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Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation hits $10M fundraising goal for westside library
‘Transformational gift’ from Busse Foundation puts capital campaign over the edge
Sep. 25, 2025 9:30 am, Updated: Sep. 25, 2025 3:50 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS — The fundraising campaign for Cedar Rapids’ new westside library has officially concluded thanks to a "transformational,” multimillion-dollar donation.
The Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation on Thursday announced the conclusion of its $10 million “Inspiring Big Dreams” capital campaign for the new library being built near 20th Avenue and Edgewood Road SW.
The campaign was supported significantly by a $3.5 million donation from the Busse Foundation, a family-run charitable foundation. To honor the capstone gift, the new branch will be named the Cedar Rapids Public Library Busse Branch.
“It’s humbling really,” said Charity Tyler, executive director for the library foundation. “To see that kind of belief in libraries and what libraries do for communities, … I don’t know if the words exist to appropriately express our gratitude.”
The campaign and the more than 500 donors who contributed to it are one portion of the funding pool for the larger $25 million effort to replace the current Ladd Library, which is located within leased space at 3750 Williams Blvd. SW.
The Busse Branch — expected to open in the fall of 2026 — will span roughly 40,000 square feet, compared to 28,405 square feet at Ladd. Library. Cedar Rapids Library Director Dara Schmidt said the larger footprint will allow for expanded material storage, as well as additional programming and meeting space.
“The weight of the responsibility that comes from hundreds of people believing in this project, … makes us want to make this the best thing we possibly can for the community,” Schmidt said. “And we just hope the community is proud of us when we’re done.”
Busse gift latest in list of charitable contributions
Tyler said discussions around replacing the Ladd Library have been going on for more than a decade.
That goal began to truly materialize in 2020, however, when the late Nadine E. Sandberg made a nearly $2 million estate gift to purchase the property on which the new library is being built.
The project also received $10 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds — $6 million allocated from the city of Cedar Rapids and another $4 million from the Linn County Board of Supervisors.
The Cedar Rapids Library Foundation — a nonprofit dedicated to supporting library services — launched its capital campaign in January of 2024 to identify and collect private dollars to further support the project.
The result was a cascade of small, medium and large donations from library fans across Cedar Rapids and beyond — including the Busse Foundation’s $3.5 million contribution.
“It’s been transformational gift after transformational gift that has really made all this possible … along with a community of volunteers and library supporters who came together to get this project right,” Tyler said.
The Busse Foundation has made several significant charitable donations in recent years, including $2 million toward the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Corridor for its new downtown Busse Unit.
In a written statement, Jeff Busse — executive director of the family’s foundation — said the library donation was inspired by the family’s love of reading and prior positive experience with the Cedar Rapids library system.
“Our three daughters have always been avid readers and the library played an important role for them growing up,” he wrote. “Clearly the library plays an important role in literacy development, but it has grown to be so much more: A place for people to learn about community resources, a place to gather … and a safe space.”
What’s planned for the Busse Branch?
Schmidt said the Cedar Rapids Public Library’s Busse Branch will act as a new, permanent community gathering space on the city’s west side.
Once open, its collection will be almost 50 percent larger than the one currently available at the Ladd Library, with some of the largest expansions planned for the children’s and young adult sections.
The new building also will have significantly more meeting and community rooms than the Ladd Library, and the new rooms will be better equipped to serve patrons in terms of function, accessibility and privacy.
“We always kind of found a way to make things work (at the Ladd Library), but that doesn’t mean it always works very well,” Schmidt said. “This building was designed from the very beginning with a lot of intentionality behind each decision.”
The facility was laid out to offer increased accessibility features for patrons with disabilities, as well, and visitors also will be able to access a new city park that will be built adjacent to the library.
Crews broke ground on the project last year, and Schmidt said the project remains on track for the planned fall 2026 opening. For future updates on the project and the eventual grand opening, visit crlibrary.org/westside.
Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com
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