The last decade witnessed a decline in the level of reading literacy among Russian students according to the result of the PISA International study. World social changes of 2021 stipulate new approaches to functional literacy, require the modernization of both pedagogical activities and the development of a long-term educational strategy. International pedagogical experience demonstrates a significant role of non-profit literacy organizations that provide online resources for students and schoolteachers. The purpose of the study is to reveal specific features and functions of literacy organizations in the UK, the USA, and Australia. In this paper, the authors explore the possibility of subsequent implementation of relevant foreign experience in Russia to increase the level of students’ functional literacy. The study is based on the data obtained in foreign methodological and pedagogical sources. The leading approaches include systematic and comparative analysis, methods of definition and classification. The results of this study can be further used for the development of a non-profit literacy organization with the purpose of functional literacy improvement of school students in Russia. The materials of the article will be useful for researchers of foreign pedagogics, educators and schoolteachers, extra-curriculum courses developers.