Pages of Promise was started in November 2003 by Kevin Geiken and Keegan Kautzky. The two Iowa State University students recognized the need for books in Africa and saw the excess of textbooks at their university. The solution seemed simple. After collecting a few hundred books from various donors, the first major collection was in the spring of 2004. The first campus drive collected just over 11,000 books with a resale value of approximately $280,000.
Pages of Promise was officially incorporated on October 26, 2004. The group is currently in the process of becoming a 501(c)3 organization. After being incorporated, Pages of Promise expanded to include Simpson College, St. Cloud State University, and the University of Northern Iowa.
