Endowment funds

What is an endowment fund?

Establishing an endowment fund is a powerful way to create lasting impact at Calgary Public Library.

Built through the generosity of donors, these funds are designed to last forever. Each gift is invested, growing over time and generating annual support that helps the Library continue to inspire, connect, and innovate—year after year, for generations to come.

For more information, please contact:
Tamara Smith, Director of Development
P 403-260-2631
E tamara@libraryfoundation.ca

View the Library Foundation’s endowment policy here.

Establish your own endowment fund

You can establish your own named endowment fund with a minimum gift of $50,000. Your endowment will provide permanent support for the Library causes closest to you. Support programs, spaces, digital resources, volunteers, staff training, collections, events, technology—the most important cause is the one you choose. 

In recognition of your generosity, the name of your endowment will be displayed on the Library Foundation Endowment Wall, just outside of the TD Great Reading Room at Central Library. 

Looking for inspiration? View a list of existing donor-established endowment funds here.

General endowment funds

Thanks to ongoing donor support, Calgary Public Library Foundation has established three general endowment funds. You can contribute to an existing general endowment fund with a gift of any amount. 

  • Essential Endowment: This endowment fund provides Calgary Public Library and the Library Foundation with funding to respond flexibly to changing community needs as they arise.
  • Early Learning Endowment: This endowment fund supports the Library’s innovative early learning resources and initiatives for children under six years old—programs, services, and spaces—for young children, parents, caregivers, and families.
  • Collections Endowment: This endowment fund supports expanded and enhanced Library collections, helping to ensure continued public access to diverse, high-quality resources that support learning, research, creativity, and community engagement.

Donate to an endowment fund

In 2026, all gifts to the Essential Endowment will be matched up to $1 million.

Frequently-asked questions

You can establish your own endowment fund and support the work of Calgary Public Library according to your priorities. Contact Tamara Smith at tamara@libraryfoundation.ca or 403-260-2631 to find out more.

Your endowment fund will provide a permanent source of income that is given annually to the Library cause that you choose when you establish your fund. Because the principal of your endowment is invested, your gift will support your chosen area forever.

You can fund your endowment through all of the same donation methods you might use regularly to donate to Calgary Public Library Foundation, including through gifts of stocks and securities. If you choose to fund your endowment through instalments or pledge payments, please note that your endowment will only become active once it reaches the $50,000 minimum amount.

You can give the way that you prefer—endowments provide another way to support the Library. Immediate gifts provide vital support for the Library. However, unlike a one-time gift, an endowment provides a permanent source of funding. Your contribution is invested, and only the investment income is used to support the Library, ensuring your impact lasts for generations. Endowments enable you to support specific programs, collections, or initiatives over the long term, helping build a legacy that continues to benefit the community far into the future.

From programs to events and people to spaces, your endowment fund can support what you find most meaningful about Calgary Public Library. Because your endowment will support this area of choice forever, we will help you design it with flexibility to ensure that the original intent of your gift is always honoured.

Calgary Public Library Foundation’s Board of Directors appoints the Finance Committee to oversee all financial investments. The Finance Committee sets an annual disbursement, ensuring that your endowment makes a meaningful gift to the Library every year, while maintaining the long-term strength of the endowment by safeguarding the principal.

Yes. At the time when you establish an endowment with a gift to Calgary Public Library Foundation, you receive an official charitable tax receipt for the full amount of your gift, in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency guidelines. You also receive a tax receipt for any subsequent contributions that you make to your endowment fund.

If your legacy gift meets the minimum threshold for a Library Foundation endowment fund, you can provide instructions regarding the establishment of an endowment in your estate planning. However, the minimum threshold is set by the Board of Directors and is subject to change.

We strongly encourage you to contact us during your estate planning to ensure that Calgary Public Library Foundation can honour your wishes.

You can establish an endowment at the Library Foundation with a minimum gift of $50,000. However, the minimum threshold is set by the Board of Directors in the Library Foundation’s Endowment Policy and is subject to change. There is no minimum required to contribute to an existing endowment fund.

Your endowment fund will be commemorated in a highly visible and lasting way at the entrance to the TD Great Reading Room in Central Library. This prominent location ensures your generosity is seen and appreciated by thousands of visitors who pass through the space each year.