Since 2001, Project Cicero has given public school teachers free access to more than 4.5 million books, reaching over one million students across all five boroughs. Each year, thousands of families, schools, and volunteers come together to collect, sort, and share books that strengthen classroom libraries and spark a love of reading.
Teachers use these books to build classroom and school libraries, supplement their curriculum, and inspire students to read more both at school and at home.
“Because of Project Cicero, my students finally found books they could relate to. They see themselves in stories now.”
— Ms. Rivera, 1st Grade Teacher
Project Cicero is not only improving literacy but also promoting sustainability. By redistributing gently used books instead of discarding them, we help reduce waste and conserve resources.
Since our founding, Project Cicero has been recognized for its environmental impact as one of New York City’s leading reuse and recycling organizations featured in the
NYC Materials Exchange Development Program.
Inspired by the success of Project Cicero New York, a sister program now operates in the Bay Area (California), serving local public school communities through the same model of book collection and redistribution.
Internationally, Project Cicero has advised and supported the creation of Library4All, a literacy initiative based in Athens, Greece.
Project Cicero is proud to be the recipient of the Industry Innovator Award from the Book Industry Study Group, honoring our creative and sustainable approach to book redistribution.
