City of Richmond Public Library Foundation

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
541856348
IRS 990 coverage
2016–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025, Form 990-EZ 2014
Location
Richmond, VA, USA
Phone
8046465511
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Libraries

Reported finances

Revenue
$829,992
Expenses
$410,681
Assets
$2,383,531
Liabilities
$471,487

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

Leadership & pay

22 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • J DONTRESE BROWN (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • SUSAN REVERE (EXECUTIVE DI): $82,276 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 city of richmond public library foundation develops, administers, and allocates funds to provide the extra margin of excellence for the city's library system by enhancing existing public support for the library and its programs.

What it reported doing in 2025

Support of richmond public library with funding for programs, resources, and efforts that enable richmond public library to respond to the needs of the residents of the city of richmond and the surrounding environs. The work of the foundation is guided by the richmond public library strategic plan, which is developed by the library director with the library board of trustees. Foundation support is directed to the five strategic goals below, which demonstrate our dedication to providing critical resources to a vibrant and engaged richmond community. Goal 1: accessible libraries: increase access to library locations and ensure availability of information and resources to residents. Goal 2: children's literacy: provide services and programs that build and cultivate literacy and a love of reading. Goal 3: lifelong learning: expand our role as the only educational institution that serves the entire community from birth to 100+. Goal 4: organizational strength: ensure the library is positioned to anticipate and respond to the changing service needs of the community. Goal 5: uniquely richmond: civically engage and connect residents to information and resources to solve problems and discover richmond's past, present and future.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 87% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 100% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • 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 some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 59
  • Transparency & Controls: 94
  • Accountability: 84
  • Sustainability: 71
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 51.8%; rating input score 52
  • Program expense ratio: 88.7%; rating input score 89
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
    • 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: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 50.5%; rating input score 91; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 5.8; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.2; rating input score 25; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: Limited

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 26.3% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 15.4% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 12.2% per year; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 51.8% of revenue deployed · 88.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 21 of 21 board members independent · 5 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $364K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $82K · 22 people listed
  • Consistency: 21 of 21 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors and grants
  • Filing history: 10 filing years from 2016 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
  • Related organizations: 2 filed related-organization links
  • 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.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 52/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 25/100.