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Little Free Library Ltd

EIN 45-4043708 · Saint Paul, MN

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair62 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

Points to look into

  • Raising each dollar of donations cost 64 cents.

These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.

What it says it does

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY'S MISSION IS TO BE A CATALYST FOR BUILDING COMMUNITY, INSPIRING READERS, AND EXPANDING BOOK ACCESS FOR ALL THROUGH A GLOBAL NETWORK OF VOLUNTEER-LED LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES.

Income
$3.4 million
Spending
$3.6 million
Spent on programs
59%
Reserves
9.9 months of spending
Largest source of income
other income, 56%
Employees
22
Volunteers
101,199
Highest pay
$151,161, chief financial officer

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 62 out of 100. Higher than 44% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 9.9 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 11% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 7% of income.

  • Income trend

    10 of 15

    Income fell 1% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    0 of 15

    59% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 64 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 74% of charities in its peer group (education, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    13 of 13 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (6)
  1. $1.7 million spent. LITTLE FREE LIBRARY'S MISSION IS TO BE A CATALYST FOR BUILDING COMMUNITY, INSPIRING READERS, AND EXPANDING BOOK ACCESS FOR ALL THROUGH A GLOBAL NETWORK OF VOLUNTEER-LED LITTLE FREE LIBRARY BOOK-SHARING BOXES. TODAY THERE ARE MORE THAN 200,000 REGISTERED LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES CIRCULATING MILLIONS OF FREE BOOKS, A PHENOMENON THAT CONTINUES TO INCREASE MOMENTUM. LFL BOOK-SHARING BOXES STAND IN FRONT YARDS, PLAYGROUNDS, CITY PARKS, AND MORE IN ALL 50 US STATES AND OVER 120 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE, STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODS, SPREADING LITERACY, AND BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER THROUGH THE LOVE OF READING.
  2. $48,336 spent. OUR CORE PROGRAM INCLUDES GROWING THE BOOK-SHARING MOVEMENT; DEVELOPING ACTIVITIES THAT STIMULATE NEIGHBORLY CONNECTIONS; AND SUPPORTING THE NETWORK OF VOLUNTEER STEWARDS WHO PROVIDE THE DAY-TO-DAY MANAGEMENT AND CURATION OF EACH LITTLE FREE LIBRARY.STEWARD SERVICES IS OUR SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR VOLUNTEER LIBRARY STEWARDS. THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES RESOURCES ACROSS ALL LFL PROGRAMS AND BEYOND TO ENSURE VOLUNTEER STEWARDS HAVE THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. STEWARD SERVICES REPRESENTS A VARIETY OF SUPPORT SERVICES OFFERED TO REGISTERED LIBRARY STEWARDS - THIS INCLUDES THINGS LIKE MAINTAINING THE LITTLE FREE LIBRARY MOBILE APP, MANAGING A PRIVATE FACEBOOK GROUP, LEVERAGING OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH PUBLISHERS AND BOOK DISTRIBUTORS TO GET DEALS AND GIVEAWAYS FOR STEWARDS, DEVELOPING TOOLS THAT SUPPORT SUSTAINABILITY, ETC. STEWARD SERVICES AS A PROGRAM IS REALLY A WAY TO DESCRIBE THE INFRASTRUCTURE WE HAVE CREATED AND CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AS A WAY OF PROVIDING SUPPORT TO OUR VOLUNTEER NETWORK.
  3. $187,610 spent. THE IMPACT LIBRARY PROGRAM PLACES BOOK-SHARING BOXES IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES, WHERE THEY CAN BE A CATALYST FOR IMPROVING READING MOTIVATION AND DEEPENING COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS. THE PROGRAM IS FUNDED BY CONTRIBUTED REVENUE AND FROM THE ORGANIZATION'S RETAIL SALES AND LIBRARY REGISTRATION FEES. A MONTHLY APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS AND INSTALLATION FOLLOW-UP ESTABLISHES A CONNECTION BETWEEN LIBRARY RECIPIENTS AND THE LITTLE FREE LIBRARY COMMUNITY. PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ARE ASKED TO COMMIT TO SETTING UP AND MAINTAINING THE LIBRARY FOR A MINIMUM OF ONE YEAR; TAKING A PICTURE AND SHARING THE LIBRARY'S STORY; AND HOLDING AT LEAST ONE READING OR NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITY IN THE FIRST YEAR. TO DATE OVER 3,300 BOOK-SHARING BOXES AND 100,000 BOOKS HAVE BEEN GRANTED THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.
  4. $91,362 spent. READ IN COLOR BRINGS DIVERSE BOOKS TO LITTLE FREE LIBRARY BOOK-SHARING BOXES AROUND THE WORLD. READ IN COLOR DISTRIBUTES BOOKS THAT PROVIDE PERSPECTIVES ON RACISM AND SOCIAL JUSTICE; CELEBRATE BIPOC, LGBTQ+, AND OTHER MARGINALIZED VOICES; AND INCORPORATE EXPERIENCES FROM ALL IDENTITIES FOR ALL READERS. WHEN GEORGE FLOYD WAS MURDERED IN MINNEAPOLIS IN 2020, THE LITTLE FREE LIBRARY WORKED WITH OUR COMMUNITY TO DEVELOP READ IN COLOR TO HELP CREATE MEANINGFUL CHANGE. MORE THAN 10,000 DIVERSE BOOKS AND 30 LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED IN THE TWIN CITIES TO DATE. SINCE 2020, READ IN COLOR HAS EXPANDED NATIONWIDE TO 30 ADDITIONAL CITIES WITH MORE ON THE WAY! IN TOTAL, MORE THAN 350 LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED IN HIGH-IMPACT AREAS AND 60,000 DIVERSE BOOKS HAVE BEEN SHARED.
  5. $90,983 spent. THROUGH OUR INDIGENOUS LIBRARY PROGRAM, WE GRANT NO-COST LITTLE FREE LIBRARY BOXES FULL OF BOOKS TO INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES WITH LIMITED BOOK ACCESS. SIMILAR TO THE IMPACT LIBRARY PROGRAM, A REGULAR APPLICATION REVIEW PROCESS AND INSTALLATION FOLLOW-UP ESTABLISHES A CONNECTION BETWEEN LIBRARY RECIPIENTS AND THE LITTLE FREE LIBRARY COMMUNITY. PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS ARE ASKED TO COMMIT TO SETTING UP AND MAINTAINING THE LIBRARY FOR A MINIMUM OF ONE YEAR; TAKING A PICTURE AND SHARING THE LIBRARY'S STORY; AND HOLDING AT LEAST ONE READING OR NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVITY IN THE FIRST YEAR. TO DATE MORE THAN 225 BOOK-SHARING BOXES AND 11,300 BOOKS HAVE BEEN GRANTED THROUGH THIS PROGRAM.
  6. $63,602 spent. TEAM LFL IS THE VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVE OF LITTLE FREE LIBRARY. TEAM LFL CONNECTS BOTH INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO SUPPORT THE NETWORK OF LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES AND PROGRAMS. THE TEAM LFL INITIATIVE PROVIDES SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FOR VOLUNTEERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES WHO WORK TO HELP SUSTAIN LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. TEAM LFL VOLUNTEERS SUPPORT BOOK-SHARING BOXES THROUGH BOOK DRIVES, BOOK RESTOCKING, COMMUNITY EVENTS, BUILD EVENTS, ETC.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since September 2012.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.