More than twenty years ago, a handful of caring book lovers from Borders Group created a non-profit foundation to support one another during times of financial hardship. Since then, the Binc Foundation has grown to help all booksellers across the nation. The Foundation works to keep booksellers like you in your home, in your job, and with your family by providing emergency grants—stabilizing and supporting the entire bookselling community. While we hope that you never need an emergency grant from us, unexpected emergencies and natural disasters can happen to anyone, and then we’ll be here to support you, your bookstore, and your coworkers.
Binc serves booksellers, which means we work with mind, body, spirit bookstores; comic book shops; antiquarian bookstores; used bookstores; newly open indie bookshops; and indies that have been in their communities for decades. We are proud to be a part of this amazing community of people and are glad to be working with our new friends at COVR.
A story can illustrate the work we do better than all the numbers in the world can. Here’s an example of a time when a bookseller needed a little help, and Binc stepped in.
Everyone deserves a safe, affordable place to live, but when a landlord decided to sell, and a bookseller was faced with potential homelessness, they turned to Binc. It was proving impossible to come up with the necessary cash to move. They needed a security deposit, two month’s rent, and utility deposit. Binc helped this bookseller by covering much of the necessary funds required to move in to a new place. Paying the utility and security deposits and two month’s rent allowed this bookseller to avoid homelessness. We know that a few months’ rent can be the difference between a safe, affordable place to live and having nowhere to go. After receiving their grant and finding a new place to live, this bookseller wrote to Binc saying, “Thank you so much! This is amazing and life-changing!”
And that’s exactly what we do. Since our inception Binc has granted over $6.6 million to support more than 7,476 individuals and their families. And our help is always confidential and compassionate. There are no judgments here. Our goal is to provide assistance to every qualifying bookseller in need in the country. And the first step in that mission is letting booksellers like you know that we are here for you when you need us.
The Foundation was imagined and built by booksellers and proudly continues to be their safety net. It is our vision to be a caring community of book people. We hope you’ll “Think Binc” when you want to help fellow booksellers or if you know of a bookseller in need of a little help.
Do you know a bookseller who has hit a rough patch, has a medical bill hanging over their head they are having trouble paying off, needs dental work but can’t afford it, or is worried about scraping together next month’s rent? Has a pipe burst in your store or a natural disaster hit your community? Sometimes people don’t apply for grants because they think someone else needs it more or that their circumstances won’t qualify. There’s no catch or strings attached. As long as your store earns the majority of its income from the sale of books, we’re here to remind you that Binc is here for YOU and your colleagues all. If you’re not sure if your situation qualifies, but could use a little help, call us today. Our assistance is always confidential and compassionate. 1-866-733-9064. Prefer to send an email? help@bincfoundation.org.
Want to learn more about the work we do? Visit us at https://www.bincfoundation.org/, find us Facebook, and Instagram or get in touch info@bincfoundation.org.