The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund announced this morning that the Gaiman Foundation, a nonprofit corporation established earlier this year by Neil Gaiman, has donated $60,000 for the organization's education program. The author, who recently retired after more than a decade on the CBLDF board of directors, was described as instrumental in establishing the group's educational initiatives.

“Part of the CBLDF’s purpose is educational,” Gaiman said in a statement, “and in dealing with the ongoing emergencies of arrested comics readers and comic store staff, corporate attacks on creators, rescuing people who had run afoul of law enforcement bodies who want to limit their freedom to read and the like, it was too easy for that part of the remit to come in last. From my perspective, educating readers, creators, retailers and publishers is the most important thing we can do, because it gives us long term change.”

According to the CBLDF, the Gaiman Foundation gift will help fund such initiatives as the Kids Right to Read Project and Banned Books Week, as well as new resources like the book Manga: Introduction, Challenges and Best Practices, and publications for parents and educators about using graphic novels.

The Gaiman Foundation was founded to "to grant gifts to selected charitable and educational organizations that have demonstrated dedication and excellence in their respective missions." Or, in the words of Gaiman's daughter Holly, who serves as administrator and secretary: “The Gaiman Foundation was founded in order to Do Good. The initial way it Does Good is by financially supporting organizations like the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund."