Redwood City Library Foundation

Name

Redwood City Library Foundation

Legal name

Redwood City Library Foundation

Website

https://rclfdn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Library Fundraising

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Library-Based Learning Programs (Public Libraries) (EDAAAFAA), Public Libraries & Information Services (BPAIACAO)

Keywords

• Nonprofit fundraising
• Public library support
• Community literacy programs
• Digital divide initiatives
• Summer learning programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The foundation solicits donations from individuals to support specific library services, improvements, collections, and programs. Donation tiers for the Summer Learning Challenge range from $50 to $5,000.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants/Sponsorships: RCLF partners with corporations and foundations (e.g., Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) as major donors and sponsors for library initiatives such as the Summer Learning Challenge and Teen Internships.
3. Event-Based Fundraising: The foundation hosts annual fundraising events including an Upscale Pub Crawl, Night at the Library: Spirits & More Spirits, and other community events. The Night at the Library event raised over $16,000 plus an additional $1,000 for Bridging the Digital Divide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Redwood City Library Foundation raises and administers charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations to fund Redwood City Public Library programs, collections, technology, and facilities. The foundation's funded initiatives include the Summer Learning Challenge (free books for K-12 students), Bridging the Digital Divide (computers, laptops, iPads, Wi-Fi hotspots), the Downtown Library Makerspace, Teen Internships, and an online tutoring subscription.

Product overview

Redwood City Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1998 that acts as the fundraising arm of Redwood City Public Library. Rather than offering a traditional product platform, the foundation funds and administers a portfolio of community programs and services: the Summer Learning Challenge (providing books and literacy support to 6,000+ students annually), the Bridging the Digital Divide initiative (supplying computers, laptops, iPads, and Wi-Fi hotspots), a Makerspace at Downtown Library (offering access to 3D printers, laser cutters, and fabrication equipment), Teen Internships (building career readiness), and a subscription to Brainfuse HelpNow (online tutoring service). The foundation's offering is structured as a collection of funded initiatives and programs rather than a unified product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Learning Challenge (SLC)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,000 books distributed to students in one summer through the Summer Learning Challenge
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Redwood City Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRCLF serves as the official fundraising arm of Redwood City Public Library, working with library leadership to identify the best use of donor gifts to enhance library services, improvements, collections, and programs. The foundation administers all gifts and ensures the effectiveness of funded programs.
• Local Redwood City Businesses (various)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple local Redwood City businesses support RCLF events such as the Pub Crawl and Night at the Library, providing venue and sponsorship support.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Friends of the Sacramento Public Library: A nonprofit support organization raising private funds for the Sacramento Public Library system through events, memberships, and donations. Closely comparable to RCLF in mission, structure, and mid-sized-city California context.
• Mountain View Library Foundation: A community foundation supporting Mountain View Public Library programs and collections. Operates in the immediate geographic vicinity of RCLF with a near-identical model of mobilizing private donations for a single municipal library system.
• San José Public Library Foundation: A nonprofit foundation dedicated to raising private support for the San José Public Library, funding literacy, technology access, and educational programming. Directly comparable to RCLF as a major Northern California municipal library foundation with similar program priorities.
• San Francisco Public Library Foundation: A 501(c)(3) fundraising arm for the San Francisco Public Library, raising private dollars to supplement public library funding for programs, collections, technology, and capital projects. Highly comparable in mission, operating model, and donor base to RCLF, though at a larger metropolitan scale.
• Palo Alto Library Foundation: A community-based foundation supporting the Palo Alto City Library through private philanthropy, capital campaigns, and program-specific fundraising. Directly comparable to RCLF as a fellow Bay Area municipal library foundation with a similar community-fundraising GTM.
• San Mateo County Libraries Foundation: A foundation supporting the San Mateo County Libraries system through private gifts, endowments, and program funding. Operates in the same Bay Area geography as RCLF and serves a comparable function as a fundraising arm for a public library network.
• Friends of the San Diego Public Library: A nonprofit support organization for the San Diego Public Library system that funds programs, materials, and services through individual giving, corporate sponsorships, and events. Closely parallels RCLF's structure as a community-rooted fundraising vehicle for a municipal library system.

Regional players

• Peninsula Library System: A cooperative library system serving San Mateo County libraries including member foundations and Friends groups. Adjacent to RCLF's service area; while it is a library cooperative rather than a foundation, it represents a regional ecosystem player supporting similar library fundraising infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• The New York Public Library Foundation: The major fundraising arm of the New York Public Library, conducting large-scale annual appeals, capital campaigns, and corporate partnerships. Provides a benchmark for what a mature, scaled library foundation can achieve relative to RCLF's community-scale operation.
• Library Foundation of Los Angeles: A larger, established nonprofit foundation supporting the Los Angeles Public Library with annual fundraising, capital campaigns, and major-gift programs. Represents a scaled-up analog of RCLF's model in a major metropolitan library system.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/FDTNRWC
• Facebookfacebook.com/RedwoodCityLibraryFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/redwood-city-library-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/rwclibraryfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Redwood City Library Foundation