About
The Chicago Public Library Foundation
The Chicago Public Library Foundation was established in 1986 as an independent, nonprofit educational organization dedicated to working with the City of Chicago in a true public/private partnership to enrich the collections and programs of the Chicago Public Library.
Through the generous support of many civic-minded corporations, foundations and individuals, the Foundation has provided start-up funding for new programs, such as technology and expanded Sunday and evening service hours, that are now included in the Library's city-funded budget.
The Foundation also provides ongoing funding, through its endowments and annual fundraising, for collections, book acquisition and a variety of community-based programs that contribute to the excellence of the Library. In 2010, these gifts provided $4 million to the Chicago Public Library in support of programs including:
Our programs
- Adopt-a-Branch
- Bookamania
- CyberNavigators
- Great Kids Read
- The Humanities Collection
- One Book, One Chicago
- Oprah Winfrey Fund
- Pick International Relations Collection and Author Series
- ScienceConnections
- Summer Reading Program
- Teacher in the Library
- Teen Volume
- YOUmedia: A Digital Library Space for Teens