Interior of the St. Helena branch library, showing a bright reading area with computer stations, seating, and bookshelves under a wood-beamed ceiling


About the Public Library Foundation of Beaufort County

Private support for your public library

The Public Library Foundation of Beaufort County raises private gifts and builds a permanent endowment to pay for the facilities, equipment, and programs that public funding doesn’t cover.

A librarian speaking to a group of teenagers gathered in the library during a youth program

Our Mission

Provide funding for facilities and equipment for the Beaufort County Library that are not anticipated to be available from state or local government funding. In so doing, the Foundation will enable the Library to achieve its goal of becoming a first-class library and meeting the needs and desires of the citizens of Beaufort County.

Early 2000s

The Beaufort County Library Board of Trustees concluded that local, state, and federal funding would not cover the library services county residents wanted, either then or in the years ahead. A committee was formed to find another source of money.

The Research

The committee studied how libraries across the country had solved the same problem and settled on an independent foundation.

2005

The Public Library Foundation of Beaufort County was organized independently of the County Council, the Library, and the Library Board of Trustees. The IRS granted it 501(c)(3) status, and South Carolina approved its charitable registration. A board was appointed, officers were elected, and bylaws and a mission statement were adopted.

Since 2005

Donor gifts have paid for WeeRead and early childhood literacy programs, the Summer Reading Program, the Artist in Residence stipend, and the county-wide Literacy Together coalition. They have also bought more than 10,000 children’s books for the St. Helena Branch, large print collections, and new digital titles, along with shelving for the Beaufort District Collection’s historical maps and the teen space at St. Helena.

The Foundation is run by a volunteer board of Beaufort County residents.

Patsy Hand

Co-President

Woody Rutter

Co-President

John Donkersloot

Vice President & Secretary

Lynne Miller

Director

Miriam Mitchell

Director

Anthony Maddaluna

DIRECTOR

Amanda Dickman

EX-OFFICIO

Kathy Cooper

TRUSTEE LIAISON

Frequently asked questions

Each Friends of the Library group is a membership organization that supports its own local branch. The Foundation raises money for projects across the whole system that reach every branch.

No. The Foundation is independent of both, with its own bylaws and Board of Directors.

No. The Board of Directors has a policy that only earnings from the Endowment Fund can be spent.

Yes. The Foundation has a naming policy for significant contributions.

Yes. The Foundation is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our tax ID number is 14-1925218.

Local, county, and state funding covers the library’s day-to-day operations. The Foundation raises private gifts and builds a permanent endowment to pay for the facilities, equipment, programs, and staff that public funding doesn’t cover.

Yes. Every program the Foundation funds, from Summer Reading to WeeRead and Artist in Residence workshops, is free to the public.

Email:
beaufortlibraryfoundation@gmail.com


Our mailing address is:
Public Library Foundation of Beaufort County
311 Scott Street, Suite 201
Beaufort, SC 29902

Every gift opens a new door for our community

Your gifts keep Beaufort County’s libraries free, vibrant, and open to everyone, for learning, leisure, and life.

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