Friends report $5.4 million pledged; library board unanimously authorizes partnership with Friends (Resolution 205-18)

The St. Paul Library Board heard an update from the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library on the organization's fundraising, programming and campaign work and then unanimously adopted Resolution 205-18, authorizing certain cooperative activities between the library and the Friends.

Beth Burns, staff president of the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, told the board the organization aims to raise $10,000,000 for the Transforming Libraries campaign and reported $5.4 million in pledges secured in 2024 during the campaign's quiet phase. Burns said the Friends expect roughly $6,000,000 of the $10,000,000 in cash to support the brick-and-mortar projects, a $3,000,000 endowment to fund programming in perpetuity, and the remainder to cover campaign costs and capacity building.

"We are committed to raising $10,000,000 toward this vision for transforming libraries," Beth Burns said. She added that the Friends are pursuing major gifts, corporate and foundation support, and will advocate for public funding such as a 2026 CIB allocation to help complete the projects.

Resolution and vote

The board considered resolution 205-18, described at the meeting as the annual renewal of the cooperative arrangement that allows the Friends and the St. Paul Public Library to coordinate events, accept donations and otherwise work together. The board took a motion from Council Member Nager to approve the resolution; the board recorded the vote as seven in favor, none opposed. The resolution passed.

Why it matters: the Friends' fundraising is a core part of the Transforming Libraries financing strategy. Staff and Friends leaders at the meeting repeatedly described the capital program as a public-private partnership: city funding and bonding, federal earmarks, and private gifts together will determine whether the three projects can proceed as designed.

Details from the Friends' report

- Organization and role: Burns said the Friends, a 501(c)(3) founded in 1945, functions on three pillars — fundraising, advocacy and programming — and serves as Minnesota's Center for the Book under a Library of Congress designation. The Friends said they also operate a consulting arm, Library Strategies, that generates revenue and expertise.

- Campaign progress: Burns said the Friends launched a quiet phase of their capital campaign and that pledges total about $5.4 million in 2024; the largest single pledge to date is $900,000 and many gifts are documented as multi-year pledges rather than immediate cash.

- Uses: The Friends said they expect roughly $6 million in cash from their $10 million goal to apply to physical projects, $3 million for an endowment to support ongoing children-, youth- and family-focused programming, and the remainder for campaign costs and capacity.

Board and staff response

Board members and council representatives thanked the Friends for fundraising and pledged to continue coordination on advocacy and CIB strategy. Burns said the Friends will press for a significant CIB allocation in 2026 to close remaining gaps, particularly for Riverview.

Ending

With the resolution adopted, the cooperative relationship between the Friends and the St. Paul Public Library will continue; both staff and the Friends said they will keep the board and city officials updated on campaign progress, grant efforts and project timelines.