Bozeman Library Friends and Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
810405940
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Bozeman, MT, USA
Phone
4065822400
Rating
72
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Reported finances

Revenue
$1,791,597
Expenses
$722,733
Assets
$9,587,698
Liabilities
$34,253

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • TOM STONECIPHER (President)
  • TOM WHYEL (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • JANAY JOHNSON (Executive Dir.): $164,200 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The foundation's mission is two-fold. We seek to increase and enhance the quality of services, programs, and community events offered by the bozeman public library, benefiting the residents and communities it serves. The foundation also supports and advocates for private and public support of the library, acting as a catalyst for attracting private funding from individuals, businesses, organizations, and foundations while working to reinforce overall public support for the library.

What it reported doing in 2025

Enrichment and Civic engagement - includes arts and culture, author series, health and wellness, civic discourse, and advocacy. Numbers served during 2025: 5,617

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 77% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and a relatively small share of total spending goes to programs.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 41
  • Transparency & Controls: 89
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 81
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 38.4%; rating input score 38
  • Program expense ratio: 51.3%; rating input score 51
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.81 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 59.7%; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 13.27; rating input score 93; 93rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 22.7%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.7% per year; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 8.1% per year; rating input score 100; 48th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 38.4% of revenue deployed · 51.3% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 11 of 11 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $370K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $164K · 12 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 31 of 31 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 38/100.
  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Program expense ratio scored 51/100.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 13/100.