For 30 years TBF has been a leader in defining and celebrating literary excellence, bringing the best and brightest to the Texas Capitol to share their stories with devoted readers. Our outreach programs flourish beyond the Texas Capitol into local communities across the state. Throughout the year, we merge literary excellence with community engagement to create programming that invites everyone to enjoy, learn, and expand their perspectives.

In the past 30 years, we have:

Hosted an annual festival for
over 1.2 million people combined
(at least 40,000 per year)

Connected attendees with more than 4,000 authors free of charge

Supported local, statewide, and national authors, providing a platform to share and discuss their work as well as sell their books

Given more than $3.6 million in grants to Texas libraries

Sponsored 800 author visits and provided more than 183,000 books to students at under-resourced Title I elementary schools through our Reading Rock Stars program in Austin, Dallas-Ft. Worth, El Paso, Houston, and the Rio Grande Valley. This year we will launch this program in San Marcos. 

Engaged 2,000 first-generation college students through Real Reads in Austin and Dallas-Ft. Worth.
We will expand Real Reads this year through a new partnership with Gardner-Betts Juvenile Center, expanding our impact to youth in the juvenile justice system.


  1. Maintaining the level of excellence our audiences at Texas Book Festival and at Reading Rock Stars have experienced for the past 30 years
  2. Doubling the impact of our Texas Library Grants program 
  3. Investing in Teen Readers because reading supports mental health and never has it been more critical to support young people in this way
  4. Continuing a legacy of attracting the highest profile authors to Texas Book Festival

The Next Decade Fund brings about thoughtful, strategic growth that will not only address rising Festival production costs, wage increases to account for inflation, and our continued commitment to excellence, but also empowers us to make an even greater impact on literary arts and literacy across the state. By investing in the Next Decade, you’ll help us bring more joy, learning, and inspiration to communities across Texas.