Greenwich Library Receives $5M Endowment To Support Programming

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich Library has received a $5 million endowment from a local couple to support its acclaimed Signature Series programming.

Granted in perpetuity by Lynne and Richard Pasculano, this is the largest endowment received by the library in more than 30 years.

"This endowment ensures that the Greenwich Library’s Signature Series will continue to inspire and engage our community for generations to come," said Joseph Williams, director of Greenwich Library, in an announcement. "We are deeply grateful to Lynne and Richard Pasculano for their generosity and vision. Their gift underscores the changing role of libraries as cultural and educational cornerstones of society, and it allows us to expand our mission of fostering thoughtful discourse and discovery and continue it for generations to come."

The Pasculanos are longtime philanthropists and supporters of education and the arts, with significant contributions to institutions such as the New York Public Library and the Lincoln Center.

"We are deeply committed to the amazing programs that Greenwich Library and its staff bring to the community," noted Lynne Pasculano. "Supporting the Library’s premier Signature Series with this endowment means that the Library will be able to continue to bring in incredible thought leaders who encourage important conversations on our world for many years to come. We are proud to support Greenwich Library and put these funds to use that will benefit the whole community."

The Greenwich Library Signature Series features four headline events annually and brings world-class speakers and thought leaders to the community to address topics of global significance.

The 2025 season launched on Feb. 20 with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Thomas Friedman, who discussed global affairs in today’s rapidly changing world.

A reception for library supporters preceded the event, during which the Pasculano endowment was announced publicly, as well as a name change of the Signature Series to the Lynne and Richard Pasculano Signature Series. The endowment was also publicly announced at the start of the evening program.

Greenwich Library offers more than 2,200 programs annually, including author talks, children’s early literacy programming, technology, entrepreneurship and investing programs, book groups, business services, meeting spaces, and an innovation lab with 3D printing and robotics workshops.

According to an announcement, Greenwich Library is number one in the state of Connecticut in total circulation and also supports a robust digital collection, with 50 percent of its collection available in digital format to meet the demands of a modern and connected community.

The Pasculano endowment aligns with the library’s Reimagine project, a major 18-month renovation completed in 2021 that modernized spaces to support expanded programming and serve evolving community needs.

Part of the renovation remodeled the Berkley Theater where the Signature Series programming is held. It was also through the Reimagine project that the Signature Series was born.

Past Signature Series events have included Doris Kearns Goodwin, Indra Nooyi, Mark Bittman, Tina Brown, Fareed Zakaria, Pete McBride, Jon Meacham, Melissa Clark, and other notable authors. The Signature Series has been offered to community members at no charge, something that will continue through the support of the Pasculanos.

"This endowment is not only a vote of confidence in our Signature Series but a validation of our libraries’ critical role in our community," Williams added. "Libraries are places of connection, discovery, and learning and we’re proud to lead the way."

For more information about Greenwich Library, the Signature Series and its programs and services, click here.