Bentonville Library Foundation

What Bentonville Library Foundation does

Bentonville Library Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 2003 to raise and steward charitable support for the Bentonville Public Library in Bentonville, Arkansas. The Foundation operates from a single site at 405 S Main St and maintains a small staff of 1–10 employees. Its mission centers on enabling library programming, capital projects, and community programming beyond what municipal funding supports, drawing on a donor base that includes individuals, corporate sponsors, and Northwest Arkansas philanthropic families with a documented historical connection to the Walton family.

The Foundation offers multiple giving mechanisms to accommodate different donor preferences, including online giving, stock transfers, donor-advised funds, and corporate matching programs. It has formalized donor stewardship through four tiered giving societies — Next Chapter, Mary Baggett Loyalist, Flynt Family Legacy, and Douglas Honor — which provide structured recognition pathways for recurring and major donors. Leadership is provided by Executive Director Kelly McLintock, CFRE, with Howard Kerr serving as Board President and Elaine Kerr as a board member.

In 2023 the Foundation supported a 41% expansion of the library's physical footprint, followed by a new addition opened in 2024 that introduced a makerspace and digital creation lab, extending programmatic offerings beyond traditional library services. The Foundation's underlying operating model is a community-foundation structure: contributions are solicited, recognized via giving societies, and deployed toward library operations and capital projects, with no product pricing or commercial revenue stream. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology platforms, or external technology partnerships are disclosed.

Name

Bentonville Library Foundation

Legal name

Bentonville Library Foundation

Website

https://bentonvillelibraryfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bentonville Library Foundation is a nonprofit that raises and manages charitable support for the Bentonville Public Library in Bentonville, Arkansas. It offers online giving, stock transfers, donor-advised funds, and corporate matching, and stewards donors through four tiered giving societies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Library Philanthropy / Nonprofit Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

Keywords

• Charitable fundraising
• Library philanthropy
• Donor advised funds
• Corporate matching gifts
• Nonprofit foundations

Headquarters

HQ city

Bentonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Bentonville Library Foundation is a nonprofit foundation that raises charitable contributions from individuals and corporations to fund the Bentonville Public Library's resources, programs, classes, and facility improvements. It operates multiple giving channels including online donations, stock transfers, donor advised funds, corporate matching, and four named giving societies that recognize donors at different contribution levels and via planned giving.

Product overview

Bentonville Library Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides philanthropic support to the Bentonville Public Library. The Foundation offers a portfolio of giving mechanisms and recognition programs including an Online Giving Form for direct donations, Stock Transfer services for appreciated securities, Donor Advised Funds, and Corporate Matching programs. The Foundation operates four Giving Societies: The Next Chapter Giving Society (for annual supporters connected to the historic Massey Hotel Building legacy), The Mary Baggett Loyalist Society (recognizing consecutive-year donors), The Douglas Honor Society (for $501.99-$999.99 annual gifts), and The Flynt Family Legacy Society (for planned/bequest gifts). These programs collectively support the Foundation's mission of investing in library resources, programs, and classes that transform lives and create lifelong learning opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Next Chapter Giving Society: A giving society recognizing donors who support the library's future through planned gifts such as wills, living trusts, or retirement plan beneficiaries.
• The Mary Baggett Loyalist Society
• The Flynt Family Legacy Society
• The Douglas Honor Society

Products and services

• Online Giving Form Digital donation platform enabling individuals and supporters to make charitable contributions directly to support the Bentonville Library Foundation's mission of investing in library resources, programs, and classes.
• Stock Transfer Giving
• Donor Advised Funds
• Corporate Matching Gifts Program
• The Next Chapter Giving Society
• The Mary Baggett Loyalist Society
• The Douglas Honor Society
• The Flynt Family Legacy Society
• Corporate Sponsorship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 41% building expansion completed in 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Corporate SponsorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal businesses and organizations that provide financial support as corporate sponsors, helping fund library programs and amenities while gaining community visibility.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Foundation: Philanthropic foundation supporting the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's programs and collections. Direct peer in single-city public library support, with overlapping donor-recognition societies and similar legacy-giving infrastructure.
• Nashville Public Library Foundation: Raises philanthropic support for the Nashville Public Library through annual giving, planned giving, and corporate sponsorships. Direct peer: same structure of a dedicated nonprofit foundation serving one city library system with multi-channel giving programs.
• Indianapolis Public Library Foundation: A nonprofit foundation that raises and manages charitable support specifically for the Indianapolis Public Library. Direct comparison: same single-municipal-library support model, similar reliance on individual donors, corporate matching, and giving societies to fund programs and capital needs that exceed the public library budget.
• Boston Public Library Fund: Fundraising arm for the Boston Public Library, supporting exhibitions, programs, and collections. Direct peer in mission and structure, though larger in scale and urban reach than Bentonville.
• Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library: Nonprofit that supports the Saint Paul Public Library through fundraising, advocacy, and volunteer programming. Direct peer: comparable community-based fundraising model for a single municipal library system.
• Friends of the Hennepin County Library: A nonprofit support organization for the Hennepin County (Minneapolis) library system that runs used-book stores and fundraising events. Direct peer: comparable role in fundraising and community engagement for a public library system, though somewhat larger geography.
• Seattle Public Library Foundation: Foundation that raises private funds for the Seattle Public Library to support programs, collections, and capital needs beyond what public funding covers. Direct peer with similar giving mechanisms (online, stock, planned giving, corporate matching) and similar mission of supporting lifelong learning and community programming.
• Library Foundation of Los Angeles: Raises funds for the Los Angeles Public Library to support literacy programs and capital projects. Direct peer in mission and giving-program structure, though significantly larger scale; useful benchmark for programming breadth and corporate-sponsorship sophistication.
• Salt Lake City Public Library Foundation: A 501(c)(3) foundation that solicits and manages private donations to support the Salt Lake City Public Library. Direct peer with the same single-city-library support mandate, online/stock/DAF donation mechanisms, and community-program funding model.

Broad incumbents

• The New York Public Library (Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations): The philanthropic arm of NYPL — by far the largest public-library fundraising organization in the US. Broad incumbent peer: same mission (private fundraising to supplement public library funding) but operates at a national scale with corporate, foundation, and individual-donor programs well beyond Bentonville's footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bentonville-public-library

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Bentonville Library Foundation