Building Better Libraries Every Day

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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.

A family of four smiles together in a library children’s area. Two parents pose with their young daughter and toddler son beside a low activity table set up for drawing and scribbling, with colorful children’s artwork hanging in the window behind them.

Foundation News

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"

Tickets Now on Sale for Ex Libris: Get Them While They Last

Explore Central Library after hours with craft beverages and small bites at Ex Libris on November 6, 2026. All proceeds support Madison Public Library programs and collections through the Foundation’s unrestricted Annual Fund.

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A line forms outside Orpheum Theater in downtown Madison

Four Ways Donors Help Make MPL More Accessible

Learn more about how donor support helps Madison Public Library expand accessibility through inclusive programs, adaptive technology, and resources for people of all abilities.

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The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park is expected to open this fall. The architectural rendering shows a modern looking 1-story building clad with wood, a large Madison Public Library logo, and an arch over the entrance.

The Imagination Center at Reindahl Park Opens September 25th!

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. We invite you to two days of Grand Opening events!

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2025 Annual Report

Philanthropy helps us make possibilities a reality. Browse our latest annual report to understand the impacts of gifts on Madison Public Library, and our Community.

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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. Madison Public Library’s Personal Archiving Lab does just that.

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A decorative image of the front cover of the Fall / Winter newsletter. The text says "in this issue".

Our Fall / Winter Newsletter is Here!

Browse our newsletter for event updates, hand-picked Wisconsin Book Festival Fall Celebration highlights, and other Foundation news. 

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Why Support Madison Public Library

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

– Diane Grypp, library visitor

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, library visitor

Read Hasan's story
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Madison Public Library Foundation
201 W. Mifflin Street
Madison, WI 53703
608.266.6318
Tax ID: 39-1777242

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