Be Part of the Story

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) is the national charity of the Australian Book Industry, and a Community-led organisation supporting First Nations peoples living in remote Communities to connect with literacy, language and culture.

From remote Communities, through to organisations and individuals, there are many ways in which you can be part of the story!

How remote Communities can be part of our story

If you live or work in a remote Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Community, you can be part of our story by:  

ACCESSING QUALITY BOOKS AND RESOURCES

We can send you quality books and resources for your schools, libraries, or Community centres, at no cost to you! 

The ILF invests quality, culturally-relevant resources at the specific request of the Community and their interests and needs. This will be at no cost to your Community.

Learn more about accessing books and resources curated by our panel of staff, Book Industry representatives, remote Community members and Educators.

PUBLISH A BOOK WITH US

Did you know you can create your own book with us? When creating a book with the ILF, there is no cost to you or anyone in your Community. We will work with you to help you with your story and create illustrations.

And you can be confident the ILF will always work with your best interests in mind. For instance, Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (cultural ownership of the story and artwork) will always remain with you and your Community. 

To find out more about any of our programs and offerings, connect with us via our website or send us an email to chat to someone on our team.

‍How individuals can be part of our story

Passionate about social justice? Do you advocate for the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures and places? Want to know how you can be part of the story?

CONNECT AND SHARE

You can register to the monthly ILF Newsletter and follow @indigenousliteracyfoundation on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and Youtube.

Engaging with, and sharing ILF content means we get to reach more people and platform Blak excellence.

BECOME A DONOR

Becoming an ILF donor means you are investing in First Nations storytellers by supporting us to publish and deliver books by and for remote Communities. 

Whether you give once or become a regular monthly donor, just $10 can gift a book to a child in a remote Community.

Your generosity helps provide access to Community organisations like Cunnamulla Aboriginal Corporation for Health, who receive culturally relevant books and resources that support their Community to connect to culture, language and support their literacy, the way they choose.

“ILF are also very generous to us and our Community is only able to get books into homes, because of ILF,” says Tammy Hickey from Cunnamulla.

SUPPORT THE ILF WHILE YOU SHOP

When you visit your local bookshop that supports the ILF, you can make a difference with every purchase.

Look out for the ILF sticker in their window, scan the donation QR code at the counter, or simply ask to top up your purchase with a donation - it’s that easy!

HOST A FUNDRAISER

Invite your friends, family or colleagues to join you in your support of Indigenous literacy.

Whether you’re running a marathon, hosting a Great Book Swap or celebrating a special event, you can fundraise your own way.

‍Get your business or workplace invested

The ILF receives no government funding for our programs. This means we always remain independent and Community-led, which has been key to our success.

Our programs are 100% funded by value aligned donors, organisations and partners. 

WE REQUIRE ESSENTIAL FUNDING FOR OUR PROGRAMS

Your one-off donations, pre-tax workplace giving programs, and team fundraisers allow the ILF programs to be delivered in more than 500 remote Communities across Australia, meeting the demands of remote Communities. 

YOUR ORGANISATION CAN SPONSOR A COMMUNITY-AUTHORED BOOK

Organisations can make a tangible difference by supporting First Nations stories by sponsoring ILF’s Community Publishing. You can either sponsor a translation of a popular title into a Community’s First Language or the publication of a book authored by remote Communities.

HELPING SEND EARLY LEARNING RESOURCES 

The ILF’s Book Buzz program supports playgroups and early-learning centres in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities by providing culturally-relevant and safe book and learn resources. 

These resources support playgroups to support play-based learning of their young children, from ages 0-5, to encourage a love of reading at a young age and support them in the transition to big school.  

Donations from individual and corporate donors allow us to continue to supply these vital early learning resources, connecting young Indigenous children to culturally relevant, safe books, early. 

CONTRIBUTING MEANINGFULLY TO YOUR RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN

Reconciliation Action Plans (RAP) are an important step for your organisation to create a meaningful impact on First Nations peoples, and working with Community-led NFP’s like the Indigenous Literacy Foundation can help you take meaningful steps on this journey. 

Find out more about how working with a Community-led NFP can support your reconciliation goals.

Yet to set up a RAP, or looking to develop your plan? Find out more today on the Reconciliation Australia website. 

Did you know that if you’re a school or are connected to one, you can have a RAP too? Take a look at Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali Program.

Educators, schools & early learning centres

The ILF works closely with education providers, offering a number of ways to support the delivery of curriculums while raising awareness of the importance of First Languages and Australia’s shared histories. 

Through engaging with the ILF, your students will learn about social justice, histories, caring for Country and the value of books and literacy resources written by First Nations people. 

By buying and using ILF titles in classrooms, early learning centres and education spaces, you are sharing the values of our First Nations peoples, their languages and cultures. 

HOST A GREAT BOOK SWAP

The Great Book Swap is the perfect celebration of books and stories for your school, and allows all ages to connect with, share and celebrate the joy of reading. 

Bring a book, swap a book and make a donation to the ILF to provide more books to remote Communities.

BUSKING FOR CHANGE 

Busking For Change will enable your school or early learning centre to participate in song, dance, and celebrate Aboriginal language and culture. 

Your students will walk away proud to be an advocate for the importance of First Languages and Indigenous literacy. 

INDIGENOUS LITERACY DAY

Indigenous Literacy Day (ILD) is proudly produced and presented by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation in collaboration with the Sydney Opera House. 

ILD was created by the ILF in 2007, and is now a national celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ stories, cultures, and languages held on the first Wednesday of September every year. 

ILD  is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the diversity of First Nations peoples’ languages and cultures with audiences across Australia and is a much celebrated event across the country.

Booksellers, publishers, authors & academics

If you are involved in the Book Industry or academia, your work will likely be aligned with the ILF.

ILF’s publishing is unique in how we centre Community and how all IP and ICIP remain with the authors and creators, rather than with us - the publisher. 

In every step of the publishing process, we are author-led and Community-driven. 

We offer multiple types of publishing, from publicly available to Community/Language Keepers only, translations and reformats that Community requests. 

We also have one of the highest royalty rates in Australia, allowing money to go directly back where authors and illustrators request it to go for now and future generations.

SUPPORT US

The ILF could be the perfect charity of choice for your Bookstore, university, or event. 

You can also support us by sharing and buying our books at your bookstores and stores. Buying and selling these stories enables royalties to continue to feed back into remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities. 

Get in touch to see how we can support you in this process! 

The ILF is committed to making books more accessible in remote areas, supporting Community storytelling and showcasing First Nations voices and languages in the books we publish. 

Through these programs, we are able to support literacy outcomes and mentor young people in their life-long literacy journeys. 

However you choose to engage, we ask you to be part of our story, investing in literacy, culture and language - supporting  remote Communities to have the opportunities they deserve. 

About the Indigenous Literacy Foundation

Through almost 20 years of collaboration with remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities, the ILF supports literacy by distributing culturally-appropriate books and publishing stories by remote Communities and distributing culturally-appropriate books to remote Communities. 

The ILF also advocates for the literacy needs of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community members, ensuring that ILF’s work is always led by the knowledges and wisdoms of Elders and Indigenous peoples.