Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston
Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston reported $19.4 million in revenue and $17.6 million in expenses for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. Of every $100 it spent, $82.12 went to program services, $17.88 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 61.6% of the total. Government grants made up 31.8%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $265,163 (President). 85 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 77% between FY2020 and FY2025. Source: Form 990, FY2025.
Where $100 of spending went
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $18MFor context, the median across 5,499 covered education charities: $85.56 programs, $13.59 management, $0.85 fundraising (medians computed separately, so they may not sum to $100).
Where $100 of revenue came from
The fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $19MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | FY2025 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 82.1% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 17.9% | 13.4% |
| Fundraising Part IX 25(D) ÷ 25(A) | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| Fundraising cost per $1 of contributions Part IX 25(D) ÷ Part VIII 1h | $0.00 | $0.04 |
| Contributions & grants share of revenue Part VIII 1h ÷ 12 | 61.6% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 31.8% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.7% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $265,163 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 1.50% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 85 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 66.9 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 15 of 15 | 100.0% |
A median is context, not a target: hospitals, universities, food banks and grantmakers spend in very different ways. What these measures can and can't tell you.
What the money paid for, in its own words
FY2025 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseThe Boston Public Library (BPL) is an extraordinary institution that has served the citizens of Boston since 1848. Founded as the first municipal library and the first public library to lend books, the Boston Public Library is dedicated to the advancement of learning and is "Free to All" as is carved in the facade of the historic McKim building in Copley Square. The BPL encompasses a Central Library, twenty-five vibrant neighborhood libraries, a robust website, and classes and programs for all ages. The Library's collection of more than 23 million items includes circulating books, eBooks…
Highest reported compensation
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section A · roles as filed; names are in the filing, not here| Role | From this org | From related orgs | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President Officer, 35 hrs/week | $0 | $233,136 | $32,027 | $265,163 |
| Chief Technology Officer Highest compensated employee, 35 hrs/week | $0 | $149,624 | $42,257 | $191,881 |
| Neighborhood Library Services Manager Highest compensated employee, 35 hrs/week | $0 | $147,561 | $43,297 | $190,858 |
| Director Of Library Services Highest compensated employee, 35 hrs/week | $0 | $162,630 | $27,001 | $189,631 |
| Chief Financial Officer (CFO) (effective July 2023) Officer, 35 hrs/week | $0 | $140,216 | $41,229 | $181,445 |
| Director Of Research & Special Collections (effective August 2023) Highest compensated employee, 35 hrs/week | $10,783 | $139,555 | $15,521 | $165,859 |
| Chief Of Staff & Administration(effective June 2025) Highest compensated employee, 35 hrs/week | $0 | $147,561 | $16,887 | $164,448 |
| Clerk & Executive Assistant To The President Officer, 35 hrs/week | $0 | $110,302 | $11,396 | $121,698 |
85 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $0 (Part IX, line 5).
6 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
FY2025 · the organization's own yes/no answers; explanations, if any, are in Schedule O of the filing · what each means- Voting board members, and how many are independent Part VI, lines 1a–1b15 · 15 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bYes
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13No
- Document retention policy Part VI 14No
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aNo
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aYes
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2No
- Aware of a significant diversion of assets Part VI 5No
- Excess benefit transaction with an insider Part IV 25aNo
- Loans to or from insiders outstanding Part IV 26No
- Lobbying, or a 501(h) election in effect Part IV 4No
- Over $15,000 of professional fundraising services Part IV 18No
- Over $10,000 of activity outside the U.S. Part IV 14bNo
- Employees Part I, line 5537
- Volunteers Part I, line 6310
Largest outside contractors
FY2025 · Form 990, Part VII, Section B · businesses only| EMCOR Service-Northeast dba Comm Air Balco Hvac | $495,232 |
| Internet Archive Digitization | $275,233 |
| United Elevator Elevator Maintenance | $271,492 |
| Boston Library Consortium Cataloging,Membership and Resource Assessments | $244,321 |
| Gensler and Associates Architects Inc Consultant | $235,922 |
Individuals listed as contractors are left out. 10 contractors were paid more than $100,000 in all.
Private foundation grants it received
3 private foundations reported grants to Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston totaling $269K on their tax year 2023 Form 990-PF returns. See which foundations, on WHOFUNDS.
Source: WHOFUNDS open grant graph, matched from Form 990-PF Part XV.
Correct a figure or respond
Every number above is copied from Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston spent in FY2025, $82.12 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- Ecole Bilingue Dba Ecole Bilingue de BerkeleyBerkeley, CA · revenue $19M · programs 84.6% · FY2025
- Northlake Christian SchoolCovington, LA · revenue $19M · programs 79.7% · FY2025
- Centennial Place AcademyAtlanta, GA · revenue $19M · programs 88.8% · FY2025
- Friendship Aspire ArkansasLittle Rock, AR · revenue $19M · programs 68.0% · FY2025
- Wooster School CorporationDanbury, CT · revenue $19M · programs 77.8% · FY2025
All education charities · Largest charities in Massachusetts
Questions people ask
How much of Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston's spending goes to programs?
In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston reported that 82.1% of its $17.6 million in expenses went to program services, 17.9% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston reported for one person in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025 was $265,163, for the role of President (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston get its money?
Of $19.4 million in revenue in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, 61.6% came from contributions and grants (including 31.8% from government grants) and 0.7% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 04-6151731 as a 501(c)(3) organization (publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))), and its records show contributions as tax-deductible. Form 990 filings on record here cover tax years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- FY2025: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, object 202631359349310318 · read the filing
- FY2024: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, object 202541359349306349 · read the filing
- FY2023: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, object 202401369349305370 · read the filing
- FY2022: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022, object 202301359349309350 · read the filing
- FY2021: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, object 202211339349305546 · read the filing
- FY2020: Form 990 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, object 202131349349303203 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 04-6151731: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.