TRUSTEES OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF THE CITY OF BOSTON Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

TRUSTEES OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF THE CITY OF BOSTON

EIN 04-6151731 · Education (B110)

What they do

The Boston Public Library Provides Educational and Cultural Enrichment Free to All By Engaging The Public Through Programming and Active Spaces, Restoring and Preserving Our History, Providing Access to Borrow From Our Vast Collection of Books and Electronic Databases and Other Materials and Caring for The Publics Special Collections.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $82.10 was reported for mission work. Use the spending picture below and ask what results that work produced.

Plain answer: A tax form cannot prove that a charity is doing good. It can show how the charity says it spent its money—and point out questions you should ask.

Basic facts we verified

IRS warning checkNo IRS revocation warning appears in this data.

Money report from 2024The charity has a recent tax report to read.

They explain their jobThe charity tells us what it is trying to do.

They name their leaders23 people are listed in the latest report.

You can reach themThey list contact information, so you can ask questions.

Money made simple

74.59%of revenue went to mission work82.1% of expenses · Program services

$90.83spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

16.24%of revenue went to management and office costs17.9% of expenses

$5.82in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

61.6%of its money came from giftsOther money may come from services or investments.

Ask these three easy questions

Who did you help? Ask for a recent story or report that shows real results.
What will my money do? Ask exactly what your gift will pay for.
Is this really the charity? Give only through its official website or confirmed phone number.

Pay context: The highest compensation shown in this filing is $43,297 for PRISCILLA FOLEY (NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY SERVICES MANAGER). Compare pay with organizations of similar size and complexity.

Bottom line: Do not decide from a name, mission statement, or tax status alone. Look at where the money went, then ask what changed, who was helped, and what your gift will do. YouCanGiveBack does not endorse or grade organizations.

Money

Financial picture

Tax year 2024

A plain-language look at the latest Form 990 figures available. These numbers help you ask better questions; they do not, by themselves, rate whether a charity is good or bad.

$100revenue

How each $100 of revenue was used

The large number compares each expense with revenue. The smaller number shows its share of total expenses.

Total reported revenue$19,413,992

Mission workProgram services$14,480,51074.59% of revenue82.1% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$3,152,82216.24% of revenue17.9% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations0.00% of revenue0.0% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$1,780,6609.17% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$17,633,33290.83% of revenue

Gray means reported revenue left after expenses for this filing year. It does not necessarily mean cash sitting in a bank account.

Has the pattern changed?

Colored bars = expense mix: how each year’s expenses were divided. Total expenses vs. revenue shows whether the charity spent less or more than it received. The current filing is first.

YearExpense mixDetails

2024CurrentExpense mix: 82.1% mission · 17.9% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 90.83% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 79.2% mission · 20.8% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.37% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 79.3% mission · 20.7% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 101.32% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 84.9% mission · 15.1% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.56% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 85.1% mission · 14.9% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 60.42% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 74.7% mission · 25.3% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 94.42% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 71.8% mission · 28.2% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 84.53% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 75.1% mission · 24.9% management · 0.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 61.77% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$19,413,992

Expenses$17,633,332

Annual surplus $1,780,660 Revenue was higher than expenses for this filing year.

Reported spending amounts

Mission work means the Form 990 category called program services. These are reported accounting categories—not an independent measurement of results.

Mission work (program services)$14,480,510 · 82.1% of expenses

Management and office costs$3,152,822 · 17.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$19,413,992

Expenses$17,633,332

Assets$102,570,902

Income$32,500,704

Contributions$11,964,147

Mission work (program services)$14,480,510

Management and general$3,152,822

Stocks and bonds$64,789,936

Accounting fees$37,000

Investing fees$289,765

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

Names, titles, time, and compensation below are reported by the organization on its Form 990.

People reported as paid

Person and titleCompensation

PRISCILLA FOLEYNEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY SERVICES MANAGER · 35 hrs/week $43,297Base · Other $43,297

KEITH ALLEN GILLETTECHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER · 35 hrs/week $42,257Base · Other $42,257

EMILY TOKARCZYKCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO) (EFFECTIVE JULY 2023 · 35 hrs/week $41,229Base · Other $41,229

DAVID J LEONARDPRESIDENT · 35 hrs/week $32,027Base · Other $32,027

MICHAEL R COLFORDDIRECTOR OF LIBRARY SERVICES · 35 hrs/week $27,001Base · Other $27,001

ELIZABETH PRINDLEDIRECTOR OF RESEARCH & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (EFFECT · 35 hrs/week $26,304Base $10,783 · Other $15,521

SARAH ZAPHIRISCHIEF OF STAFF & ADMINISTRATION(EFFECTIVE JUNE 202 · 35 hrs/week $16,887Base · Other $16,887

PAMELA CARVERCLERK & EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT · 35 hrs/week $11,396Base · Other $11,396

Compensation alone does not tell whether pay is reasonable. Consider the charity’s size, work, location, and results.

See everyone listed on the board or leadership roster (23)

PRISCILLA FOLEYNEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY SERVICES MANAGER

KEITH ALLEN GILLETTECHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

EMILY TOKARCZYKCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER (CFO) (EFFECTIVE JULY 2023

DAVID J LEONARDPRESIDENT

MICHAEL R COLFORDDIRECTOR OF LIBRARY SERVICES

ELIZABETH PRINDLEDIRECTOR OF RESEARCH & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (EFFECT

SARAH ZAPHIRISCHIEF OF STAFF & ADMINISTRATION(EFFECTIVE JUNE 202

PAMELA CARVERCLERK & EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT

JONATHAN S LAVINETRUSTEE (EFFECTIVE MAY 2024)

PORSHA OLAYIWOLATRUSTEE (EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 2023)

NAVJEET K BALTRUSTEE (EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2021)

MICHAEL RUSHTRUSTEE (EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2021)

JULIE KIMTRUSTEEE (EFFECTIVE MAY 2024)

JOSEPH S BERMANTRUSTEE (EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2021)

JOSE C MASSO IIITRUSTEE (EFFECTIVE MAY 2022)

CHERYL CRONINTRUSTEE

JOHN T HAILERTRUSTEE

JEFFREY B HAWKINSTRUSTEE

JAMES CANALESTRUSTEEE (EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 2023)

EVELYN ARANAVICE CHAIR(INTERIM CHAIR JAN-MAY2021,TRUSTEE PRIOR

DOCTOR RAYMOND LIUCHAIR(EFFECTIVE MAY 2024), (PRIOR TRUSTEE SEPTEMBE

DOCTOR LYNN PERRY WOOTENTRUSTEE (EFFECTIVE MAY 2022)

CHRISTIAN J WESTRATRUSTEE (EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2021)

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1967
Location: 700 BOYLSTON ST, BOSTON, MA 02116-2813
County: Suffolk
In care of: Emily Tokarczyk
Primary officer: Emily Tokarczyk, Chief Financial Officer

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailask@bpl.org Phone(617) 536-5400

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
NTEE classification: Education (B110)