Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library reported $13.8 million in revenue and $13.5 million in expenses for calendar year 2024. Of every $100 it spent, $83.90 went to program services, $16.10 to management and general costs and $0.00 to fundraising. Its largest source of revenue was contributions and grants: 99.4% of the total. Government grants made up 96.1%. The highest compensation it reported for one person was $118,499 (Orchard Park Public Library Director). 1 person received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation. Revenue rose 22% between 2020 and 2024. Source: Form 990, 2024.
Where $100 of spending went
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part IX, line 25 · total expenses $13MFor 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
Calendar year 2024 · Form 990, Part VIII · total revenue $14MThe 990 scorecard · same measures for every charity, no grades
| Measure | 2024 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Program services Part IX 25(B) ÷ 25(A) | 83.9% | 84.4% |
| Management & general Part IX 25(C) ÷ 25(A) | 16.1% | 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 | 99.4% | 19.1% |
| Government grants share of revenue Part VIII 1e ÷ 12 | 96.1% | 1.1% |
| Program service revenue share Part VIII 2g ÷ 12 | 0.0% | 69.9% |
| Highest reported compensation Part VII-A, columns D–F | $118,499 | $331,578 |
| Highest compensation as share of expenses Part VII-A ÷ Part IX 25(A) | 0.88% | 1.28% |
| People paid over $100,000 Part VII, line 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Net assets, in months of expenses Part X 33(B) ÷ monthly expenses | 3.8 | 13.3 |
| Independent voting board members Part VI 1a–1b | 135 of 135 | 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
2024 · Form 990, Part III · the three largest programs by expenseProvide library resources for the community. In 2024 Buffalo & Erie County Public Library affiliates added over 100,000 items to its collection of 1.4 million items. These items circulated over 4 million times to 295,000 registered library users. Additionally over 100,000 library staff members answered reference questions to assist patrons
Provide access to computers internet and other technologies. With approximately 650 computers available for public use and Wi-Fi access Buffalo & Erie County Public Library affiliates provided over 153,000 computer access session and over 335,000 Wi-Fi sessions to the public many of whom would not otherwise have access. These computers are equipped with access to the internet and have many of the standard computer applications used by students and employment seekers. In addition to computer access Buffalo & Erie county Public Library also provides low cost printing and copying
Provide educational and entertaining programs for all member of the community. Throughout 2024 Buffalo & Erie County Public Library affiliates held over 6,800 group programs with over 123,000 attendees. Additionally over 72,000 one-on-one training sessions were conducted. In addition to Library organized events the various locations have public meeting space available for use by other organization. Total visits to the various locations totaled over 1.5 million
Highest reported compensation
2024 · 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orchard Park Public Library Director Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $110,860 | $7,639 | $0 | $118,499 |
| Amherst Public Library Director Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $91,162 | $24,095 | $0 | $115,257 |
| Cheektowaga Public Library Dictore Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $90,111 | $24,095 | $0 | $114,206 |
| Clarence Public Library Director Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $82,560 | $24,095 | $0 | $106,655 |
| Grand Island Memorial Library Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $79,549 | $24,095 | $0 | $103,644 |
| Hamburg Public Library Director Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $88,749 | $8,334 | $0 | $97,083 |
| Elma Public Library Director Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $68,670 | $24,095 | $0 | $92,765 |
| Lancaster Public Library Director Officer, 35.00 hrs/week | $84,219 | $8,334 | $0 | $92,553 |
1 people received more than $100,000 in reportable compensation from Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (Part VII, line 2). Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees totaled $1.6M (Part IX, line 5).
5 years of filings
Form 990, Parts I, VII, IX and X · each row is that year's own filing, linkedGovernance answers, as filed
2024 · 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–1b135 · 135 independent
- Audited financial statements Part XII 2bNo
- Conflict-of-interest policy Part VI 12aYes
- Whistleblower policy Part VI 13Yes
- Document retention policy Part VI 14Yes
- Independent process for top executive pay Part VI 15aYes
- Board given the 990 before filing Part VI 11aNo
- Family or business ties among insiders Part VI 2Yes
- 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 4Yes
- 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 5388
- Volunteers Part I, line 6650
Private foundation grants it received
5 private foundations reported grants to Buffalo & Erie County Public Library totaling $11,074 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 Buffalo & Erie County Public Library's own Form 990. If one doesn't match the filing, that's our error and we'll fix it. If you work for Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, you can publish a response that is linked from this page.
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Of every $100 Buffalo & Erie County Public Library spent in 2024, $83.90 went to programs. The full breakdown, from its IRS Form 990:
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Similar-sized charities in this cause
- The Wheaton Society for Christian InstructionWinfield, IL · revenue $14M · programs 81.3% · FY2025
- Yellow Breeches Educational CenterCarlisle, PA · revenue $14M · programs 100.0% · FY2025
- Odyssey Charter SchoolsAltadena, CA · revenue $14M · programs 77.8% · FY2025
- The Primary School - East Palo AltoEast Palo Alto, CA · revenue $14M · programs 78.3% · FY2025
- Thomas Edison Charter SchoolNorth Logan, UT · revenue $14M · programs 89.1% · FY2025
Questions people ask
How much of Buffalo & Erie County Public Library's spending goes to programs?
In calendar year 2024, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library reported that 83.9% of its $13.5 million in expenses went to program services, 16.1% to management and general and 0.0% to fundraising (Form 990, Part IX).
How much does Buffalo & Erie County Public Library pay its top executive?
The largest total compensation Buffalo & Erie County Public Library reported for one person in calendar year 2024 was $118,499, for the role of Orchard Park Public Library Director (Form 990, Part VII, including compensation from related organizations and other compensation).
Where does Buffalo & Erie County Public Library get its money?
Of $13.8 million in revenue in calendar year 2024, 99.4% came from contributions and grants (including 96.1% from government grants) and 0.0% from program service revenue (Form 990, Part VIII).
Is Buffalo & Erie County Public Library a registered charity?
The IRS lists EIN 22-3331880 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 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024. A filing shows what the organization reported; it doesn't by itself show whether a program works.
Sources
- 2024: Form 990 for calendar year 2024, object 202533189349312258 · read the filing · XML
- 2023: Form 990 for calendar year 2023, object 202413209349324726 · read the filing
- 2022: Form 990 for calendar year 2022, object 202333209349302163 · read the filing
- 2021: Form 990 for calendar year 2021, object 202203089349302675 · read the filing
- 2020: Form 990 for calendar year 2020, object 202103359349300400 · read the filing
All filings for EIN 22-3331880: ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer · IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Figures are as the organization reported them; we have not audited them.