Before his days as a best-selling author of the “Alex Cross” series (Little, Brown and Company), James Patterson says that he wasn’t exactly an avid reader back in high school to School Library Journal over the phone. “I was class valedictorian, but I didn’t love reading.” In fact, it wasn’t until his early 20s, when he worked on the floor of a psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts during the night shift, that he discovered his love for reading—a love to which he credits his writing career.

Fast forward to Patterson today—who has had more New York Times best sellers than any other writer, according to Guinness World Records—and is a staunch advocate for books, literacy, and love of reading. Following on the heels of his giving away $1 million to independent bookstores last year, the author of “Middle School,” “I Funny,” “Maximum Ride,” “Witch & Wizard,” and the upcoming Public School Superhero (late March 2015, all Little, Brown and Company), Patterson announced that starting March 9, he will donate $1.25 million in grants to U.S. K−12 school libraries this year.

“We just keep looking for things where there is a need,” says Patterson regarding his latest effort in grant giveaways. “Unfortunately, with budget cuts, school libraries are the first thing to go.”

With the $1.25 million James Patterson Pledge to Libraries grant, Patterson has joined forces with Scholastic Reading Club to reach out to the club’s wide network of 62,000 schools and 800,000 teachers to administer grant applications. Plus, “Scholastic will match each [grant] dollar received with Bonus Points, which teachers can use to acquire books and other materials for their classrooms,” according to Scholastic’s press statement.

Patterson, who grew up in Newburgh, NY, and later moved to Lexington, MA, says he spent his school years without a school library, and he understands their significance, as well as his influence and ability, as a public figure, to help provide relief on some scale and draw attention to the problem. He also emphasizes how every individual possesses that ability, on some level.

“We can’t do much as individuals about global warming or the health care situation,” says Patterson, who says his donation is not affiliated with politics, “but we can really help literacy in our homes and locally. We can volunteer, we can give books to the school library. So, I’d like to shine a light on the problem.”

Starting March 9, nominations for school library funding may be submitted by anyone—teachers, librarians, administrators, or parents—on behalf of any U.S. school preK−12. The grant amounts range from $1,000 to $10,000 per school, and for those intimidated by the grant application process, it “couldn’t be simpler,” assures Patterson.

Applications must be made online at Scholastic’s James Patterson Pledge to Libraries official website. The bulk of the application is the response to the question, “What would your school library do with $1,000–$10,000?”—which must be answered in 300 words or less.

“You don’t have to go before the state board, nobody is grading this thing,” encourages Patterson about the application’s essay, “ and I think that imagination is useful but need is even more important.”

Patterson, who will be involved with the selection process, says that both he and Scholastic seek applications for all types of school library needs, from “repairs to a computer system” to a “school project focused on books and reading.”

Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis throughout the year.

“It’s hard to get people to step up sometimes,” says Patterson, who adds that he does it for the kids out there.