Central Arkansas Library System Foundation

The mission of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) Foundation is to provide support for educational and cultural programming for the patrons, communities, and neighborhoods being served by the Central Arkansas Library System and its branches. The CALS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax deductible.

Donations to the CALS Foundation are essential for library programs like Summer @ CALS, Six Bridges Book Festival, Be Mighty Little Rock, the Rock It! Lab entrepreneurship center, and others. Donations also support programs at neighborhood branches.

Invest in Central Arkansas by investing in your library. Your generosity helps CALS make a bigger impact.

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To donate by check: print this donation form, fill it out, and mail it with your check to: CALS Foundation, 100 Rock Street, Little Rock, AR, 72201.

To donate over the phone: please call 501-320-5750.


Ways of Giving

ONE-TIME OR MONTHLY GIVING

Donations of any size will help strengthen your library. Give to your favorite branch or program or designate your gift to wherever it’s needed most. You can give once or schedule a recurring monthly gift. To donate by check: print this donation form, fill it out, and mail it with your check to: CALS Foundation, 100 Rock Street, Little Rock, AR, 72201. To donate over the phone: please call 501-320-5750. Click the button below to donate online.
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HONOR OR MEMORIAL GIFTS

Give a donation in someone’s name to honor or remember a friend, family member, or colleague. When a tribute gift is given, the honoree will receive a letter acknowledging your generosity and a bookplate will be placed in a book. Be sure to fill in the Tribute Name and acknowledgment information.
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SPONSORSHIPS

Sign up to sponsor the 2024 Six Bridges Book Festival – the preeminent literary event in Arkansas. This year will be our twenty-first festival. To support this milestone celebration of books and reading, contact etborne@cals.org or 501-320-5750.

PLANNED GIVING

Make a planned gift that can help ensure quality materials, programming, and services for our libraries for years to come. For more information, contact etborne@cals.org or 501-320-5750.

IRA QUALIFIED CHARITABLE DISTRIBUTIONS

You may be eligible to make a gift from your Individual Retirement Account to the CALS Foundation and have it count toward your required minimum distribution. For more information, contact etborne@cals.org or 501-320-5750.

KROGER REWARDS

Sign up for Kroger Rewards and a portion of your purchases at Kroger will be donated to the CALS Foundation. Go to krogercommunityrewards.com, click “Create an Account” to sign in, and select CALS Foundation as your organization to support.

Community Impact

Libraries enrich, educate, and entertain children and adults. Libraries boost literacy, lifelong learning, and cultural awareness. Here at CALS, we help connect children and teens with free after-school meals, provide free math tutoring to students, and assist job seekers and under-resourced entrepreneurs.

In December 2021, CALS was honored to be recognized with the Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize – an annual prize given by Library Journal to one public library in the country. In April 2022, CALS was named a finalist for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, which is the highest federal honor for libraries.

Your donations to the CALS Foundation will help your library continue to serve thousands of Arkansans through our exceptional and free community programs.

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About the CALS Foundation

Created in 1975, the Central Arkansas Library System is recognized as a leading community institution. The library’s mission is to provide resources and services to help residents reach their full potential, and to inspire discovery, learning, and cultural expression. CALS is the largest public library in Arkansas, with approximately 11% of the state’s population living in our service area.

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Contact the CALS Foundation

Dear CALS supporter,  

In 2023, the Central Arkansas Library System served thousands of meals to kids, offered a world-class Summer @ CALS, mentored entrepreneurs, tutored math, and offered help with technology. Many of these resources and programs were only available thanks to the generosity of donors. 

As CALS’s Director of Development,

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Thank you!

In 2022, donors to the CALS Foundation, the Friends of CALS, and other grants contributed $1,128,483 toward the library.

Highlights include:

  • $225,000 from the Windgate Foundation to fund two digital literacy guides, support visual arts programming at all branches, and increase community outreach.
  • $40,000 from the Arkansas LGBTQ+ Advancement Fund to support programming for teens.
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Programs We Support

CALS is a community leader for our efforts improving literacy, the exchange of ideas, workforce development, and social engagement. The library has a large portfolio of programs designed to provide enrichment and eliminate barriers within our community.  

Donating to the CALS Foundation helps ensure the success of these programs: 

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Annual Report & Impact Analysis

CALS engaged a local consulting firm, Boyette Strategic Advisors, to study the period of 2010-19 and report on the measurable economic impact CALS had on the Little Rock MSA. Relying on nationally normed statistical methods and CALS’s employment, operational spending, capital investments, and retail sales data, Boyette Strategic determined that the total economic impact of CALS over this ten-year period exceeded one billion dollars.

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Volunteer with CALS

CALS has amazing volunteers who assist in every facet of the library system. To apply to become a volunteer, please fill out an online application. For more information, contact Volunteer Coordinator Polly Deems at 501-918-3085 or pdeems@cals.org.

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Contribute to a Little Free Pantry

In partnership with CALS, Be Mighty Little Rock supports ten Little Free Pantries and one Community Fridge in Central Arkansas. The CALS Foundation invites you to contribute items to this initiative. You can donate non-perishable items at the following branch locations: Children’s Library, Dee Brown Library, Fletcher Library, Maumelle Library, McMath Library, Millie Brooks Library (Wrightsville), Nixon Library (Jacksonville), Rooker Library, Terry Library, Thompson Library. Or donate perishable items to the Community Fridge at McMath Library. You may also donate via our Amazon wish list.

 


Join CALS board member Jennifer Jamison in donating today.