HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION Charity Report

Public IRS 990 nonprofit record

HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION

EIN 74-1926301 · Education (B117)

What they do

THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION SUPPORTS THE HOUSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY (HPL) BY SECURING FUNDING and COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS to ENHANCE ITS IMPACT. WE INVEST IN INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS, LITERACY INITIATIVES, and TECHNOLOGY ACCESS ENSURING ALL HOUSTONIANS BENEFIT FROM FREE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES. THROUGH ADVOCACY and COLLABORATION, WE EMPOWER THE LIBRARY to INSPIRE LEARNING, BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDES, and STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES, FOSTERING A STRONGER HOUSTON THROUGH THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER of LIBRARIES.

Before you give

Should I give to this charity?

Easy charity check

Look at where the money went

Of every $100 spent, about $83.60 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 leaders16 people are listed in the latest report.

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

Money made simple

151.58%of revenue went to mission work83.6% of expenses · Program services

12.61%of revenue went to fundraising7.0% of expenses

$181.32spent for every $100 of revenueSpending was higher than revenue this year.

17.13%of revenue went to management and office costs9.4% of expenses

$8.48in assets for every $1 spent this yearSome assets cannot be spent right away.

89.7%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.

Worth asking: Expenses exceeded revenue by $1,146,205 this year. Ask whether that was planned or caused by a one-time event.

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$1,409,539

Mission workProgram services$2,136,604151.58% of revenue83.6% of expenses

ManagementOffice and general costs$241,41817.13% of revenue9.4% of expenses

FundraisingAsking for donations$177,72212.61% of revenue7.0% of expenses

Total expenses$2,555,744181.32% of revenue

Expenses were greater than revenue, so the colored ring fills the available $100 and the total above 100% is shown below.

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: 83.6% mission · 9.4% management · 7.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 181.32% of revenue

2023Expense mix: 92.2% mission · 5.7% management · 2.1% fundraisingTotal expenses: 275.49% of revenue

2022Expense mix: 89.7% mission · 7.8% management · 2.5% fundraisingTotal expenses: 134.09% of revenue

2021Expense mix: 79.0% mission · 6.3% management · 14.7% fundraisingTotal expenses: 235.01% of revenue

2020Expense mix: 83.6% mission · 7.2% management · 9.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 198.88% of revenue

2019Expense mix: 88.4% mission · 4.4% management · 7.2% fundraisingTotal expenses: 232.11% of revenue

2018Expense mix: 86.4% mission · 5.3% management · 8.4% fundraisingTotal expenses: 91.49% of revenue

2017Expense mix: 86.3% mission · 4.7% management · 9.0% fundraisingTotal expenses: 169.53% of revenue

Money in and money out

Revenue$1,409,539

Expenses$2,555,744

Annual shortfall $1,146,205 Expenses were higher than revenue 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)$2,136,604 · 83.6% of expenses

Management and office costs$241,418 · 9.4% of expenses

Fundraising$177,722 · 7.0% of expenses

See all reported dollar amounts

Revenue$1,409,539

Expenses$2,555,744

Assets$21,668,588

Income$1,409,539

Contributions$1,263,853

Mission work (program services)$2,136,604

Fundraising$177,722

Grants given$16,491,233

Average grant$2,061,404

Management and general$241,418

Executive compensation (total)$146,125

Stocks and bonds$20,794,555

Accounting fees$37,500

Investing fees$61,376

People

Leadership and board

Tax year 2024

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

No compensation was reported for these leaders. The complete board and leadership roster is shown below.

Board and leadership roster (16)

ADA WANGMEMBER

ADRIANA TAMEZMEMBER

ALISHA ADATIAMEMBER

BURNITA DIANE SHEPHARDMEMBER

DIMITRIS MILLASTREASURER

HEAVEN CHEEMEMBER

JASON SMITHMEMBER

JESSICA KEMP ST ROSESECRETARY

LOGAN LEALMEMBER

MARGO MELCHOR-HERNANDEZMEMBER

MICHELE LEALVICE-CHAIR

MIMI BROWNMEMBER

NICHOLAS SAWACKIMEMBER/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

NICOLAS JIMENEZCHAIR

SARAH LENNYMEMBER

TERAN SMITHMEMBER

About this charity

Recognized since: January 2006
Location: 550 MCKINNEY ST, HOUSTON, TX 770025000
County: Harris
In care of: NICHOLAS SAWICKI
Primary officer: NICHOLAS SAWICKI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

How to reach them

WebsiteVisit the charity’s website Emailhello@houstonlibraryfoundation.org Phone(832) 393-1464

Filing and classification

Latest tax year: 2024
Tax period began: July 1, 2024
Return type: 990
Tax preparer: CRI ADVISORS LLC
NTEE classification: Education (B117)
IRS tax category: Other Grantmaking and Giving Services
Grant-giving organization: Yes