Welcome to the West Philly Tool Library!
The first question we're usually asked is, well, what is a Tool Library?
It’s as simple as it sounds: we’re a library that loans tools. Founded as a non-profit in 2007, the West Philly Tool Library has made over 30,000 loans to community members so they can perform home maintenance, tend their yards and gardens, build furniture, start projects, and learn new skills in a safe and affordable way. We are a vital community service that not only provides the tools and know-how to get the job done right, but ensures our members save money and reduce each of our environmental footprints by encouraging collaborative tool sharing.
“Access to both the tools and on-site expertise combines to empower us to fix what needs maintenance around our house and in our community.”
-David, member
As the Philadelphia region’s only tool library, we’re the sole source for affordable tool loans. Members join for as little as $20 a year, then borrow as many of our more than 3,000 tools as they need, whenever they need them, for no additional money.
![]()
Our space on 47th and Woodland Ave, Spring 2014.
![]()
Volunteers de-paving Gold Star Park with WPTL tools, May 2014
Philadelphia is an Old City;
Philadelphia is a Growing City
The Tool Library wants to provide more Philadelphians with easy access to tools to maintain aging homes, make personal projects a reality, and to enliven neighborhoods.
Word is spreading about the amazing things people are able to do thanks to our tool loans, and the demand for new memberships and more tools is rapidly growing. Last month we loaned almost 1,200 tools to almost 200 different members; that’s a 35% increase over the same month last year!
The trouble is,
we can’t meet this demand without your help. To keep our services affordable for our neighbors who need it most,
we need partners and investors in the West Philly Tool Library. We’re raising $10,000 through this campaign so that we can buy more of the tools our members need most, expand our education and outreach programs, and greatly increase the number of community members we serve, to ensure that they have both the access and the abilities to make the most of the Tool Library.
Memberships fund only 34% of our annual operating budget of $40,000. We run an efficient operation, and you can be sure that every dollar you contribute to this campaign will go far. With your help, we will:
-
Increase availability of the tools we can't keep on the shelves, like table saws, weed whackers, tile saws, and cordless drills
-
Develop a robust education program to ensure that community members have the skills they need to properly leverage our tools
-
Develop programs to reach into the neighborhoods we don't fully serve
![]()
“We work in construction, and we can't always afford to have the tools that we need, so we thought we should sign up so we can do more work and more projects.”
-Javier, member
![]()
For You, Our Newest Partner
We’ve got some pretty cool rewards for you like covetable shirts and carpenter’s pencils printed with the hottest logo ever: ours!
![]()
Board members Mimi and Michael with a T-shirt and Carpenter's pencils
We hope everyone who reads this will want all or a portion of their gift to provide a Tool Library Membership for someone in need. You can also celebrate your family or honor someone you love with a naming inscription on one of our tools. Or better still, a whole shelf of tools.
We want to thank you for considering supporting the Tool Library’s mission. By making a tax-deductible gift to fuel our services, you’ll make a direct and immediate impact on the Philadelphia community.
Think all this sounds so awesome that you want to become a member and check out some of our tools for yourself? You can join the West Philly Tool Library on our website! Whether you're a past, current, or future member, we appreciate your support in this one-time capacity-building campaign.