It’s starting to look like James Patterson can’t give away his money fast enough.

Just two weeks after the bestselling writer announced that he planned to donate $1.25 million to school libraries, he has increased that total by $250,000.

Patterson had announced a plan to make grants of $1,000 to $10,000 that schools could use to repair or improve their libraries in any way. The children’s publisher Scholastic pledged to match his grants with bonus points for books from the Scholastic Reading Club.

More than 750 requests a day started pouring in. So now Patterson is raising his total grant to $1.5 million.

“I’m blown away by the number of parents and teachers who have shared the urgent needs of their community’s school library,” he said Monday. “It’s clear that our school libraries require critical help. I know we can’t solve the issues overnight, but I hope at the very least we’re able to raise awareness about the important position the school library plays in the educational achievement of children.”

Patterson’s grant program is modeled after a similar program he administered last year to give away $1 million to more than 175 independent bookstores.

This month, he told The Washington Post that he was determined to make the approval process as streamlined as possible for schools and their libraries. “Applicants just have to state what they would do with the money in 200-300 words,” he said. “What could be easier?”

Schools in the U.S. serving students from pre-K to 12th grade may apply online before May 31. All requests will be reviewed by Scholastic Reading Club staff members, and then a select group will be passed along to Patterson for his approval and payment.