Endowment Giving

Endowed funds are invested strategically to preserve their original value and generate income used to support the library’s work for generations to come.

Named endowments

Establishing an endowment fund in your name or the name of a loved one is a way to provide ongoing support to The Seattle Public Library.

The Foundation has established several levels of named endowments:

• A named fund may be created in the Foundation’s unrestricted endowment with a gift starting at $50,000.
• A named fund may be created for one of our existing restricted endowments with a gift starting at $100,000. See existing areas of funding below.
• A named endowment restricted for a purpose not currently recognized by the Foundation may be created with a gift of at least $250,000.
  

Read our 2024 Endowment Report here.

Areas of support

Children’s Endowments
Payouts from these endowments support the purchase of thousands of books for the children’s collection annually and enable children and teens to participate in programs designed to engage curiosity and encourage their love of books and reading. Endowments supporting children are a vital resource for Seattle youth and their families.

Endowments include:

• Program Endowment for Children & Teens
• Faye G. Allen Memorial Endowment – Children’s Library Books & Collections
• Jim Thixton & Carol Bennett Thixton Endowment for Youth Programs
• Ginger Ackerley Endowment for Children’s Programming
• Patricia A. Shapiro Endowment for Early Literacy & Children’s Programs
• Suzanne Desimone Hittman & Family Endowment for Children & Teen Programs
• Midnight Heron Endowment for Youth Programs
• Henrietta H. Davis Endowment for Children’s Books and Programs
• Lynn Pigott Mowe Endowment for Youth and Family Programs
• The Nancy and Arthur Burrill Library Endowment Fund
• READ WRITE LEARN Endowed Fund for Children and Youth Programs

Collection Endowments
Payouts from Collections Endowments fund approximately 1 of every 4 new items purchased by the library, with a focus on materials to integrate learning and reading into daily life. Selections include e-books, audiobooks, music and film, and extensive online content.

Endowments include:

• Children’s Books & Materials Endowment
• Faye G. Allen Memorial Endowment – Books & Collections
• Faye G. Allen Memorial Endowment – Children’s Materials
• Henrietta H. Davis Endowment for Children’s Books and Programs
• Endowment for Large Print & Low-Vision Access
• Design & Decorative Arts Endowment

Program Endowments
Each year the library offers an amazing series of free public programs featuring noted authors and scholars as well as programs to support arts and cultural programming. These programs are designed to reach populations across our city, along with adult literacy efforts. These funds also help expand and protect the collection of rare Northwest historical materials for the Seattle Room.

Endowments include:

• Humanities Programs Endowment
• Program Endowment for People with Special Needs
• Seattle Room/Center for Local History Endowment
• Wallace Endowment for Cultural Arts Programs
• A. Scott Bullitt American History Endowment Fund
• McLellan/O’Donnell Living History/Literature Endowment
• Dorothy Rue McNeil Library Enrichment Fund for South Park

Staff Development Endowments
The Seattle Public Library staff do the important work of fulfilling its mission every day: bringing together people, information, and ideas to enrich lives and build community. The existence of these funds reflects the importance of investing in our staff.

Endowments include:

• Hunter Maxwell Becker Brown Endowed Fund for Staff Recognition
• Faye G. Allen Memorial Endowment – Staff Training & Professional Development
• Jonna Ward Fund for Leadership Development

Unrestricted Endowments
Payouts from unrestricted endowments are used to support Library enhancements wherever a funding gap may exist. Unrestricted funds allow the Library the ultimate flexibility in responding to critical needs.

Endowments include:

• Unrestricted Endowment
• Rosalie Alice Edburg Endowment
• Susan and Glen Beebe Library Fund
• Goldie Gendler Silverman and Donald Silverman, MD, Endowed Fund
• Lew Family Endowed Fund
• Mary Koss Branom Endowed Fund in Memory of Audrey M. Schatz
• The Elizabeth J. Miller and Margaret H. Lévis Endowment

Annual Gift Forever

You can make a gift as enduring as your dedication to the library when you participate in the Foundation’s Annual Gift Forever program. This is a way for loyal library donors to include a gift to a Foundation endowment in their will, which becomes a gift that goes on forever.

Click here to learn more.

Fiscal management

The primary investment objective for endowment funds is to provide reasonable spending in support of The Seattle Public Library while preserving the purchasing power of the fund over the long term. The investment strategy has been designed to achieve returns sufficient to cover reasonable expenses plus inflation, while minimizing volatility.

The Foundation’s Finance Committee provides direct oversight and guidance of the management of endowment funds based on the Foundation’s Investment and Spending Policy.

Please contact the Foundation at 206.386.4130 or foundation@supportspl.org for information on endowment giving.