Project Cicero began with a simple but powerful idea: to put great books in the hands of students who need them most. In 2001, a group of New York City parents noticed that while many families had overflowing bookshelves, too many public school classrooms lacked high quality books. They decided to bridge that gap by collecting gently used books and inviting teachers to come choose what their students needed, free of charge.
Today, that idea has grown into a citywide effort that brings together community partners, schools, families, publishers, and volunteers from every borough. Each March, more than a thousand teachers from under-resourced public schools visit our annual distribution to select as many books as they can carry. In a single weekend, over 150,000 books find new homes in schools across the city.
Project Cicero is a non-profit organization with the primary goals of creating and enhancing classroom and school libraries in under-resourced New York City public schools. Operating under a fiscal sponsorship agreement with The New York Society Library, Project Cicero benefits from the Library’s 501(c)(3) status.
Project Cicero helps New York City public school teachers build classroom libraries that inspire students to read. We collect new and gently used books from generous donors, organize them with the help of hundreds of volunteers, and invite teachers to select books that fit their classrooms’ and their students’ needs, all at no cost to the teachers.
Our goal is simple: to foster a love of reading by making literacy resources accessible to every child, regardless of their zip code.
Schools, and community partners hold book drives throughout the year.
Volunteers sort and organize books by format, subject, and language.
In March, teachers attend
the annual Project Cicero distribution weekend to choose books for their classrooms.
Since 2001, Project Cicero has redistributed more than 4.5 million books to tens of thousands of classrooms, reaching over one million students. Our work helps teachers build classroom libraries and reduces waste by keeping high-quality books in circulation.
Each book is a small act of connection, from one reader to another, and together they add up to something extraordinary.
books distributed since 2001
teachers served each year
partner schools and organizations
students reached
We receive ongoing support from our partner schools, publishers, donors, volunteers and major supporters.
RXR Realty and Blackstone make our distribution possible, by providing our venue at the Starrett-Lehigh building, which allows every dollar and every book to go directly toward helping teachers and students.
Project Cicero is led by co-chairs Susan Robbins, Robin Easton, and Jennifer Wendy, and an all-volunteer board along with a dedicated network of parents, educators, and students who help bring the annual event to life.
At its core, Project Cicero is a community effort, organized by people who believe in the power of reading and the impact literacy in schools can make on our city.
Project Cicero is run by an all-volunteer board along with a dedicated network of parents, educators, and students who believe that access to books can change a child’s life. From organizing drives to managing logistics to welcoming teachers at the annual distribution event, at its core, Project Cicero is a community effort, operated by people who believe in the power of reading and care deeply about NYC students.
