Libraries Without Borders
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 680666319
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2024
- Forms available
- Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2012, Form 990-PF 2020, Form 990-N 2011
- Location
- New York, NY, USA
- Phone
- 9294666732
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Nonmonetary Support N.E.C.
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $1,160,237
- Expenses
- $983,647
- Assets
- $1,172,809
- Liabilities
- $75,883
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
18 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- NINA SAFANE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- NINA SAFANE (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $133,462 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 expand access to essential information, educational opportunities, and critical resources to build stronger, more inclusive communities.
What it reported doing in 2024
Library outreach - Connecticut state library: in 2024, lwb collaborated with the Connecticut state library to host a series of workshops on the topic of reimagining library outreach and access. This included twelve total sessions covering ten different topics over the course of nine months. The trainings provided library staff from around the state with strategies, tools, and frameworks to expand their reach and impact within their own communities. Using their own library and local data, participants had the opportunity to evaluate barriers to access within their communities and reimagine their outreach strategy utilizing their existing assets. Fayette county public library: in 2024, lwb partnered with fayette county public library to conduct local and national research on best practices to expand the effectiveness of their bookmobile and explore options to implement courier services. School-library partnerships: in 2024, lwb launched a national initiative, collaborating with public libraries and school districts across the u. S. To expand library usage for underserved youth and families. In each partnership, lwb is working directly with local libraries and schools to identify specific barriers preventing students and families from using library resources.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 89% 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.
The verdict
STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 76
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 95
- Sustainability: 56
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 72.4%; rating input score 72
- Program expense ratio: 84.7%; rating input score 85
- Fundraising efficiency: $27.85 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings
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: Limited
- Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 7 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 88
- Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
- Whistleblower policy: Pass
- Document-retention policy: Pass
- CEO compensation review process: Fail
- 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: 15.2%; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.19; rating input score 48; 48th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.06; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 13.6%; rating input score 26; 26th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 58th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 13.5% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 17.8% per year; rating input score 100; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 72.4% of revenue deployed · 84.7% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 15 of 15 board members independent · 7 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 5 filed program accomplishments · $834K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $133K · 18 people listed
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 6 filing years from 2013 to 2024
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 2 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.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: CEO compensation review process not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 48/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 26/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 49/100.