Novelist and graphic novel writer Garth Stein (The Art of Racing in the Rain, Cloven, see "Fantagraphics Gets Stein-Southworth Graphic Novel Series") is leading a drive to recruit authors and comic creators to join him in donating to a pool of matching funds for The Book Industry Charitable Foundation’s Survive to Thrive campaign.  Survive to Thrive, seeded by a $500,000 donation from Ingram, $250,000 from Bookshop.Org, and $250,000 from Hachette, Harper Collins, Macmillan, and Penguin Random House is a grant program for booksellers and comic stores to help them get back on their feet after the pandemic (see "Million Dollar Donation Catalyze’s Binc’s ‘Survive to Thrive’").  Creators that donate by 5 p.m. on April 23 will be recognized as part of the matching gift:  the hoped-for $1 million in addition donations to bring the total program to $2 million.

Depending on fundraising, grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded by a juried process to up to 200 book and comic stores "…that have been able to adapt throughout the pandemic and have community-minded innovation plans going forward," the organization said.

Applications for retailers will be opened soon and reviews will take place in May, while the fundraising campaign continues.  Grants will be announced and awarded in early June.