The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation was incorporated in 1964 with Ezra as President and life-long friend, Martin Pope, as secretary. During the remainder of Ezra’s lifetime the foundation served as a vehicle for Ezra’s personal contributions. When Ezra died in 1983, his will directed that the royalties from his books be used by the Foundation for the support of programs helpful to humanity. It was at this time that Martin Pope became President of the foundation.

But Ezra’s instructions regarding the exact nature of his foundation were not specific. A much more detailed plan had to be developed in order for the Foundation to function, not only as a charitable institution, but also as the legal representative and guardian of Ezra’s books. Dr. Martin Pope, and his wife Dr. Lillie Pope had to create the working design of the Foundation. Martin and Lillie felt strongly that art and literacy programs in public institutions would be the best conduit through which children could be given support for their talents. Having grown up with Ezra, Martin also understood that Ezra would have wanted to extend to future generations of children the kind of help and encouragement that kept him going when he was a child.

Together, Martin and Lillie worked with Ezra’s publishers to maintain the high quality of production of his books. They designed and implemented programs that supported educators, parents and children in their efforts to spread literacy and love of learning. Toward this end they linked the work of the foundation with museums, music schools, traveling libraries in war torn areas, children’s theatre as well as with schools, libraries and universities.

During their tenure as directors of the activities of the foundation, Martin and Lillie invested their time and energy without financial remuneration. Now in its third decade of active existence the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation functions under the strict standards set by the government for not-for-profit foundations. It remains the primary goal of the EJK Foundation to spend Ezra’s royalties on programs benefiting children, not on administrative costs. We are proud to have maintained this directive.

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation is known for its pioneering support of bookmaking programs, portrait projects, book festivals, libraries, mural projects throughout all of the United States, as well as emerging authors and illustrators of children’s books. Below we have described a select number of the programs of which we are very proud.

1984

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation teamed up with UNICEF and US Books for Young Children (USBBY) to create an international annual award for illustration of children’s literature in keeping with the themes of Keats. In 1992 this award was part of a world wide broadcast celebration of UNICEF filmed in the Hague, Holland and hosted by Audrey Hepburn. Following this event the award was put on hold as UNICEF underwent a re-organization.

The Keatsmobile, a traveling children’s library in Jerusalem, brought books to Arab and Israeli children until hostilities made the activity too dangerous. This mobile library was created through an EJK Foundation grant to the Jerusalem Foundation. The Foundation currently supports the New Israel Foundation in their efforts to protect the civil rights of the disenfranchised population of Israel.

EJK Foundation developed and for ten years supported the International Book Week celebration held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. This program drew educators from across the country to hear featured speakers like Raoul Dahl, Leo Leonni, Eric Carle and Ashley Bryan.

1985

Hannah Nuba, librarian at the Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library, proposed to Dr. Lillie Pope the creation of an Ezra Jack Keats Children’s Book Award, as a collaboration between the Foundation and the New York Public Library. The award celebrates, each year, the best new author of a children’s book, chosen by an independent panel of scholars, librarians, teachers, authors and illustrators.

The first award was given in 1985 to Valerie Flournoy for her book The Patchwork Quilt. In 2001 the EJK/NYPL New Illustrators Award was added and the first winner was Bryan Collier for his book Uptown.

1992

The EJK Foundation commissioned and supported the creation of a bronze statue of Peter and his dog Willie to be placed in what was to become the Imagination Playground in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The statue was created by Otto Neals, an acclaimed Brooklyn sculptor and artist, and it serves as the location of the summer storytelling series also supported by the EJK Foundation. Tupper Thomas, the Executive Director of the Prospect Park Alliance, made the entire project a reality.