Form 990 for tax year 2024

Totals

Total revenue

$1,175,577

Total expenses

$1,160,989

Contributions and grants received

$963,231

Grants paid

$0

Program service revenue

$10,901

Investment income

$9

Other revenue

$201,436

Total assets, end of year

$2,128,452

Total liabilities, end of year

$2,117,383

Net assets or fund balances, end of year

$11,069

Program services expenses (Part IX)

$1,133,794

Management and general expenses

$23,143

Fundraising expenses

$4,052

Program service expenses (Part III)

$1,133,794

Program services were 97.7% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Mission and programs · 2024

• THE BIG FREE BOOKSTORE: IMAGINE A PLACE WHERE THE JOY OF READING IS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE, WHERE THE SHELVES ARE STOCKED WITH A TREASURE TROVE OF STORIES WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED. THE BIG FREE BOOKSTORE IS EXACTLY THAT - A WELCOMING SPACE OFFERING HIGH-QUALITY, NEW, AND GENTLY USED BOOKS, WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, YET PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR EVERY FAMILY MEMBER. OUR BOOKSTORE IS MORE THAN JUST A COLLECTION OF BOOKS; IT'S A VIBRANT COMMUNITY HUB. WITH RESOURCES SPANNING ALL AGES, WE ENSURE THAT THE JOY OF LITERARY EXPLORATION IS A SHARED FAMILY EXPERIENCE. FROM THE ENCHANTING WORLD OF CHILDREN'S FAIRY TALES TO THE THOUGHT-PROVOKING REALMS OF ADULT FICTION AND NON-FICTION, THERE'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE.

  Expenses $396,828

• BULK BOOK DISTRIBUTION: IN OUR QUEST TO MAKE LITERACY ACCESSIBLE TO ALL, THE BULK BOOK DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM BY REACH PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE. WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE POWER OF A BOOK EXTENDS FAR BEYOND ITS PAGES, AND OUR MISSION IS TO ENSURE THAT THIS POWER REACHES AS MANY HANDS AS POSSIBLE. WE WORK CLOSELY WITH A NETWORK OF PARTNER AGENCIES IN THE AREA, PROVIDING THEM WITH NEW BOOKS AT LITTLE TO NO COST. THESE AGENCIES AND PROGRAMS, WHICH QUALIFY BASED ON THEIR COMMITMENT TO LITERACY AND COMMUNITY SERVICE, BECOME CONDUITS FOR SPREADING KNOWLEDGE AND JOY THROUGH BOOKS.

  Expenses $680,276

• GROWING READERS PROGRAM: IN A WORLD WHERE EDUCATION IS THE CORNERSTONE OF OPPORTUNITY, OUR "GROWING READERS" PROGRAM STANDS AS A TESTAMENT TO THE POWER OF SHARED KNOWLEDGE AND COMMUNITY SPIRIT. THIS INITIATIVE IS DEDICATED TO DISTRIBUTING GENTLY DONATED USED BOOKS, COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE, TO CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND AGENCIES, FOSTERING A CULTURE OF LITERACY AND LEARNING IN COMMUNITIES THAT NEED IT MOST.

  Expenses $56,690

• FAMILY LITERACY KITS: THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF A CHILD'S LIFE ARE CRUCIAL FOR THEIR DEVELOPMENT, LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR FUTURE LEARNING AND SUCCESS. OUR FAMILY LITERACY KITS PROGRAM IS DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN AGED ZERO TO FIVE WHO ARE ENROLLED IN HOME VISITATION PROGRAMS. WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY CHILD, REGARDLESS OF THEIR BACKGROUND, DESERVES THE JOY AND BENEFITS OF EARLY LITERACY. RAP SESSIONS (READ ALOUD PROGRAM): AT THE HEART OF OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE ARE ITS CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY THOSE FACING THE TOUGHEST OF LIFE'S CHALLENGES. OUR READ ALOUD PROGRAM (RAP) IS EMPOWERS CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGH STORIES, GEARED TOWARDS CHILDREN AGED 6 TO 12. THIS PROGRAM ISN'T JUST ABOUT READING STORIES; IT'S ABOUT OPENING DOORS TO NEW WORLDS AND POSSIBILITIES SESSIONS CAN TAKE PLACE ANYWHERE, AND TYPICALLY OCCUR INSIDE THE BIG FREE BOOKSTORE, LOCAL COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND AREA HOMELESS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS. SCHOOL HOUSE ROCKIN' TEACHER RESOURCE PROGRAM: SESSIONS ARE CONDUCTED WEEKLY, BI-MONTHLY, OR MONTHLY, READ-ALOUD SESSIONS TAKE PLACE AT 11 SHELTERS AND THROUGH 16 COMMUNITY INITIATIVES ACROSS COASTAL VIRGINIA TO HELP CHILDREN BUILD STRONGER ACADEMIC FUTURES. PROGRAMMING CONSISTS OF VARIOUS STORIES AND ACTIVITIES, AS WELL AS THE SELECTION OF TWO NEW BOOKS AT THE CLOSE OF THE PROGRAM.

As filed on the 2024 return. The filer continues this part on Schedule O, which is not shown here.

Listed in Part VII

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those.

Grants on this return

No itemized grants to organizations on this return.

Provenance

Return type

form_990

Tax year

2024

Filed

28 April 2026

IRS schema version

2024v5.0

Source object

202611209349302706

Check it against the return as filed: the GivingTuesday Data Lake hosts a public copy of the original XML.

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