Binc Announces New Match, Stretch Goals for Year-End Fundraising Campaign

Thanks to a matching gift challenge of $15,000 from Ingram Content Group and the generosity of the book and comics industries, the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation has met the first goals in its year-end fundraising campaign in record time.

Supported by a group of authors, Binc is launching a new matching campaign and a stretch goal of an additional $20,000, for a new total campaign goal of $80,000 by December 31.

Michael Loynd, author of All Things Irish and the upcoming The Watermen (Random House/Ballantine, 2021); Leigh Bardugo, bestselling author and creator of the Grishaverse (coming soon to Netflix); Tom Watson, author of the Stick Dog series; and Chris Bohjalian, bestselling author of The Flight Attendant (streaming now on HBO Max) and Hour of the Witch (arriving in April from Doubleday Books) have joined together to offer a match of up to $10,000 to kick off the second phase of Binc’s year-end campaign.

“Thank you to Michael, Leigh, Tom, and Chris for coming together to lead this new matching campaign,” said Binc Executive Director Pamela French. “We know the pandemic has put pressure on many people, and we don’t make this ask lightly. Making a gift will strengthen the book and comic industry’s safety net and help us continue navigating this challenging time. Gifts of all amounts are valued and important, and we thank everyone who has given so far. Thank you.”

“Independent bookstores are the heart of our industry and the Binc Foundation is a great way to show our appreciation and ensure they are supported through these tough times,” said Loynd.

“Bookstores are places of refuge, battle stations, cathedrals. I don’t want to lose them and I want to make sure that the people who make those places thrive are able to thrive, too. I’m so grateful to Binc for providing tangible ways to support our booksellers and bookshop owners,” said Bardugo.

Watson said, “Authors and booksellers are more than business partners. We’re family. And we look out for each other whenever we can.”

“This has been the Year that Satan Spawned and stories have helped keep us sane. If we ever needed proof of how desperately the soul needs books and we need bookstores, it was the pandemic of 2020. That’s why I support Binc,” said Bohjalian.

Since the onset of the pandemic, Binc has provided life-sustaining financial assistance to more than 600 bookseller and comic retailer families and has not had to turn away anyone who qualified for assistance. The Foundation has helped bookstore owners, booksellers, comic shop owners, and comic retailers manage a range of emergencies, from unexpected medical and dental bills to finding shelter from the wildfires raging out West and recovering from natural disasters around the country.

This new goal will position Binc to help an increasing number of booksellers and comic retailers. The Foundation currently receives an average of five to seven inquiries a week from booksellers and comic retailers, and we expect those numbers will increase as the pandemic continues into 2021. In the first 10 months of 2020, Binc has helped more than 600 bookseller/comics retailer families, distributing more than $700,000. In the first 10 months of 2019, 88 families received grants totaling approximately $200,000.

Donate to Binc's year-end campaign here or call Binc Director of Development Kathy Bartson, at (734) 471-0201.

Booksellers in need of assistance are encouraged to take a look at the assistance page on the Binc website and to contact Binc directly at [email protected] or (866) 733-9064.