Andrew Carnegie founded the Carnegie Corporation of New York in 1911, which funded the construction of 2,509 libraries in the United States. Out of those 2,509 libraries, 164 public libraries were constructed in Indiana. Now, the Carnegie Corporation of New York is honoring these libraries with $20 million in new funding! What does this mean for Carnegie libraries? The Carnegie Corporation of New York will give gifts of $10,000 that can be used however the library sees fit. The recipients can expect to receive the money in January of 2026. James Marsden, manager of special projects in the Office of the President at the Carnegie Corporation of New York, stated in an email, “The $10k gift is for each library or branch that is itself a Carnegie library, or descended from one. For example, in Indianapolis Andrew Carnegie funded three branch libraries which are still going, so IPL is receiving $30k.”
This is not a drill, this is legit! So far Mooresville Public Library, Jackson County Public Library and others have received their gift. “Our founder, Andrew Carnegie, who championed the free public library movement of the late 19th century, described libraries as ‘cradles of democracy’ that ‘strengthen the democratic idea, the equality of the citizen, and the royalty of man,’” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, in a press release. “We still believe this and are delighted to celebrate our connection to the libraries he founded.”
For any library interested in receiving this wonderful gift, please send your W-9 by Nov. 14, 2025. If they have any questions about your organization’s eligibility or charitable status, they’ll contact you at the address you provided or by phone. You can upload your W-9 and contact James by following the instructions below:
To process your gift, you can download a blank form here. You may submit the completed W-9 by online to a secure upload site, or via mail:
James Marsden, President’s Office
Carnegie Corporation of New York
437 Madison Avenue Floor 31
New York, NY 10022
The Carnegie Corporation of New York press release can be read here.
This post was submitted by Meg Adams, Central regional coordinator at the Indiana State Library.