Building Better Libraries Every Day

YOU CAN HELP

What We Do

Madison Public Library Foundation mobilizes the Madison community to continuously improve, promote, and support Madison Public Library. Your gifts allow us to take the library beyond city funding to a new level of excellence designed to reach the whole community. A Madison, Wisconsin nonprofit organization, the foundation fuels literacy, opportunity, and lifelong learning through equal access to free resources. Our work relies on charitable donations, corporate sponsorships, grants, fundraising event support, and other generous investments that help us Build Better Libraries Every Day.

Library patrons doing yoga at Central Library event

A little girl with pigtails holds up a t-shirt that she made with an orange fish painted on it. A caption in the bottom left corner says "Sequoya Library: Chinese Storytime"

Investing in Families, Literacy, and Community

When you give to Madison Public Library, you’re elevating diverse voices, languages, and stories and creating places where families can connect, learn, and feel at home.

A line forms outside Orpheum Theater in downtown Madison

25 Years of Stories and Connections

This spring, the Wisconsin Book Festival’s 25th anniversary season brought powerful stories and ideas to life across Madison. Donors like you made it possible!

The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park

Join us in creating a vibrant space where community takes root. The first new branch in a generation, the library will serve the city’s northeast sides.

Donate Today

A group of people stand and wave on a soccer field in celebration

Youth Writing Contest Returns

The WE READ Youth Voices writing contest is open for submissions May 1 – June 30, 2026. Six youth will be published and win up to $500 in cash prizes thanks to support from the Madison Public Library Foundation.

Personal archiving equipment at Central Library includes a laptop, scanner, and a device that digitizes cassettes. The caption at the bottom left of the screen says Central Library and Personal Archiving Lab.

Creating a Legacy, One Memory at a Time

Imagine a Madison where stories can be preserved, regardless of income, experience, or access to technology.

Three people sit at a table in the library working on filling out tax documents.

Give Smarter with a Qualified Charitable Distribution

If you’re looking for a tax-smart way to support Madison Public Library, a Qualified Charitable Distribution is a powerful option.

Lost in the Stats: Quiz Edition

Lost in the Stats is a recurring feature that highlights library-related numbers. In this issue, we’re highlighting stats about breaking down barriers to access.

Take the Quiz

Imagine Spaces Built for Connection

When you give a gift to Madison Public Library Foundation, you’re creating reliable, welcoming spaces that communities grow and thrive in.

“The library works at all sorts of levels to make the community more knowledgeable and just a better place to be.”

– Diane Grypp, patron

Read Diane's story

“Madison Public Library cares about the atmosphere, and allowing the library to be a free community space, where no one is discriminated against. … It’s a safe place.”

– Hasan Kaya, patron

Read Hasan's story

Madison Public Library Foundation
201 W. Mifflin Street
Madison, WI 53703
608.266.6318
Tax ID: 39-1777242

Madison Public Library