What King County Library System Foundation does

King County Library System Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1991 and based in Issaquah, Washington, operating as the exclusive philanthropic fundraising and grant-making arm for the King County Library System (KCLS). It employs approximately 11 staff and is governed by a board of directors led by President Desirée Good and Executive Director Lisa Yamasaki. The foundation raises donations from individuals, corporate sponsors, and planned giving programs, then grants funds to KCLS to support programs in four categories: Lifelong Literacy and Learning, Accessibility and Inclusion, Community Outreach and Services, and Library Innovation.

The foundation's revenue model is multi-stream: individual donations (one-time and recurring), corporate sponsorships (event and program underwriting), planned giving through wills, trusts, and IRA beneficiary designations, and stock gifts. Annual granting reached $1.73 million to KCLS in a single year, with cumulative giving of $28 million+ since 1991. Fundraising is executed through signature events (Literary Lions Gala, Trivia Night for Libraries, Wine & Wills), the FreeWill online will-writing partnership, estate planning webinars co-hosted with Seattle Public Library Foundation, Leadership Giving Circles ($2,500+ annual gifts), and the Literary Legends Society for legacy donors. Marketing channels include email newsletters, social media, content campaigns such as Love Letters to Libraries, and event-driven donor engagement.

The foundation funds a portfolio of programs delivered through KCLS's 50 library branches, which collectively serve nearly 1.6 million residents across 2,300 square miles with 836,000+ active cardholders, 10 million annual visitors, and a 4.5 million-item collection. Funded programs include youth literacy and STEM (25,000+ students annually), services for people experiencing housing instability (21,000+ annually), the ideaX Makerspace at Bellevue Library, the Curiosity Collection at Issaquah Library, and the new Emerging Patron Technology pilot exploring AI applications for patron services. Major corporate sponsors include Microsoft, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Costco, OverDrive, Brainfuse, and Midwest Tape/hoopla. The foundation holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating and a Candid Gold Seal of Transparency.

Name

King County Library System Foundation

Legal name

King County Library System Foundation

Website

https://kclsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

King County Library System Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises and grants funds to support programs across the 50-branch KCLS system serving 1.6 million King County residents through donations, events, and planned giving.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Library Fundraising Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF), Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA)

Keywords

• Nonprofit fundraising
• Library foundation
• Planned giving programs
• Corporate sponsorships
• Donor relations

Headquarters

HQ city

Issaquah

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters, including monthly giving programs, to fund library programs and services.
2. Stock Gifts: Donors gift appreciated stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or ETFs, providing tax benefits while supporting the foundation's mission.
3. Planned Giving: Legacy giving through wills, trusts, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, IRA beneficiary designations, and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs). Members recognized through Literary Legends Society.
4. Corporate Sponsorships: Local businesses and corporations sponsor programs, events, and special collections. Sponsorship opportunities available for events like Trivia Night and Literary Lions Gala.
5. Special Event Fundraising: Revenue generated from signature events including the Literary Lions Gala and Trivia Night for Libraries.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The King County Library System Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises philanthropic funds from individuals, corporations, and estates through donations, stock gifts, planned giving, corporate sponsorships, and signature events. It then grants those funds to the King County Library System to support literacy, accessibility, community outreach, and innovation programs that public funding alone cannot support across 50 library locations.

Product overview

The King County Library System Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that functions as the primary philanthropic arm for the King County Library System (KCLS), one of the largest library systems in the country serving nearly 1.6 million people through 50 locations. Rather than offering a commercial product, the Foundation provides fundraising, grant-making, and donor engagement services to support KCLS programs and initiatives. The Foundation's core services include annual fundraising campaigns, planned giving programs, corporate sponsorship, and Leadership Giving Circles for major donors. The Foundation funds four main program categories: Lifelong Literacy & Learning programs (Raising A Reader, Summer Reading, Adult ELL), Accessibility & Inclusion initiatives (Author Voices Series, Older Adults Online, World Languages), Community Services & Outreach (Peers in Libraries, Welcoming Centers), and Library Innovation (Emerging Patron Technology including AI exploration, ideaX Makerspace, Vinyl Record Pilot). Signature fundraising events include the Literary Lions Gala, Trivia Night for Libraries, Wine & Wills educational events, and an Estate Planning Webinar Series. The Foundation also manages the Literary Legends Society for planned giving recognition and partners with FreeWill for online will writing. Key operational programs include the Library2Go Bookmobile mobile services and the Love Letters to Libraries community engagement campaign.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Literary Lions Gala
• Trivia Night for Libraries
• Estate Planning Webinar Series
• Wine & Wills
• Leadership Giving Circles
• Planned Giving Program
• Library Grants to KCLS
• FreeWill Online Will-Writing Partnership

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.73 million granted annually to KCLS for community programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

AI capability3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• FreeWillcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFreeWill provides a free online estate planning tool that enables donors to create legally valid wills in 20 minutes or less. The partnership allows donors to easily include a bequest to the KCLS Foundation, supporting legacy giving. FreeWill has helped over 550,000 people complete estate planning documents.
• Seattle Public Library FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to co-host estate planning webinars, providing free educational content about legacy giving and estate planning to community members in the Seattle/King County area.
• Thrift BooksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBook resale partner for the foundation. Donated rare books and large book estates are sold through Thrift Books, with proceeds supporting library programs.
• BrainfuseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the 2026 Literary Lions Gala.
• MicrosoftmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the 2026 Literary Lions Gala.
• OverDriveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the 2026 Literary Lions Gala.
• CostcominorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the 2026 Literary Lions Gala.
• Midwest Tape / hoopla digitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the 2026 Literary Lions Gala.
• City of IssaquahcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with KCLS Foundation in offering the Curiosity Collection at Issaquah Library, a Library of Things providing tools and equipment to patrons.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Charity Navigator: Other — independent charity evaluator that awarded KCLS Foundation its 4-star rating. Not a peer but a key ecosystem participant that influences donor confidence and access to high-net-worth philanthropic capital.
• American Library Association: Other — national professional association for libraries. Sets standards, advocates for library funding, and provides trend intelligence relevant to KCLS Foundation's strategic positioning and program design.

Emerging players

• FreeWill: Emerging player — a free online estate planning tool that has helped 550,000+ users write wills. Currently a KCLS Foundation partner for planned giving; provides enabling technology to library foundations broadly.

Broad incumbents

• New York Public Library: Broad incumbent — one of the largest and most established public library fundraising operations in the U.S. Operates a much larger endowment and donor base but serves as a benchmark for what scaled library philanthropy can look like.

Direct peers

• Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation: Direct peer — the foundation supporting Sno-Isle Libraries in Snohomish and Island counties. Comparable Pacific Northwest public library foundation with similar fundraising mechanics (events, planned giving, corporate sponsorships).
• Seattle Public Library Foundation: Direct peer — the dedicated fundraising nonprofit for the Seattle Public Library system, serving the same King County region. Already a co-marketing partner on estate planning webinars, with comparable mission, donor base, and program categories.
• Boston Public Library Foundation: Direct peer — fundraising nonprofit for the Boston Public Library, a major urban library system. Comparable structure with annual galas, leadership giving circles, and program-focused grantmaking.
• Chicago Public Library Foundation: Direct peer — dedicated foundation supporting Chicago Public Library, a large urban library system. Has a similar model of individual giving, corporate sponsorships, planned giving, and special events to fund literacy and innovation programs.
• Pierce County Library Foundation: Direct peer — the fundraising arm for the Pierce County Library System in Washington state. Operates the same nonprofit-foundation-for-public-library model with individual donations, planned giving, and signature events.

Regional players

• Multnomah County Library Foundation: Regional peer — independent nonprofit supporting Multnomah County Library in Portland, OR. Comparable urban Pacific Northwest library foundation serving a similar demographic, with overlapping donor constituencies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/king-county-library-system-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about King County Library System Foundation