Is it real?
Yes. Never revoked by the IRS. Latest filing on record: FY2024. IRS ruling in Jul 1987.
IRS Pub. 78 · IRS Auto-Revocation List · IRS Business Master File
Where the money goes
49 cents of each dollar spent went to programs.
Form 990 Part IX, line 25, columns B–D. Every line is in By the numbers.
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Who runs it and what they're paid
69 people listed on the 990; $210K paid to officers and key staff.
Brenda Langstraat Bui’s $220K as President & CEO is at the 87th percentile of top reported officer pay among 3394 $1–10M education nonprofits. Peer set: organizations in the same NTEE major field of work and revenue-size band, compared on each org’s own highest-paid officer/key-employee, from Form 990 Part VII / 990-PF Part VIII. Descriptive placement, not a verdict on whether the pay is appropriate.
Compensation history total reportable pay by year · 6 named individuals · Part VII
| Name | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brenda Langstraat Bui | $220,420 | $212,180 | $216,300 | $210,000 | — |
| Brenda Langstraat | — | — | — | — | $208,000 |
| Elizabeth Zachara Davis | $140,850 | $128,500 | — | — | — |
| Katherine Nardin | $129,130 | $117,830 | $108,150 | — | — |
| Elizabeth Davis | — | — | $117,833 | — | — |
| Audrey Peiper | $106,760 | $103,754 | — | — | — |
Total reportable compensation (Form 990 Part VII column D / Schedule J column E) by filing year, matched by name within this organization. The Schedule J base / bonus / deferred breakdown is not parsed into this dataset.
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Questions the 990 asks
The form asks each of these directly. These are the filed answers.
- Family or business ties among officersPt VI · Ln 2No
- Top official's pay set by an independent reviewPt VI · Ln 15aYes
Programs and updates
Funds resources, digital literacy programs, and technology access to enhance Chicago's public libraries and bridge the digital divide for community members.
Questions for Chicago Public Library Foundation
Your first name shows with your question. Chicago Public Library Foundation answers here, for everyone.
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Chicago's world-renowned arts and culture sector fuels tremendous creative, economic, and innovative growth. But access to big ideas and top talent is often far out of reach for lower-income members of our community. As a result, many chicagoans are shut out from the marketplace of creativity and the holistic benefits of the arts.
Too many chicago children are born into circumstances that limit how far they will go in life. Whether that's the neighborhood they grow in, the schools they have access to, the resources their parents haveeven the quality of the airour city has long been divided to the detriment of not just individuals, but of our collective prosperity…
According to the pew research center, more than 40% of lower-income households don't have home broadband services or a traditional computer. Many of these adults and older adults also lack the skills they need to navigate our increasingly digital world effectively and safely.
Funders
Who pays for it.
From grant filings on record. Receipts are incomplete: individual donors are never listed.
Grants
By the numbers
The FY2021 990, line by line.
Download 990
| Line | Start FY21 | End FY21 |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and savingsLn 1–2 | $3.6M | $5.2M |
| InvestmentsLn 11–13 | $30.8M | $33.3M |
| Land, buildings, equipmentLn 10c | $0 | $0 |
| Total assetsLn 16 | $35.2M | $39.2M |
| LiabilitiesLn 26 | $157K | $190K |
| Net assetsLn 32 | $35.0M | $39.0M |
| Line | Total | Programs | Management | Fundraising |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay of current officers, directors and key staffLn 5 | $253K | $127K | $126K | |
| Other salaries and wagesLn 7 | $729K | $234K | $494K | |
| Pension plan contributionsLn 8 | $71K | $22K | $49K | |
| Other employee benefitsLn 9 | $69K | $23K | $46K | |
| Payroll taxesLn 10 | $56K | $21K | $35K | |
| Legal feesLn 11b | $3K | $3K | ||
| Accounting feesLn 11c | $46K | $46K | ||
| Other fees for servicesLn 11g | $303K | $246K | $52K | $4K |
| Advertising and promotionLn 12 | $196K | $62K | $135K | |
| Office expensesLn 13 | $26K | $19K | $5K | $3K |
| Information technologyLn 14 | $198K | $78K | $43K | $78K |
| OccupancyLn 16 | $123K | $25K | $35K | $62K |
| TravelLn 17 | $60K | $44K | $3K | $12K |
| Conferences, conventions and meetingsLn 19 | $13K | $8K | $2K | $3K |
| InsuranceLn 23 | $10K | $7K | $3K | |
| Other expenses (24a–d)Ln 24 | $1.1M | $1.1M | $759 | |
| All other expensesLn 24e | $148K | $104K | $24K | $19K |
| Total functional expensesLn 25 | $3.4M | $1.6M | $647K | $1.1M |
Filing history
| Year | Money in | Money out | In minus out | Net assets | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 Latest | $4.6M | $5.9M | −$1.4M | $38.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2023 | $7.0M | $5.5M | $1.5M | $38.5M | 990 PDF |
| FY2022 | $4.4M | $4.1M | $346K | $33.3M | 990 PDF |
| FY2021 Viewing | $5.6M | $3.4M | $2.2M | $39.0M | 990 PDF |
| FY2020 | $4.3M | $3.5M | $825K | $35.0M | 990 PDF |
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Schedules filed Part IV
See the full FY2021 990 (6 parts)
Part I · Summary $5,601,419 revenue, 12 lines filed
Part VI · Governance 68 of 69 board members independent, no flags
Part VIII · Statement of revenue $5,601,419 across 8 lines filed
Part IX · Statement of functional expenses $3,367,549 across 17 lines filed
Part X · Balance sheet $39,161,773 assets, 16 lines filed
Part XI · Reconciliation of net assets $38,971,535 net assets at year end
Form 990 e-file (XML) FY2021 from the IRS · Classification, formation year and address from the IRS Business Master File
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