After receiving a grant from the National Grid Foundation, Read to Succeed, a local summer-literacy and scholarship-incentive program, now has an extra $9,600 to put toward the future success of its participants.

Read to Succeed provides free books to students during summer vacations and $1,000 scholarships to those who read them and pass a comprehension test. Funds earned are then invested into accounts in the students’ names through the Rhode Island 529 CollegeBoundfund.

“We are grateful that National Grid recognizes the importance of Read to Succeed’s mission to encourage reading during the summer months and plant the seed early for college with the scholarship incentive that we provide,” said Barbara Papitto, president of the Papitto Foundation, which launched Read to Succeed. “ It really does speak to the merits of this program and the life-changing impact it has on students and their parents from our partner schools.”

Bob Keller, president of the National Grid Foundation, said his organization is thrilled to partner with the program. •