In support of the continuous effort to bring more high-quality Jewish children's literature to families everywhere, PJ Library, the free Jewish book and family engagement program, is launching the Next Level Books Initiative. This investment earmarks $1.2 million over the next three years to support the creation of beautiful, meaningful, and beloved Jewish children's books by investing in publishers, authors, and illustrators.
The first component of this initiative is the “Next Level Books Fund,” designed to support independent publishers creating Jewish children’s books for ages 0–12 with up to $20,000 per project. The Fund is specifically intended to encourage independent presses to develop and publish compelling Jewish stories for young readers and families. This will, in turn, increase the number of outstanding Jewish stories that are available to the more than 650,000 PJ Library subscribers around the world.
“We understand and appreciate the financial investment and risk that independent publishers take when acquiring new titles — particularly projects that require higher art budgets, translation, enhanced design, or other specialized production elements,” says Alisa Koyrakh, Director of Books, PJ Library. “The Next Level Books Fund is intended to help offset those challenges and strengthen the development of beloved Jewish stories for young readers and their families.”
Publishers will be invited to apply for funding to support specific projects starting April 1. Applications may be submitted either pre-acquisition (with creator permission) or in the early stages of post-acquisition development. Projects can receive between $5,000 to $20,000. For 2026, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis within each submission window (April 1 to August 31 and September 1 to December 31). Publishers may submit only one project per submission window.
The goal is that funded titles appear in the PJ Library or PJ Our Way line-ups. Ultimately, PJ Library aims to support Jewish books that will be treasured by families for their well-crafted stories, exceptional art, and high-quality packaging.
PJ Library is particularly excited that the Next Level Books fund can support publishers with:
Securing a higher caliber illustrator than a small publisher could typically afford.
Enhancing the artistic quality, visual storytelling, and overall design of the book — including adding special elements (e.g., lift-the-flaps, pop-ups, and other interactive elements).
Developing Jewish-themed graphic novels for middle grade readers, including scriptwriting, storyboarding, and sequential art, and covering other production costs that often make graphic novels cost-prohibitive.
Translating Jewish children's books (including middle grade fiction and non-fiction) from their original language into English, and supporting rights acquisition, editing, and adaptation for an English-speaking audience, as well as general production costs for a translated work.
“In our recent triennial survey, 63% of responders shared that PJ books are ‘part of my family’s most treasured books.’ We want to ensure that our lineup continues to feature the very best Jewish children’s literature has to offer,” says Koyrakh. “At a time when writers and publishers interested in telling authentic Jewish stories are struggling to get these books into the world, our hope is that this fund provides a brighter path forward. We’re excited to continue working together with publishers to bring more meaningful Jewish children’s books to families."
Applications will open for publishers on April 1. Learn more about the fund on PJ Library’s website.
