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Tolland Public Library Foundation details grants, digital resources and donor wall plan
Summary
Volunteers from the Tolland Public Library Foundation updated the Town Council on grants, digital subscriptions (Hoopla, Ancestry, mobile hotspots), the foundations endowment-driven grantmaking and plans for a donor wall and oral-history project.
Leaders of the Tolland Public Library Foundation told the Town Council on Oct. 14 that the volunteer foundation has moved from active fundraising to grantmaking from a growing endowment and outlined a set of programs funded to supplement the town library budget.
Linda Bayham, president of the foundation, said the group now focuses on providing grant support for programming, digital subscriptions and modest administrative costs that sustain the foundations operations. "We are an organization that is separate from the town. We have our own endowment, and we receive funds specifically to make grants to the library above and beyond what the town budget is able to provide," Bayham said.
The foundation listed three primary spending areas: 1) programs and items (author series, childrens programming, furniture and special events), 2) electronic/digital resources (the foundation funds Hoopla, ancestry.com, mobile hotspots, Swank movie license, Zoom license and online continuing-education services), and 3) administrative support to maintain the foundations website, donor records and investment oversight.
Bayham said the foundation plans to unveil a donorrecognition wall in the library, with installation targeted for January 2026 and an unveiling event to follow. She also highlighted the ongoing Tolland oral-history project, which the foundation is archiving and expects to develop into a multimedia experience over time.
Councilors thanked the foundation volunteers and the library director for the work. Bayham said the foundation provides its financial records to town financial staff monthly and uses a registered CPA for annual filings.
What happens next: foundation leaders said they will continue coordinating grant priorities with the library director and will notify the council when the donor wall unveiling is scheduled.
