About Us
Our vision is for all to learn and for all to help build a community of
adults empowered through literacy.
The Nashville Adult Literacy Council (NALC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to teaching reading to U.S.-born adults and English skills to adult immigrants.
NALC offers an array of free educational services to adults:
- Start Now Program
- One-on-One Tutoring
- English Classes
- Citizenship Classes
- Computer Lab
- Reading Horizons
- Small Groups
In 2010, NALC served over 1,800 learners with the help of 600 volunteer tutors. Since going into operation in 1982, NALC has trained thousands of volunteers who, in turn, have taught thousands of adults to read and succeed.
NALC has received eight national awards and two regional awards for outstanding program, staff dedication and student achievement. In 2006, we were one of seven programs in the U.S. selected as a model of best practices for dealing with a waiting list. In 2009, we won the Salute to Excellence award for Innovation in Action from the Frist Foundation and our cherished volunteer, Robert Chandler, won the Mary Catherine Strobel award for volunteerism. However, it is the dedication of the volunteer tutors that provide the backbone of the program.
Affiliations
Partnerships
A big thank you to our community partners:
| Belmont University
Davidson County Sheriff’s Office Frist Center for the Visual Arts |
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
St. Luke’s Cumberland Presbyterian Church |



