THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK INC Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK INC

EIN 13-1624084 · Education (B76Z)

What they do

THE CENTER for FICTION WAS FOUNDED IN 1820 AS THE MERCANTILE LIBRARY. ITS MISSION is to ENCOURAGE PEOPLE to READ and VALUE FICTION and to SUPPORT and CELEBRATE ITS CREATION and ENJOYMENT.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $69.60 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 leaders29 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

68.34%of revenue went to mission work69.6% of expenses · Program services

11.73%of revenue went to fundraising11.9% of expenses

$98.23spent for every $100 of revenueRevenue covered expenses this year.

18.15%of revenue went to management and office costs18.5% of expenses

$0.87in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

52.0%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 $244,769 for LYDAH DEBIN (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR). 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$3,142,123

Mission workProgram services$2,147,37168.34% of revenue69.6% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$570,34418.15% of revenue18.5% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$368,69411.73% of revenue11.9% of expenses

Revenue left after expensesReported annual surplus$55,7141.77% of revenueShown in gray on the chart

Total expenses$3,086,40998.23% 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: 69.6% mission · 18.5% management · 11.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 98.23% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 66.8% mission · 20.8% management · 12.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 116.60% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 66.8% mission · 18.3% management · 14.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 79.29% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 66.9% mission · 18.1% management · 14.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 73.12% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 67.0% mission · 16.0% management · 17.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 97.72% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 69.8% mission · 15.0% management · 15.3% fundraisingTotal expenses: 105.50% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 81.9% mission · 13.6% management · 4.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 92.98% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 80.5% mission · 15.7% management · 3.9% fundraisingTotal expenses: 84.13% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$3,142,123

Expenses$3,086,409

Annual surplus $55,714 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)$2,147,371 · 69.6% of expenses

Management and office costs$570,344 · 18.5% of expenses

Fundraising$368,694 · 11.9% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$3,142,123

Expenses$3,086,409

Assets$2,673,342

Income$3,700,326

Contributions$1,634,994

Mission work (program services)$2,147,371

Fundraising$368,694

Management and general$570,344

Executive compensation (total)$451,716

Stocks and bonds$1,537,288

Accounting fees$85,900

Investing fees$7,329

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

LYDAH DEBINEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $244,769Base $230,264 · Other $14,505

KRISTIN HENLEYMANAGING DIRECTOR · 40 hrs/week $132,313Base $120,067 · Other $12,246

MELANIE MCNAIRSENIOR DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROGRAMMING · 40 hrs/week $121,636Base $109,919 · Other $11,717

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 (29)

LYDAH DEBINEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

KRISTIN HENLEYMANAGING DIRECTOR

MELANIE MCNAIRSENIOR DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROGRAMMING

YAHDON ISRAELDIRECTOR

ANNE HIGONNETDIRECTOR

VICTORIA WESTHEADDIRECTOR

SUSANNA PORTERDIRECTOR

SUSAN RESTLERVICE CHAIR

SHANNON ROSE SELDENDIRECTOR

SAYU BHOJWANIDIRECTOR

SARAH LYALLDIRECTOR

PHONG BUIDIRECTOR

NINA VON MOLTKETREASURER

NAN GRAHAMDIRECTOR

LLOYD LYNFORDDIRECTOR

LIESE MAYERDIRECTOR

JACQUELYNN KERUBO OSORODIRECTOR

GRETCHEN RUBINDIRECTOR

GABRIELLE BAMBERGERDIRECTOR

ERROLL MCDONALDCHAIR

DENNIS WILLIAMSDIRECTOR

DENNIS KRIEGERDIRECTOR

DAVID BRUSONDIRECTOR

DANIELLE GANEKDIRECTOR

CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEYDIRECTOR THROUGH 2/24

CHIWONISO KAITANODIRECTOR

CELIA MCGEESECRETARY

CAMILLE MCDUFFIEDIRECTOR

CALVERT MORGANDIRECTOR

About this charity

Recognized since: January 1936
Location: 15 LAFAYETTE AVE, BROOKLYN, NY 11217-1415
County: Kings
In care of: LYDAH DEBIN
Primary officer: LYDAH DEBIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailinfo@centerforfiction.org Phone(212) 755-6710

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: January 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: SAX LLP
NTEE classification: Education (B76Z)