The International Youth Library Foundation is a public trust organization founded under civil law. It was registered in 1995 by publisher Christa Spangenberg.
The Foundation’s aim is to promote education and scholarship. It supports individuals and institutions involved in circulating and communicating children’s and youth literature, including parents and teachers, helping to inspire and strengthen appreciation for the value of children’s and young adult books. Within the purview of scholarship, it promotes research in the area of international youth literature.
The Foundation’s goals are especially realized through the International Youth Library in Munich, whose operation took over in 1996.