Palm Springs library fundraising campaign reaches major milestone as trustees approve match

The Palm Springs Public Library Foundation has reached a fundraising milestone, raising its first $1 million toward the library’s transformation and successfully meeting the full $1 million match pledged by the Palm Springs Public Library Board of Trustees.

The $2 million total marks an early success in the foundation’s $7 million goal that will support community-driven elements of the library’s $52 million transformation currently underway. With the match complete, every dollar raised to date has accelerated progress on enhanced spaces, programming and a long-term endowment to ensure sustainability for future generations.

The Library Board of Trustees approved the $1 million match during its meeting on Jan. 7. The board, which manages the Library Trust Fund and oversees long-term planning and facilities to ensure stewardship of public resources, had pledged the match to encourage community donations.

Major donors helped make the match possible, including Friends of the Palm Springs Public Library; the Jane Lykken Hoff Endowment Fund at the Inland Empire Community Foundation; Karla Kjellin-Elder and Jeff Elder; the Lamb Family Foundation; Jim Gray and Bernard Rottner and Betty Rae Smith; David Engen and Ken Pengelly; and Deborah Schwarz. An anonymous gift of $100,000, alongside dozens of other donations from $50 to $50,000, underscores the confidence in the campaign’s vision.

“We are deeply grateful to the initial donors who stepped forward to lead this important fundraising effort,” said Bill Wylie, foundation board president. “We are excited for the broader community to get involved as we write the next chapter for our invaluable community resource.”

The campaign supports enhancements that elevate the Palm Springs Public Library, including flexible community gathering spaces, maker space, expanded learning areas, outdoor reading gardens, teen center and a $5 million endowment that will provide long-term financial stability. Construction on the library’s transformation is underway, with reopening anticipated in 2027.

Director of Library Services Jeannie Kays told trustees during the Jan. 7 meeting that $85,650 in non-naming donations have come from people who just believe in the project.

“They don’t need their name on anything. They just gave us a donation,” Kays said. “It’s fabulous, and it really speaks to how supportive our community is.”

The foundation has identified $13 million worth of remaining naming opportunities for the project. Anyone interested in those opportunities or other ways to contribute can visit nextchapter.pslibraryfoundation.org.

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