The Seattle Public Library Foundation

What The Seattle Public Library Foundation does

The Seattle Public Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1980 in Seattle, Washington, that serves as the dedicated fundraising and advocacy arm of The Seattle Public Library. It channels private philanthropy — individual donations, foundation grants, planned gifts, and endowments — into collections, programs, and capital improvements that public funding alone cannot support. The Foundation funds roughly 1 in 3 new library items and more than 50 equity-focused programs annually, and disburses over $5 million per year in grants to the library system. Since inception it has raised more than $256 million in private gifts and, through advocacy, has helped secure more than $572 million in public funding over the last 20 years, including the 1998 Libraries for All bond measure ($196.4M) and the 2019 levy renewal ($219M).

The Foundation's program portfolio spans library collections, early literacy (Global Reading Challenge, Homework Help), workforce and immigrant services (English for Work with Hopelink, English Conversation Circles), cultural programming (Authors Series, Seattle Reads, Artist in Residence), and accessibility services (Sensory Kits, the Library Equal Access Program). It runs Books Unbanned, launched in April 2023 in partnership with Brooklyn Public Library to provide free nationwide e-book access to teens and young adults counteracting book censorship, with more than 15,900 cardholders across all 50 U.S. states and 440,000+ checkouts as of April 2025. It also founded the Library Support Network (LSN), the International Public Library Fundraising Conference (IPLF), and Library Giving Day — the latter now an international movement with nearly 600 participating libraries.

Revenue comes from approximately 8,000 individual donors annually across online, phone, mail, stock, vehicle (via CARS), Donor-Advised Fund, IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution, bequest, and endowment channels, supplemented by institutional grants such as the September 2025 Carnegie Corporation of New York award ($450,000) for English language learning expansion and a historical 2006 Wallace Foundation Excellence Award ($1.5 million). The Foundation employs 101-250 staff, holds a Four-Star Charity rating from Charity Navigator and a Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid/GuideStar, and is preparing for a 2026 Seattle Library Levy renewal.

Name

The Seattle Public Library Foundation

Legal name

The Seattle Public Library Foundation

Website

https://supportspl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Seattle Public Library Foundation is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises private funds and advocates for public funding to support The Seattle Public Library's collections, programs, and equity-focused services, distributing over $5 million annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Philanthropy

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Nonprofit fundraising
• Library philanthropy
• Public library support
• Charitable grantmaking
• Community education funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The Foundation receives contributions from approximately 8,000 donors annually. Donors can give online, by phone, by mail, via stock transfer, through Donor-Advised Funds, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, car donations (via CARS, with 80% of vehicle value remitted), or through endowment gifts.
2. Foundation Grants: The Foundation receives grants from private foundations. Notable example: a $450,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to expand English language learning programs. Grants are used to fund specific equity-focused programs at the library.
3. Planned Giving and Endowments: Donors can include the Foundation in estate plans (bequests), establish named endowment funds (starting at $50,000 for unrestricted, $100,000 for restricted, $250,000 for new purposes), or participate in the Annual Gift Forever program. Endowment payouts support library programs in perpetuity.
4. Advocacy for Public Funding: The Foundation advocates for public funding through city budget allocations and levy measures. Advocacy helped secure over $572 million in public dollars in the past 20 years, including the 2019 $219 million levy renewal and the 1998 $196.4 million Libraries for All bond measure.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Seattle Public Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises private funds from individuals, foundations, and corporations to supplement public funding for The Seattle Public Library. It provides more than $5 million annually in grants to the library to support collections, equity-focused programs, workforce development, early literacy, accessibility services, and capital improvements, and also advocates for public library funding through city budget and levy campaigns.

Product overview

The Seattle Public Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves as the fundraising arm for The Seattle Public Library. The Foundation supports library collections and materials (funding 1 in 3 new items), early literacy programs (Global Reading Challenge, Homework Help, Story Time), workforce development (English for Work, Library to Business), enrichment programs (Authors Series, Seattle Reads, Artist in Residence), and accessibility services (Sensory Kits, Library Equal Access Program). Key digital offerings include the Books Unbanned program providing nationwide e-book access to counter censorship, and the Foundation has spawned independent initiatives including the Library Support Network and International Public Library Fundraising Conference. The Foundation manages numerous endowment funds supporting children, collections, programs, staff development, and unrestricted purposes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Library Support Network (LSN): An independent nonprofit organization founded by the Foundation that connects and equips people responsible for raising money for public libraries across the US and Canada through professional development programs.
• International Public Library Fundraising Conference (IPLF Conference)
• Library Giving Day
• Books Unbanned
• Equity & Access Fund

Products and services

• Library Support Network (LSN) An independent nonprofit organization founded by the Foundation that connects and equips people responsible for raising money for public libraries across the U.S. and Canada through professional development programs, the IPLF Conference, Library Giving Day, and the LSN Community online platform.
• International Public Library Fundraising Conference (IPLF) The only annual conference dedicated exclusively to public library fundraising and development, convening colleagues from across North America since 2017.
• Library Giving Day An international day of giving in April, launched by the Foundation in 2019 and now coordinated through the Library Support Network with nearly 600 participating libraries using shared campaign tools and templates.
• Books Unbanned A digital access program providing young people ages 13–26 across the United States free access to The Seattle Public Library's e-book and e-audiobook collections (OverDrive, 900,000+ titles) to counter book censorship.
• Online Donation Portal (One-time and Monthly Giving) Online self-serve donation platform at give.supportspl.org enabling donors to make one-time gifts, set up monthly recurring gifts, and initiate stock transfers to support the library.
• Planned Giving and Endowment Program (Library Legacy Society) Planned giving and endowment program allowing donors to include the Foundation in estate plans (bequests) or establish named endowment funds with tiered minimums ($50,000 unrestricted; $100,000 restricted; $250,000 new purposes), plus Annual Gift Forever contributions that support library programs in perpetuity.
• Vehicle Donation Program (via CARS) Vehicle donation program operated in partnership with CARS (Charitable Adult Rides and Services), enabling donors to donate cars that are picked up free and auctioned, with 80% of the proceeds remitted to the Foundation.

Quantifiable outcome

• $5M+ grants to the library per year
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brooklyn Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023SPL joined Brooklyn Public Library's Books Unbanned initiative in April 2023 to offer teens and young adults ages 13–26 across the nation free digital access to e-books and e-audiobooks. The Foundation funds the e-card through its Equity & Access Fund. Boston, LA County, and San Diego subsequently joined the movement.
• Literacy SourcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongtime library partner on English Conversation Circles and adult education. Community Programs Manager Janet Arbogast is quoted as a key partner in expanding English language programs. The Foundation's Carnegie grant builds on Literacy Source's existing work.
• HopelinkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership bringing Hopelink's English for Work classes into Seattle city limits for the first time, hosted at the Rainier Beach Branch. The free six-week hybrid course covers workplace English and cultural skills. Hopelink provides an instructor; the library provides space and resources.
• Seattle Genealogical SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing free drop-in genealogy sessions at Ballard, Magnolia, and Northeast branches through March. SGS volunteers help patrons organize family trees, focus research, and access genealogical resources that complement SPL's Special Collections and genealogy librarians.
• LitiArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLitiArts curates lesson plans, leads book group conversations, and facilitates social-emotional learning activities for a tween book group at the Rainier Beach Branch, focused on titles for Black and Brown girls and non-binary youth.
• Friends of The Seattle Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDistinct nonprofit partner organization that promotes the library through advocacy and raises funds through book sales at the FriendShop in Central Library and the Georgetown location. The Foundation works closely with but is separate from Friends.
• CARS (Charitable Adult Rides and Services)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNonprofit vehicle donation processor that picks up donated cars free and sells them at auction, remitting 80% of the vehicle's value to the Foundation and retaining 20%. Provides an additional giving channel for vehicle owners.
• Library Support NetworkcoreOthersFounded by the Foundation in 2017 as an initiative to strengthen library fundraising and advocacy. Now an independent nonprofit that connects library fundraisers across the U.S. and Canada. Runs the International Public Library Fundraising Conference (IPLF), Library Giving Day (nearly 600 participating libraries), and the LSN Community online platform.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Way of King County: Large regional community foundation that pools workplace giving and grants to local nonprofits, including library-adjacent literacy and equity programs. Comparable as a broader community philanthropic vehicle operating in the same Seattle geography.

Direct peers

• San Francisco Public Library Foundation: Nonprofit foundation dedicated to raising private support for the San Francisco Public Library. Direct peer as a West Coast library foundation with similar funding priorities around equity, literacy, and programming above public funding levels.
• Library Foundation of Los Angeles: Private foundation that funds programs and collections for the Los Angeles Public Library. Directly comparable to the Seattle Public Library Foundation in mission, donor structure, and grantmaking to a major metropolitan library system.
• New York Public Library Foundation: The private 501(c)(3) fundraising arm for the New York Public Library, one of the largest library foundations in the U.S. Directly comparable as a private foundation raising endowment and annual gifts to supplement public library funding for collections, programs, and special initiatives.
• Boston Public Library Fund: Philanthropic foundation supporting the Boston Public Library with annual and capital campaigns. Direct peer as a city-based library fundraising foundation operating with comparable revenue model and program priorities.
• Brooklyn Public Library Foundation: Fundraising arm of Brooklyn Public Library and the originator of the Books Unbanned initiative that SPL joined. Direct peer and partner on shared national anti-censorship programming, making it a natural benchmark for cross-library philanthropic collaboration.
• Chicago Public Library Foundation: Independent nonprofit foundation supporting the Chicago Public Library system with annual giving, endowment, and program funding. Directly comparable as a city-level library foundation with a similar philanthropic model serving a major U.S. public library system.

Regional players

• San Diego Public Library Foundation: Foundation supporting the San Diego Public Library, which has also joined the Books Unbanned coalition. Comparable as a regional library foundation in a different metro market, useful for benchmarking fundraising productivity outside the Pacific Northwest.

Others

• Carnegie Corporation of New York: Major U.S. grantmaking foundation that awarded SPL Foundation a $450K grant in 2025 for English-language learning. Relevant as an institutional donor and peer in the broader foundation ecosystem, though its mission and scale are far larger.

Emerging players

• Friends of the Seattle Public Library: Distinct nonprofit that advocates for the library and raises funds through FriendShop book sales. Comparable as a sibling fundraising organization supporting the same library system via a different revenue model (volunteer-driven retail rather than major-gift philanthropy).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/supportspl
• Facebookfacebook.com/SupportSPL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seattle-public-library-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/support_spl

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Seattle Public Library Foundation