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TUCSON TOME GNOME
Tucson, AZ · EIN 883343983 · Form 990EZ · FY2022 · NTEE A20 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Micro (<$100K) · tucsontomegnome.com
revenue
$41K
expenses
$14K
net assets
$31K
employees
—
mission · from form 990

Literacy and Charity

profile · synthesized from sources

The Tucson Tome Gnome is a nonprofit initiative that hides free books throughout Tucson, Arizona to promote adult literacy, empathy, and community joy. Each month, 45 copies of a selected book are distributed anonymously in public spaces for residents to discover, read, and pass on. The project emphasizes kindness, inclusivity, and a love of reading among adults.

named programs · 1 · from sources

what they call their work

Monthly Tome Drop
Hides 45 copies of a selected book around Tucson each month for community members to find, read, and re-share
activities · 3 groups

what they do

  • Community Book-Hiding Programs 12 activities
    • Conduct "random act of kindness" book hiding
      Hides an additional 15-20 books monthly in the community as "random acts of kindness," without providing hints for their locations.
    • Facilitate guest gnome book hiding
      Arranges for guest gnomes to hide an additional 20 copies of the featured book around Tucson during monthly giveaways.
    • Full-month book sponsorship program
      Offers sponsorship opportunities that cover the cost of hiding 45 books per month, enabling large-scale distribution of a selected title throughout Tucson.
    • Guest Gnome Book Hides
      Collaborates with guest gnomes to hide an additional 20 copies of the monthly featured book around Tucson, expanding reach and community engagement during each book giveaway event.
    • Guest gnome book-hiding collaborations
      Partners with guest gnomes to hide an additional 20 copies of featured books during monthly giveaways, expanding reach and community engagement.
    • Monthly Book-Hiding Scavenger Hunts
      Organizes monthly book-hiding scavenger hunts by selecting a featured book and hiding 30 copies around Tucson, posting hint photos for each location to guide the public in finding them. This program has been ongoing since at least September 2021.
    • Monthly Sponsorship Programs for Book Hides
      Offers sponsorship programs that cover the cost of hiding books, including a full-month sponsorship for 45 books and a separate sponsorship tier for 15 books monthly without hints.
    • Monthly book-hiding scavenger hunts with hint photos
      Organizes monthly book-hiding scavenger hunts by hiding 30 copies of a selected book around Tucson and posting hint photos for each location. This program has been ongoing since at least September 2021 and includes themed selections such as a book for National Poetry Month.
    • Monthly random acts of kindness book hides without hints
      Hides 15–20 additional books each month throughout Tucson as "random acts of kindness," without providing hint photos. These occur both independently and following scavenger hunt weekends, with some funded through sponsorships.
    • Organize monthly book scavenger hunts
      Organizes monthly book-hiding scavenger hunts in Tucson, featuring a new book each month. The organization hides 30 copies of the selected book and posts hint photos for their locations.
    • Random Acts of Kindness Book Hides
      Hides an additional 15–20 books monthly without hint photos as part of a "random act of kindness" initiative, often following scavenger hunt weekends, to encourage spontaneous discovery of free books across Tucson.
    • Sponsor book hiding
      Covers the cost of hiding 15 to 45 books per month through monthly sponsorships, some of which are hidden without hint photos.
  • Community Book Clubs & Literary Engagement 2 activities
    • Author engagement and book chat events
      Hosts book chats with authors, such as a moderated discussion between member Emily and author Morgan Day, to promote literary engagement.
    • Community Book Chats and Author Engagement
      Hosts book chats with authors, such as a moderated discussion between member Emily and author Morgan Day, to engage the community around literature.
  • School-Based Community Fundraising Programs 1 activity
    • Fundraising for future book distribution
      Conducted a fall fundraiser to support book-hiding activities in 2026, ensuring sustained operations for monthly giveaways and scavenger hunts.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2022
revenue
Total revenue$41K
Contributions & grants$41K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$8
expenses
Total expenses$14K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
balance sheet
Total assets$31K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$31K
1 years on record · 2022–2022
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2022

who runs it

board members · 4
  • Emily Walsh — President & Director
  • Jody Hardy — Treasurer & Director
  • Mary Ellen Flynn — Secretary & Director
  • Travis Klune — Director
relationships · 39

who they work with

  • #Thisistucson Partner — Featured in articles by Elvia Verdugo, Gloria Knott, and Ellice Lueders.
  • Arizona Daily Star Partner — Featured in articles by Bill Finley.
  • Big Read Tucson Partner — Partnered to hide books around Tucson in March 2023.
  • Canvas Rebel Partner — Interviewed by Canvas Rebel.
  • Community Foundation for Southern Arizona Partner — Emily Walsh, Co-Founder and Board President, is the COO at the organization.
  • Cynthia Bardo Partner — Individual sponsor supporting the Tucson Tome Gnome in 2026
  • Downtown Radio 99.1 Partner — Interviewed by Tom Heath on "life along the Streetcar".
  • El Inde Partner — Featured in an article by Sohi Kang.
  • Friends of the Pima County Public Library Partner — Suggests donating used books to this organization in Tucson.
  • KGUN9 Partner — Featured in an article by Megan Meier.
  • KXCI 91.3 Partner — Featured in a radio interview with Dr. Nadia Alvarez.
  • La Suprema Partner — Community Kindness Sponsor that supports the cost of hiding 20 additional books monthly.
  • La Suprema Works and Events Partner — Sponsored the January book giveaway, helping to offset the cost of additional books.
  • Liana De la Rosa Partner — Author whose book was selected for a giveaway and who will be joining the organization at the Tucson Festival of Books.
  • Little Free Libraries Partner — Suggests using Little Free Libraries for sharing used books and as a method for others to start book-sharing initiatives.
  • Morgan Day Partner — Local Tucson author whose book was featured in a book chat moderated by a member of Tucson Tome Gnome.
  • NBC Universal Partner — Featured on the TODAY Show, an NBC Universal program.
  • PHX Oasis Press Partner — Community Kindness Sponsor for November, helping to offset the cost of additional books.
  • Pima County Public Library Partner — Refers to the library system as an alternative for finding books.
  • Shoutout Arizona Partner — Interviewed by Shoutout Arizona.
  • Speaking Literally Podcast Partner — Featured in an episode of Speaking Literally Podcast.
  • Stacks Book Club Partner — Community Kindness Sponsor for December, helping to offset the cost of additional books.
  • Stacks Book Club Partner — Hosted a book chat moderated by a member of Tucson Tome Gnome.
  • TJ Klune Partner — Founding Board Member and bestselling author who supported the project's growth.
  • TODAY Show Partner — Featured on the "Morning Boost" with Hoda Kotb.
  • The Daily Wildcat Partner — Featured in an article by Andrea Campos.
  • Tommy Tronsdal Funder — Community Kindness Sponsor who helps offset the cost of extra books hidden each month.
  • Tommy Tronsdal Funder — February Community Kindness Sponsor who helped offset the cost of 20 extra books.
  • Tommy Tronsdal Partner — Individual sponsor supporting the Tucson Tome Gnome in 2026
  • Tucson Festival of Books Partner — Highlights authors joining the festival in March.
+ 9 more