponsorship as a natural extension of her own professional life. In a statement, she said it was an honor to support a program that combines “my two professional loves—book writing and book selling—and sheds light on the vital role independent bookstores play in their local communities.” That connection is central to the grant’s design, which treats bookstores not just as retail outlets but as cultural meeting places.

For SCBWI, the funding helps reinforce the economic and artistic value of independent bookstores at a time when such businesses often rely on events to draw readers through the door. Lin Oliver, SCBWI cofounder and managing director of the ILF, said the organization wants “to do our part to help keep independent bookstores viable as businesses while connecting them with the creators they support.”

The expansion matters because it extends the program’s footprint to bookstores worldwide. Rather than remaining a U.S.-only experiment, the grant is set to become an international opportunity for independent stores that want to host children’s literary events and build relationships with authors and illustrators in their communities.

Applications for the grant will open on September 1. With Blume’s sponsorship in place, SCBWI is positioning the fund as a longer-term support mechanism for the independent bookstore sector, while continuing to emphasize the role these stores play in bringing young readers into contact with the people who make children’s books.

The announcement also reflects Blume’s long-standing presence in both writing and bookselling. By backing a grant that sits at the intersection of those fields, she is helping to sustain a program that links literary culture with local commerce and gives independent stores another route to serve readers through live events.