Madison Public Library Foundation Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
391777242
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Madison, WI, USA
Phone
6082666318
Rating
69
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Single Organization Support

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$5,556,917
Expenses
$1,914,447
Assets
$17,510,857
Liabilities
$40,501

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

Leadership & pay

24 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SALMAN TANYA (PRESIDENT (END 10/1/25))
  • HANNON JENNIFER (VICE PRESIDENT, PRESIDENT (START 10/1/25))
  • GERDS LIBBY (VICE PRESIDENT (START 10/1/25))
  • MORAN CONOR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

Highest reported compensation

  • MORAN CONOR (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $157,936 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

Mobilize the madison community to continuously improve, promote, and support madison public library. The vision is to equip madison public library with robust resources to deliver outstanding services, facilities, and programs that meet the madison community's needs.

What it reported doing in 2025

Grants and library programming: the foundation provides grants to fund library programs, services, collections, and capital facility improvements. It also produces and distributes quarterly newsletters, assists in developing library programs that the foundation helps to fund, and publicizes educational programs.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 80% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 63% 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 fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 46
  • Transparency & Controls: 79
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 85
  • Growth: 60

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 36.3%; rating input score 36
  • Program expense ratio: 64.5%; rating input score 64
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.74 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 44; 44th percentile among comparable filings

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: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 99.7%; rating input score 100; 46th 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; 63rd 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: 65.5%; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.15; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.2%; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -2.5% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 2% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 36.3% of revenue deployed · 64.5% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 24 of 24 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $1.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $158K · 24 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 32 of 32 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 4 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 3 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.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

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

  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 36/100.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 44/100.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 39/100.