Education (B71Z) IRS Verified DX Registered 990 on File

BROOKLYN PUBLIC LIBRARY

EIN: 11-1904261 · BROOKLYN, NY 11238-5611 · United States · FY 2023 Data

3 out of 5 56 / 100 Based on 2+ years of filings

Financial strength (30%) 76/100

Reliability (20%) 55/100

Effectiveness (25%) 88/100

Impact (25%) No data yet

Financial data: FY 2023 · Scored 9/13/2026

Claim this Charity

CharityAI™ Score

Not yet evaluated

Mission Statement

Brooklyn Public Library is among the borough’s most democratic civic institutions, serving patrons in every neighborhood and from every walk of life. Established in 1896, BPL is one of the nation’s largest public library systems and currently has more than 620,000 active cardholders. With a branch library within a half-mile of the majority of Brooklyn’s 2.7 million residents, BPL is a recognized leader in cultural offerings, literacy, out-of-school-time services, workforce development programs, and digital literacy. In a borough of wide economic disparity, where the costs of basic necessities often take priority over spending on cultural enrichment opportunities, BPL provides a democratic space where patrons of all economic standings can avail themselves and their children of cultural and educational programs in a broad range of disciplines.

Financial Overview — FY 2023

$163.2M

Total Revenue

$164.3M

Total Expenses

$158.6M

Net Assets

1662

Employees

Revenue Sources

Expense Breakdown

Program Expense Ratio 88.6%

Fundraising Efficiency N/A

Operating Reserve 11.58x

Liability-to-Asset 24.3%

Revenue Diversification 98.3%

Executive Compensation $1.7M

Compared with Peers

FY 2023

Compared with 607 similar organizations (United States, Education, $100M and over in expenses), FY 2023.

This organization Middle half of peers (P25–P75) Peer median

Ratio	This org	Peer median	Position (P10 → P90)
Program expense ratio Program expenses / total expenses · higher is better	88.6%	87.4%	P10P90	Above median
Admin expense ratio Management and general / total expenses · lower is better	8.3%	10.5%	P10P90	Above median
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expenses / total expenses · lower is better	3.1%	1.3%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Operating reserve Months of expenses covered by net assets · higher is better	11.6 mo	20.3 mo	P10P90	Below median
Liabilities to assets Total liabilities / total assets · lower is better	24.3%	27.0%	P10P90	Above median
Revenue concentration Share of revenue from the largest source · lower is better	98.3%	84.6%	P10P90	Bottom quarter
Revenue growth Year over year revenue growth	-9.1%	-2.0%	P10P90
Expense growth Year over year expense growth	14.2%	5.9%	P10P90
Surplus margin Surplus as a share of revenue	-0.7%	1.3%	P10P90

Financial History

Year	Revenue	Expenses	Net Assets	Program %	Staff
2023	$163.2M	$164.3M	$158.6M	88.6%	1662
2022	$179.4M	$143.9M	$141.4M	87.6%	1361
2021	$166.9M	$138.9M	N/A	—	1426

Donor Reviews

Write a Review

No reviews yet

Be the first to share your experience with this organization.

Write a Review

Your Name *

Email * (private, not shown)

Relationship to Organization *

Your Rating *

Review Title

Your Review *

Minimum 20 characters

Post anonymously

Reviews appear after moderation (usually within 24 hours)

Organization Details

EIN: 11-1904261
State: NY
City: BROOKLYN
ZIP: 11238-5611
Classification: B71Z
Category: Education
Rating: 3★
Coverage: A
Last Updated: Aug 2026
IRS Ruling Year: 1896
Foundation Code: 15
Form 990: On File

Is this your organization?

Claim it to manage this profile, add your board, financials and impact metrics, and lift your CharityAI™ rating.

Claim this Charity

Write a Review

Back to Search New Search

CharityAI™ rates charities from 0 to 100 using public filings (IRS Form 990 and the equivalent registries outside the US) together with the information the charity itself provides on DonationX. Ratings are recalculated every quarter, without human bias, and shown as stars.

Four pillars

Financial strength30%

Program expense ratio, fundraising efficiency, operating reserves, liabilities and revenue diversification, compared with similar organizations.

Reliability20%

Standing with the registry, filing history, verification and how complete the profile is.

Effectiveness25%

How much goes to programs and how consistently the organization delivers them.

Impact25%

The outcomes the charity reports on DonationX: people served, cost per service and results.

Stars

★★★★★ 80–100 ★★★★☆ 60–79 ★★★☆☆ 40–59 ★★☆☆☆ 20–39 ★☆☆☆☆ 1–19

A pillar with no data counts as zero. Without impact metrics the score is capped at 59 (three stars): only the charity can supply that data.
The coverage grade (A to D) says how much filing data the score rests on; NONE means there is not enough to rate.
An organization that is not in good standing with its registry (for example a revoked tax exemption) is shown as Not rated.
"Compared with peers" places the charity's key ratios against organizations of the same country, sector and size.

How a charity improves its rating

Claim the charity with a work email, a website token, or a document.
Complete the profile: mission, website, logo and contacts.
Add board members, your latest Form 990 or financials, and impact metrics.
Keep it current: the next quarterly rating picks the changes up.