Growing & Changing With The Community
The San Antonio Public Library Foundation (SAPLF) was established as a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization in 1983 by local business and civic leaders to augment the San Antonio Public Library’s budget with support from several sources including individuals, corporations, and charitable foundations. SAPLF is proud to have earned the Guidestar Gold Seal of Transparency.
Led by a 70-member Board of Directors, SAPLF has contributed more than $38 million in financial support and added awareness to improve our public libraries. The Foundation’s steadfast advocacy and public-awareness efforts have played a role in increases to the Library’s city-funded budgets – resulting in branch expansions, extended operational hours, and a boost in materials budgets. The Library Foundation supports a wide range of Public Library programs targeted to all ages, with new programming and technology introduced regularly to meet the growing and changing needs of the community.
Nonprofits are only as worthy as their Board members. Although the Foundation was established as a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization in 1983 by local business and civic leaders to augment the Public Library’s budget, it’s our Board members who are, and have been, critical to the success of our organization. We rely on our Board members for so many important things – professional skills, connections, and resources. We are deeply grateful for all the volunteer time they give to improve our library system.
Won’t you join this remarkable group in supporting your library? When you give to the Library Foundation today, you place books and technology in the hands of children and learners of all ages. You support programs that inspire a lifelong passion for reading and learning. Your gift to the Foundation will live on into the future via our libraries of today and tomorrow.
You can view more detailed information on our 990 and Audit.
Mission:
To strengthen the library in service to our community.
Vision:
SAPLF will continue to be recognized as the leading private advocate for the library by leveraging our strategic relationships to drive public and private resources to the library. We will continue to partner with the library to strategically identify and promote innovative programs and services that benefit the community.
“Our strength as a community has been tested over the past year and library services have seen even greater demand. We have witnessed the SAPL’s resilience and innovation in times of crisis and with our continued support, expect to see it emerge an even stronger asset to the community.” – Hanna Rochelle, SAPLF Board Chair, 2021-22
“Even in the most challenging times, we stay mission focused and work hard to support our library system. Our goal at SAPLF is to always do the most good for the greatest number of people!” – Amy Hone, SAPLF Executive Director
FAQ's
No. The Book Festival started as a program of the SAPLF in 2013 with the Texas Book Festival, the Central Library, and the Southwest School of Art as partners, and became an independent 501(c)(3) in 2021.
Founded in 1983, the San Antonio Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to strengthen the library in service to our community. Additionally, the Library Foundation hosts various fundraising and “friend-raising” events throughout the year that benefit our Library system.
Bexar County – San Antonio and surrounding areas.
Yes. You may specify which branch you would like to support under our Make a Donation section of the website. There are 25 branches in the Public Library System plus the Central Library.
Yes. Your bequest or trust creates a legacy for the library and the entire city of San Antonio. Contact Amy Hone at 210.225.4728 (EXT: 11) or Amy.hone@saplf.org for more information.
Yes, your donation to the Foundation is 100% tax-deductible if you receive no goods or services. Once you make your donation, you will receive a tax credit letter for your personal files.
To receive mailed and electronic information from the Foundation, please contact Katerina Pourliakas at Katerina.pourliakas@saplf.org and she will add you to our list.
- Born to Read, an early literacy program awarded national recognition by the Institute of Museum and Library Services that provides all babies born in Bexar County with a literacy bag containing a bilingual book, library information and a list of library locations, and an easy-to-read pamphlet with reading strategies for different stages of growth.
- Literacy Caravan, a mobile “classroom” that visits places where families go on a regular basis such as schools, child care centers, grocery stores, libraries, community centers, businesses, festivals, and other special events, and provides research-based literacy activities to children and their caretakers.
The Library Foundation supports a wide range of San Antonio Public Library programs targeted to all ages, with new programming introduced regularly to meet the growing and changing needs of the San Antonio community. Additionally, the Foundation supplements the Library’s offerings through collection development, technology, facility enhancements, art, and awareness.
The Foundation accepts children’s books for our Literacy Caravan. The Caravan needs around 10,000 books to operate during a program year and the customer demand is as follows:
- 20% infant/toddler board books
- 50% picture books
- 20% chapter books (some for younger children and some for 5th or 6th graders)
- 10% Spanish-all age groups (infant/toddler, preschooler, chapter books)
Additionally, books can be donated to the Friends of the Library. The Friends operate the Book Cellar, a used book store located at the Central Library on the Lower Level. Book sales are the main source of income for the Friends, and the profits are donated to support Library activities and materials. The Book Cellar is managed by a salaried employee of the Friends and staffed by volunteers from Friends of the San Antonio Public Library.
Regular prices for adult books are $1 for hardbacks and 25 cents to $1 for paperbacks. Children’s books sell for 25-50 cents. Some uniquely valuable books, like art books, are priced a little higher (usually from $2 to $5). However, the Book Cellar often has clearance sales on books.
The Friends of the San Antonio Public Library promotes public use of the San Antonio Public Library and appreciation of its value as a cultural and educational asset to the community and encourages the extension and improvement of its services.
Thank You To Our Supporters
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