Carmel Clay Public Library Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
351787253
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-T 2025
Location
Carmel, IN, USA
Phone
3178143905
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$526,887
Expenses
$445,751
Assets
$2,621,264
Liabilities
$4,818

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

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SHERRY MCVEY (PRESIDENT)
  • JANE HERNDON (VICE PRESIDENT)
  • PAT RODKEY (GUILD PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • ELIZABETH HAMILTON (FOUNDATION DIRECTOR): $135,895 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

To support and sustain the long-term excellence of the carmel clay public library by funding programs, services, and resources that enhance learning, access, and community engagement beyond basic public funding.

What it reported doing in 2025

The foundation raises and distributes funds to support library programs, educational initiatives, and community services that are not fully funded through public tax revenues, ensuring continued innovation and excellence at the carmel clay public library.the carmel clay public library foundation supports nearly 2,000 free programs offered annually by the library by raising funds through direct mail campaigns and by supporting three affiliated volunteer organizations.the friends of the library serves as the foundation's retail arm, operating the friends bookstore, hosting two annual book sales, and managing online sales through amazon. All materials are donated by the community or withdrawn from the library's collection.two additional volunteer groups support the foundation's fundraising events. The young professionals group organizes the annual library after dark event each spring, while the guild presents the guilded leaf author event series each fall.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 63% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 41% for direct work, and 59% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 63
  • Transparency & Controls: 89
  • Accountability: 71
  • Sustainability: 66
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 66.1%; rating input score 66
  • Program expense ratio: 73.9%; rating input score 74
  • Fundraising efficiency: $4.63 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 97.9%; rating input score 98; 49th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 95%; rating input score 95; 28th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 15.4%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.88; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 30.5%; rating input score 7; 7th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 4.3% per year; rating input score 100; 33rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 15.6% per year; rating input score 100; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 66.1% of revenue deployed · 73.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 19 of 20 board members independent · 3 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $330K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $136K · 20 people listed
  • Consistency: 25 of 26 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2011 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 1 filed related-organization link
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 4 of 7 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 14/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 7/100.