Newberry Library

Legal name: The Newberry Library

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
362167814
IRS 990 coverage
2010–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Phone
(312) 943-9090
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Libraries

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$9,913,275
Expenses
$14,104,365
Assets
$116,067,478
Liabilities
$8,381,624

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

Leadership & pay

45 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Astrida Tantillo (PRESIDENT & LIBRARIAN)

Highest reported compensation

  • Astrida Tantillo (PRESIDENT & LIBRARIAN): $371,520 total reported compensation
  • Sharon Walton (VP, FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION (THRU 4/25)): $195,955 total reported compensation
  • Meredith Petrov (VP, DEVELOPMENT (THRU 01/2025)): $156,922 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The Newberry's collections, programs, and exhibitions have been free and open to all since 1887. Curious people from all over visit to research topics of interest, discover their family history, take classes, or learn something new and unexpected.

What it reported doing in 2024

Our dedicated librarians, curators, catalogers, and conservators serve readers, grow and care for the collection, and expand access to digital tools. Items purchased: 619. Items catalogued: 3,464. Items treated by conservation: 1,976. Items viewed or downloaded from digital collections: 1,540,041. Digital files/images created from Newberry collection items: 159,635. Individuals registered as Newberry readers: 5,148. Items requested for use in reading rooms: 13,069. 4,623 Unique readers made 9,828 visits to the reading room. Reference requests fielded by Newberry librarians and curators: 8,516. Exhibitions, public programs, and adult education classes are a first point of contact for many people who engage with our community. We offer in-person, virtual, and hybrid programming. Adult Education Seminars Participants: 1,642. Public Programs Attendees: 7,800. Exhibition Visitors: 28,149. Social Media Platform Followers: 66,000. In addition to more public-facing offerings, Newberry staff serve research fellows, teachers, graduate and undergraduate students, and other academics. Participants in Research Center programs: 1,140. Digital Collections for Classroom Site Users: 156,000. Professional Development Seminars Educator Attendees: 501. Long-Term Fellows in Residence: 17. Short-Term Fellows in Residence: 27. Attendees at Scholarly Seminars: 646.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 88% 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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. The filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 73
  • Accountability: 94
  • Sustainability: 39
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 65%; rating input score 65
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.2 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 23; 23rd 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: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Missing
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 0 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 0
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Fail
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Fail
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 97.4%; rating input score 97; 27th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • 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: -42.3%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.23; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.07; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 9.2%; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 23rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.3% per year; rating input score 100; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 3.3% per year; rating input score 100; 26th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 6 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 2 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 65% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 38 of 39 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $9.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $372K · 45 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.4M reported
  • Consistency: 45 of 45 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 9 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2010 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 — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 8 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 23/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 3/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 32/100.