About the Jacksonville Public Library Foundation

The Jacksonville Public Libraries Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation formed in 1986 through the support of concerned private donors and the Board of Trustees. Ever since, the JPL Foundation has built public-private partnerships for the library by encouraging investments for the future through a variety of giving opportunities (i.e., donations, grants, endowment fund, planned giving programs and memorials).

The Foundation has used its financial resources to enhance library facilities, purchase books, computers and media for children and adults, support the library’s Center for Adult Learning and bring thousands together annually for our annual book festival, Much Ado About Books. The Foundation also launched our capital campaign, “Perfect the Dream” which enabled the library to build an endowment fund to ensure that will enable Jacksonville to perfect its dream of a world-class library system. Gifts to the Foundation provide tax benefits to the donors and benefit the library and its vital programs. None of these accomplishments would be possible without the generosity of corporations and individuals.

It's been said that at the heart of every great city is a great library. To ensure this, the Jacksonville Public Library Foundation is committed to developing resources -- above and beyond taxpayer support -- for a public-private partnership to help keep our library vital for all customers.

The Jacksonville Public Library Foundation has three key functions:

1. To raise funds over and above taxpayer support and free of political influence by generating private sector philanthropy to support the Jacksonville Public Library.
2. To manage endowment funds to maximize long-term support for Library programs, services and collections.
3. To grant funds to the Jacksonville Public Library in four essential areas:
• Lifelong Learning, including lectures, children's programs, senior programs and the Center for Adult Learning
• Library Collections, including but not limited to our growing Florida, genealogy, African American and map collections
• Infrastructure Investments to fund future initiatives in the areas of technology and building enhancements to library branches
• Capacity Building to ensure the Library’s continued growth through resources including grant writing and development