Sponsor Rainbow Reads: LGBTQIA+ Lending Library

Free LGBTQIA+ books for all ages, Pre-K to young adult, across Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

A book can be a mirror or a window. A mirror shows a young person that someone like them exists, made it, and got to be the hero of the story. A window lets a parent or a sibling see into a life they have not lived, so they can love someone more fully. In a state where LGBTQIA+ titles are quietly disappearing from shelves, we are keeping those mirrors and windows in reach.

Rainbow Reads is Louisville Youth Group's LGBTQIA+ lending library. Youth, parents, and caregivers can browse an affirming collection, check out books at no cost, and take home stories that reflect the full range of queer and trans lives. It is a low-pressure way for a curious kid or a searching parent to find the right words, together, without anyone having to explain why they are looking.

What Rainbow Reads offers

An LGBTQIA+ lending library for all ages, from picture books to young adult
Browse and check out titles for free, in person
A Rainbow Library toolkit with free resources for starting an affirming collection in your own school, church, or community space
Shipping options so youth in rural areas can access books even when they cannot make the trip

Why your sponsorship matters

A lending library runs on two things: books and the ability to get them into hands. Books get worn, borrowed, loved, and sometimes not returned, which is honestly a sign the program is working. Keeping the collection current means buying new titles every year, and getting them to a teenager three counties away means covering postage. Neither happens for free.

Your sponsorship stocks the shelves, funds the toolkits that help other communities build their own libraries, and keeps shipping available for the youth who need it most and can reach us least. In a climate where affirming books are being pulled from public shelves, a sponsored book is a small, stubborn act of access.

Sponsorship opportunities

Sponsorships can be fulfilled with a cash gift or an in-kind donation of new, affirming titles. Every level includes recognition as a supporter of youth literacy and belonging in our region.

Signature Library Sponsor, [amount]: lead recognition on this page and across LYG communications, plus [benefits]
Collection Sponsor, [amount]: [benefits]
Toolkit Sponsor, [amount]: underwrite Rainbow Library toolkits for other communities, plus [benefits]
Shipping Sponsor, [amount]: keep books moving to rural youth, plus [benefits]

Employee Resource Groups, faith communities, schools, small businesses, and individual donors are all welcome. We are glad to build a custom package that fits your team.

Ready to sponsor

Give directly through this page, or reach out to design a sponsorship that works for you. Contact Madelyn Spalding, Director of Development, at Madelyn.Spalding@louisvilleyouthgroup.org. To browse the collection, request the Rainbow Library toolkit, or ask about shipping, email programs@louisvilleyouthgroup.org or visit louisvilleyouthgroup.org.

Every young person deserves a story where someone like them gets a happy ending. Help us keep those stories on the shelf.

"Rainbow Reads" LGBT+ Lending LIbrary