Madison Community Foundation Gives $500,000 for New Central Library

A long-time supporter of Dane County's libraries, the Madison Community Foundation has pledged $500,000 toward the new Central Library. "This capstone gift fits all of the Madison Community Foundation major focus areas: Arts & Culture, Children, Community Development, Elderly, Environment, Learning and Youth," said Kathleen Woit, Madison Community Foundation President. "Libraries are part of the thread that holds communities together, and this new facility will not only answer increased need for library services downtown, but will also be the hub for added resources for all nine Madison branches." Over the course of the last three years, Madison Community Foundation donated a total of over $620,000 to the capital campaigns for Sequoya, Lakeview, and Goodman South and $55,000 to the Pinney, Sequoya, and Hawthorne Branch Endowment Funds. This most recent donation, a part of Madison Public Library Foundation's Learning for a Lifetime: The Community Campaign for a New Central Library, is MCF's largest gift to the library in foundation history. Rich Lynch, Madison Community Foundation Board Chair and President of J.H. Findorff & Son, calls the new library ‘a model urban library plan to which the Foundation is proud to present a very major gift.' This donation will go toward the $9 million in private funds that the foundation will raise for the new building. The remainder of the $30 million project will be paid for through city funding. "Raising $9 million for the Central Library is the most ambitious endeavor that the library foundation has ever undertaken. Madison Community Foundation has truly matched the magnitude of our goal with their generosity," said Jenni Collins, Executive Director of the Madison Public Library Foundation. "It's a great endorsement from an enduring community partner." The new Central Library will expand to 120,000 square feet - over 20% larger than the existing building - adding more seats for patrons and 50% more space available to the public. It will have three times the amount of public computers, a fully-equipped media lab, and free wi-fi throughout the building. The new building, opening in 2013, is expected to receive over 1 million visitors in its first year. To donate to the Learning for a Lifetime Campaign or any of the endowment funds managed by Madison Community Foundation, visit www.mplfoundation.org or contact Jenni Collins at jcollins@mplfoundation.org.

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