Kepler’s Literary Foundation launches Leadership Circle Campaign

Kepler’s Literary Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Menlo Park-based Kepler’s, enters a new chapter with the launch of the Leadership Circle Campaign, a multi-year major donor initiative designed to ensure top-tier literary programming on the Peninsula for years to come. The Campaign has already garnered significant momentum since it was introduced to donors earlier this year with nearly $350,000 in pledges secured against a target of $550,000.

The purpose of the three-year campaign is twofold: It will bolster the Foundation’s core community programming, including conversations featuring noted authors and thought leaders from around the world. The campaign will also help support living wages for its dedicated, professional staff in one of the most expensive areas in the United States.

“We introduced this campaign only a few months ago and are gratified at the level of community support in these early months,” said Dan Gilbert, Board Chair at the Foundation. “Our community has always had a strong sense of belonging with Kepler’s in its seventy-plus years of existence, and we are delighted that people are putting that spirit of stewardship into action.”

The new Leadership Circle funding campaign provides donors with benefits, including concierge shopping and complimentary tickets to selected events. It is the latest Kepler’s initiative designed to help employees offset Silicon Valley’s high cost of living. It is distinct from Kepler’s existing Literary Circle membership program, which is designed to benefit the employees of the bookstore.

“Kepler’s is in excellent shape today, with a strong community and a business model that has proven remarkably resilient. But the persistent rise in the Bay Area’s cost of living poses an existential long-term challenge. The Leadership Circle will allow us to confront this challenge from a position of strength and ensure that Kepler’s thrives for generations to come,” said Praveen Madan, Kepler’s CEO and Board Member of the Foundation.

Kepler’s Literary Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, was founded in 2012 as a response to a moment of crisis and opportunity. When Kepler’s faced the risk of losing its long-standing literary programs, it joined with customers and donors to create an innovative solution: a literary arts nonprofit paired with the bookstore to protect, expand, and reimagine public literary life.

Photo by Heather Birchall at Kepler’s 70th anniversary celebration (c) 2025