The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 416029683
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2011–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Saint Paul, MN, USA
- Phone
- 6512223242
- Rating
- 76
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $4,428,250
- Expenses
- $3,760,865
- Assets
- $24,379,979
- Liabilities
- $554,983
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
44 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BETH BURNS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)
Highest reported compensation
- BETH BURNS (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR): $202,299 total reported compensation
- DIANA KONOPKA (SR. DIR. OF DEVELOPMENT): $131,391 total reported compensation
- LESLIE JOHNSON (SR. DIR. OF FINANCE & ADMIN): $118,947 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
As an independent, nonprofit organization, the friends invests locally in the library through fundraising, advocacy, and programming. Our vision is a dynamic library at the heart of every community.
What it reported doing in 2025
Fundraising. The friends invests annually in our library through fundraising, advocacy, and programming. We also function as the library's foundation, managing $18.5 million in endowment assets. In 2025, the friends sent $762,000 to support saint paul public library programs and $342,000 in capital grants for building renovations. About 25% of friends funding went to support library programs for children, youth, and families such as homework centers and the summer reading program. Because of the friends, the library can spark the joy of reading for kids, support students in their academic journeys, and transform children's areas within each library.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 69% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
- Distribution model
- Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 59% for direct work, and 41% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and program spending has declined or grown slowly.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 61
- Transparency & Controls: 83
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 67
- Growth: 60
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 64.1%; rating input score 64
- Program expense ratio: 71.2%; rating input score 71
- Fundraising efficiency: $5.75 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
- Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
- Compensation committee: Pass
- 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 75th 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: 9 of 9 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: Pass
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 15.1%; rating input score 66; 66th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 6.48; rating input score 84; 84th percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 12%; rating input score 28; 28th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: -8.1% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 0.1% per year; rating input score 100; 9th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 64.1% of revenue deployed · 71.2% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 41 of 41 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
- Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $2.7M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $202K · 44 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
- Consistency: 35 of 35 current checks pass
- Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
- Filing history: 15 filing years from 2011 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 4 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.
- 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 18/100.
- High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
- High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 28/100.