Book Industry Charitable Foundation

Our Mission To strengthen the bookselling and comic shop communities through charitable programs that support employees and their families when they are in unexpected financial need. Our History For more than 27 years, the Foundation has helped thousands of employees and owners of bookstores and comic shops across the country overcome personal financial hardships. It began in 1996 when employees and executives of Borders Group, Inc. had a vision: to start a nonprofit foundation with the purpose of helping bookstore employees in need. Their wish was to have an ongoing method for booksellers to help each other. From its beginning, funding was provided by company executives, bookseller contributions, and donations from the book industry at large (publishers, distributors and more). In 2011 the scope of the Foundation was expanded to assist any employee of a brick-and-mortar bookstore within the U.S. The Binc Foundation provides emergency financial assistance to booksellers and comic shop employees and owners in times of natural disaster and unforeseen personal financial hardship. Whether the need arises from a serious medical expense, domestic violence incident, threat of eviction, essential utility shut-off, or the unexpected loss of household income; Binc works with the individual to help get them through the current emergency and return their household to a state of financial equilibrium. Additionally, Binc provides access to mental health therapy and professional development scholarships to bookstore and comic shop employees and owners. Visit our website for details on available programs and ways you can support Binc: the Safety Net for the book and comics industry.