2023 annual report
A message FROM our executive director
I am delighted to present to you our annual report, which highlights the accomplishments, milestones, and impact made by DC Public Library Foundation (DCPLF) over the past year. The core of our mission is to expand, enhance, and innovate DC Public Library programming. Why do we do that? How do we do that? These are the two key questions that drive DCPLF’s work every day.
Public libraries are indispensable to the health of our democracy. By providing access to information, promoting literacy, fostering community engagement, ensuring inclusivity, and protecting intellectual freedom, libraries help build a society where citizens are informed, engaged, and empowered.
In 2023, DCPLF leveraged a record 1,921 private philanthropic donations ranging in size from $5 to $375,000 that resulted in a record $1.7M in programmatic investments.
Our recent investments include:
support for children and families to make the transition from kindergarten to first grade,
social justice arts programming for teens,
care kits for unhoused DC residents,
support for world renowned exhibitions like the Leonardo DaVinci exhibition, the Emmett Till Exhibit, and the Smithsonian Woman’s History Museum,
entrepreneurship courses for DC’s next small business leaders,
and community conversations around anti-racism, approaches to restorative justice, and programs celebrating the diversity of Washington, DC.
We are grateful to library staff for their tireless efforts providing excellent service and creating a welcoming environment for all; and to our volunteers, including the DCPLF Board of Directors and DCPL Board of Trustees, whose contributions have made a significant impact on our programs and initiatives.
The library is a magical place where opportunity intersects with action, giving its customers the joy of lifelong learning. DCPLF brings the best of the private sector and its resources to this already venerable government institution. To our donors, thank you for all of your support as you are the backbone of this organization, and we wish good health and happiness.
Cheers,
Rob
Teen Council
“While working at the library, I have improved on my social skills and confidence.”
- Teen Council participant
DC Public Library’s Teen Councilors worked at neighborhood libraries across the city assisting library-goers with research, organizing materials, and putting on events. Teens also received mentorship from university students on life after high school, college admissions, and internships.
This year, Teen Council partnered with Imagination Stage to teach teens how to use creativity to express social and political ideas. They learned about historical and contemporary artists, authors, film makers, and musicians who use creativity to inspire change. Teens then created their own works of writing, art, or film and displayed them at their neighborhood library.
“I wasn’t sure how this whole thing was going to turn out,” one teen reported, “But this was really amazing! I can’t wait to do it again.”
Photo features Teen Council participants including Destinee Coburn (fifth from left), Nicky Gionis (top center), and Nya Tucker (third from right) with other library leaders.
“I brought my three grandchildren to the exhibit, and we loved it.”
- Library Visitor
In the summer of 2023, DC Public Library hosted Imagining the Future - Leonardo da Vinci: In the Mind of an Italian Genius, an exhibition of twelve original drawings from the Codex Atlanticus, the largest existing collection of da Vinci’s writings and drawings.
In collaboration with Confindustria, the Foundation supported the installation of Leo’s Lab, where visitors of all ages could explore the inventions, art, and ideas of the original Renaissance man through hands-on activities. Some visitors skimmed the surface, trying different writing, flying, and building techniques for just a few moments, while others stayed for a while, trying different gear combinations, creating cities with different looks, and exploring artistic mediums.
To encourage visitors to see every station within Leo’s Lab, children’s librarian Allie Genia created a scavenger hunt that challenged participants to write down letters in a sequence, unlock the hidden word: Invention, and win a special prize.
Beyond the Book
Now in its second year, the Beyond the Book continues to enable DC Public Library to celebrate and distribute excellent children’s books that are of interest to developing readers, invite family discussion, and reflect on the diversity of DC. The books inspire library staff in planning family events and become enduring graphics in neighborhood libraries that promote pride and interest in communities across the city.
Since launching in 2022, Beyond the Book has:
Provided 20,000+ materials and activity guides to families, caregivers, and community members
Distributed 18,000+ books at library family events, outreach events at schools and festivals, and family author talks.
Enrolled 4,383 families in the Beyond the Book club, which includes a monthly newsletter, books, and special invitations to author talks and family programming throughout the year
BATTLE OF THE BANNED
Our freedoms are not guaranteed.
This event uplifted the voices of banned authors and sent a strong message: our supporters believe in the freedom to read.
During the event, inspiring community advocates were honored with our second annual DCPLF awards.
Igniting the Community Award
Washington AIDS Partnership
Spotlight Award
Denise Rolark Barnes
Publisher, The Washington Informer
Transformer Award
Monumental Sports and Entertainment
Institute for Racial Equity in Literacy (#IREL)
What does a classroom, a school, or even a society that is actively and deeply engaged in freedom look like? As bell hooks reminds us, when we push against and beyond boundaries, we get closer to the practice of freedom.
In this spirit, eighty-three educators gathered in DC in July 2023 for the latest iteration of the Institute for Racial Equity in Literacy (IREL) at the historic Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. Together, this group of educators — teachers, librarians, and administrators — took on bell hooks’ call to make education a practice of freedom.
Attendees represented more than a dozen different states and DC, with the largest representation from D.C. (27%), California (24%), New York (12%), Maryland (8%), North Carolina (8%), and Virginia (7%).
IREL provided the critical and necessary space for educators to gather in community and examine the intersection between literacy and social justice as an antidote to divisiveness and a voice for justice.
IREL participants celebrate after completing a group activity challenge during Session 1.
OUR financials
thank you, donors
$100,000+
Pepco Holdings
$10,000-$99,999
Sunny and Bill Alsup
Aetna
Amazon.com
DowntownDC BID
Friends of the Cleveland Park Library
Susan Haight
Hilton Hotels
Joseph and Arkadi Gerney Family Foundation
Judy and Peter Kovler
Monumental Sports and Entertainment
Morgan O'Donnell
Pine Tree Foundation
Pivotal Ventures
TEGNA Foundation
James Vaughter
Washington Gas Company
Tobie Whitman and Dan Yates
$2,500-$9,999
4C Partners, LLC
Jennifer Backus
Marc Battle
Sally Cameron
Cimko Strategies
Bonnie and Lou Cohen
Cherrie Doggett
EventsDC
Fort Lincoln Realty Company, Inc.
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Friends of the Georgetown Library
Friends of the Mount Pleasant Library
Galena-Yorktown Foundation
Kathleen Hobson and Atul Gawande
Gilbane Building Company
Graham Holdings
Julia and John Hartman
Lilly and Eric Minkove
Monumental Sports and Entertainment Foundation
Erin Harkless Moore
Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Netflix
Akemi Nishida
Nussdorf Family Foundation
Samuel M. Levy Family Foundation
Smoot Construction Company of Washington DC
Jenna Stark
Verizon
$500-$2,499
Katie Aiello-Howard
Neil Albert
Deborah Ambers
Dale Appleman
Arent Fox LLP
Amy Argetsinger
Jean Badalamenti
Diana Bauer
Mary Beale
Michael Berman
Amy Brandwein
Donella Brockington
Sue Carlton
Ellen Charles
Choquette Family Fund
Leroy Clay, III
Juan Cockburn
Clara David
Ben and Julia DeAngelo
Laura DeBonis
Kathy and Mark Dedrick
Kelsey Donoho
Clark Evans Downs
Yvonne Dupree
Andrea Duskas
Ashton Fandel
Sarah Feinmann
Steven Feldman
Lisa Frehill
Elisabeth French
Friends of Chevy Chase DC Library
Friends of Juanita Thornton-Shepherd Park Library
Friends of Southeast Library
Friends of Southwest Library
Friends of the Palisades Library
Ethan Gacek
David Garlock
Christina Giffin
Jo Anne and Benjamin Ginsberg
Shana Glickfield
Victoria Godfrey
Avigail Goldgraber
Andrew Goldsmith
Steve Gorniak
Margaret Grandine
Elizabeth Graves
Eugenia Grohman
Erwin Gudelsky
Gail Harmon
Florence and Peter D. Hart
Contina Harvey
Carly Hawkins
Andrew Haworth
Linnea Hegarty
Hitchcock Hoagland Foundation
Cathy MacNeil and Mark Hollinger
Myra Holsinger
Sari Hornstein
Joan E. Kane
Irene and Edward Kaplan
Elizabeth Kaplan
Andrew Kapochunas
Timothy Kearns
Kitty Kelley
Helen and David Kenney
Sarah Eilers
Elizabeth Engel
Lara Englund
Uchenna Evans
Praveen Fernandes
Kaitlyn Fieldhouse
Eileen Findlay
Deidre Flippen
Elsie Frazier
Beth Galleto
Alison Games
Nancy Garruba
Sharon Gaskin
Stephen Geimann
Laurie Gillman
Robin Glantz
Stephanie Gober
Tawara Goode
Stefan and Wilhelmina Gottschalk
Henry Griffin
Elizabeth Hack
Caroline Harlow
Terry Harr
Lynne and Henry Heilbrunn
Kirby Heller
Margaret Hennessey
Jane Henrici
Sonia Herson
Martin Hrivnak
Deh-I Hsiung
Helen Ingalls
Robert Jernigan
Aileen Johnson
Elizabeth and Auden Kaehler
Gwendolyn and Colbert King
Dave Steadman and Daphne Kiplinger
Michael Kitay
Joan Fabry and Michael Klein
Chaya Koffman
Noah Kravitz
Jade Lamb
Lamond-Riggs Library Friends
Alex Laskey
Daniel Pink and Jessica Lerner
Carl Leubsdorf
Jim Lewis
Ronald Lewis
Eva Lipiec
Little Fund That Could
Beth Ludlum
Alex Mahoney
Bob McDonald
Jordan Meyer
Jeffrey Miccolis
Miller Gootnick Family Fund
Melissa Nitti
Paul O'Leary
George Pelecanos
Mary Joy Pigozzi
Lisa Polisar
Harry Quinton
Molly Raglani
Harish Rao
Raytheon
Dr. Beth Reaves
Richard Reyes-Gavilan
Marietta Robinson
Carol Rodrigues
Joni Cromwell Kegelmeyer
Elizabeth King
John G. Kolb, Jr.
Patricia and John Koskinen
Elizabeth Kraft
Barry Kropf
Robert Landau
Elizabeth Lee
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
Ulrike Lehr
David Lewis
Henry Lichstein
Catherine Livingston
Joanna Lowell
Alisa Luu
Rosalie Mandelbaum
Joyce Maring
David and Mary Marquardt
Judith Marshall
Roger Mattioli
Virginia McArthur
Microsoft Matching Gifts Program
Monique Moore
Margaret Morrison
Whitney Muse
Alissa Neuhausen
Hannah Page-Salisbury
Colleen Peck
Myrna Peralta
Mark Plant
Christie Platt
Progressive Insurance Foundation
Cathy Raines
Judith Rippeteau
T. Sherwood Robinson
Harriet Rogers
H. David and Carla Rosenbloom
Theresa Russo
Molly Sampson
Elizabeth Saunders
Jill Schreifer
Ann Schulze
Kilkil Shah
Meyer and Deanne Sharlin
Hiroko and Jonathon Smith
Michael Snodgrass
Kimberly Stevens
Jed Herrmann and Meg Sullivan
Jennifer Swize
Matthew Tanner
The Faulb Family Charitable Fund
The PEW Charitable Trusts
The Sally M. and Stephen A. Herman Foundation
The Share Fund
Andrew Trueblood
Emily Ullman
United Way of the National Capital Area
Denise Vogt
Josh Wachs
Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation
West End Library Friends
Delise and Juan Williams
Natalie Winston
Janet Wittes
Yield Givinga
Georgia Yuan
$250-$499
Jesse Abraham
Richard Aiken
Hugh and Julie Allen
Shanel Anthony
David and Heidi Applegate
Carol Aschenbrener
Ali Azizikia
Backus Family Fund
Thayer and Kevin Baine
Sylvia Bergstrom
Joshua Blume
Jo Bond
Yael Bortnick
Phylicia Bowman
Howard Brown
Jeffrey Gutman and Stacy Brustin
Calvin Cafritz
Maureen Gaj Cappello
Priya Cariappa
Morris Chalick
Jacqueline Chapman
Pamela Cheers
Stuart Chiron
Thomas Cohen
Comcast Corporation
Ann Louise and Edward Cowan
William Dakin
Joel Davidow
Linda Davis
Elizabeth Delaney
John Delmore
Barbara Devaney
Carol Duke
Margaret Dwyer
Samuel Dyer
Michael Rosskamm
Joe Rothstein
Carol Sadler
Meredith Saggers
Betty H. Sams
Jean Samuels
Stephanie Schierholz
Lois Schiffer
Robert Schneider
James Schweitzer
Amy Muhlberg and Daniel Sernovitz
Ann Sheffield
Christopher Short
John Silver
Christopher Sipes
Gail Gorlitz and Cris Smith
Corinne Smith
Daniel Fine and Sarah Snyder
Susan Spencer
Nancy Spittle
Barbara and David Swan
Barbara Tenenbaum
The Kathyanne and Adam Family Fund
Ida T. Tobe
J. Toscano
Olivia Tritschler
Mark Turner
Michael Van Dusen
Serena Viswanathan
Maria Volpe
Christopher Walker
Joann Weiner
Kathy S. Williams
Juan and Delise Williams
Julia Sinclair Winton
board of directors
CO-CHAIRS
Marquett Smith & Susan B. Haight
TREASURER
Contina Harvey
Amazon Web Services
INVESTMENT CHAIR
Leroy Clay, III
Government of the District of Columbia
DEVELOPMENT CHAIR
Lilly Minkove
artLogica
NOMINATIONS CHAIR
Kelly Skoloda
Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Marc Battle
DC Water
Paul Choquette, III
Gilbane
Tammy Gordon
Novavax, Inc.
Morgan O’Donnell
PEPCO
Myrna Peralta
CentroNía
Beth Reaves
Washington School for Girls
Tobie Whitman
Little Acre Flowers
Ramunda Lark Young
MahoganyBooks
Bonnie Cohen
Honorary Board
Honorable Anthony A. Williams
Honorary Board
Gail Harmon
Honorary Board