Center for Research Libraries

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
362167788
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago, IL, USA
Phone
7739554545
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$8,848,692
Expenses
$7,824,014
Assets
$30,543,136
Liabilities
$8,519,842

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

23 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • GREGORY EOW (PRESIDENT - PAST)
  • JACOB NADAL (PRESIDENT - NEW)

Highest reported compensation

  • GREGORY EOW (PRESIDENT - PAST): $394,005 total reported compensation
  • ANDREA DUNTZ (SR. DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION): $208,350 total reported compensation
  • KEVIN MERRIMAN (DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL COLLECTIONS): $179,300 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

To foster and advance scholarly and scientific research through cost-effective, cooperative programs that provide reliable access through traditional and electronic means of collections and content of research library materials to support research and scholarships.

What it reported doing in 2024

Area materials projects (amps) - this program involves specific support for the area materials projects and other self-funded area studies projects undertaken by the center for partner organizations. Activities include identification and procurement of materials for preservation, microfilming and digitization as well as conversion and cataloging of those materials.conversion of materials - the center preserves unique and at-risk cultural and historical materials through microfilming and digital conversion. Materials are organized, analyzed, collated and shipped to and from service providers by the center and partner organizations. Film and digital copies are produced and distributed.collections storage and maintenance - the center maintains active and inactive collections consisting of an estimated five million volumes or equivalents in its repository facility. These collections are in paper, microform and electronic media. Activities associated with storage and physical maintenance of the center's film and paper collections include sorting, shelving, labeling, housing, binding conservation work. Also included are the costs of maintaining, monitoring and improving the portion of the building dedicated to collections storage, including climate control and other functions.licensing negotiations - the center identifies electronic databases and datasets of potential interest to member institutions; negotiates with their publisher and vendors terms for the subscription and purchase of those databases on behalf of the center members; and provides to appropriate personnel at member libraries information on the value, limitations, and terms of access for those electronic resources. In some instances, the center also invoices member libraries for their purchase/subscription to the electronic resources, and disburses funds due to the publishers/vendors.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 85% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
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.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 70
  • Transparency & Controls: 71
  • Accountability: 96
  • Sustainability: 60
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 70.4%; rating input score 70
  • Program expense ratio: 91.6%; rating input score 92
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 24th 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: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 11.6%; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 3.9; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.28; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 15.5%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -1.5% per year; rating input score 0; 10th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.5% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 7% per year; rating input score 100; 45th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 70.4% of revenue deployed · 91.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 15 of 16 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $7.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $394K · 23 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 1 contractor listed · $516K reported
  • Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 4 filed schedules · includes executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 7 filed money-flow records
  • 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.

  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 18/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 36/100.