What is the Annual Fund all about?

Last year we began a new tradition at SFMS. We asked our parents, grandparents, alumni and alumni parents to make a gift to the Annual Fund. The Annual Fund at any school makes up the difference between tuition revenue and the annual expenses of the school.  The SFMS Annual Fund this year will generate approximately 5% of the school's operating revenue.

What is SFMS’s Annual Fund all about?

SFMS’s Annual Fund is all about: the difference between a good faculty and a gifted faculty, the difference between Monte-something and truly authentic Montessori; the difference between passive students and active learners, the difference between children who are drifting and children who are fully engaged in the process of deliberate creation; the difference between a ho-hum learning environment and an engaging environment that reaches out to the possibilities of each child.

What is the 2009-2010 Annual Fund all about?

SFMS 2009-2010 Annual Fund supports faculty attendance at conferences, workshops and additional Montessori training. The Fund supports the acquisition of new classroom materials and furnishings.  It pays for assemblies for each of the three levels of learning: The Toddler Community, Children’s House, and The Elementary School. The Annual Fund finances our tuition assistance program.

How do we build the Annual Fund?

At SFMS, we build our Annual Fund in two ways: Through our fall letter-drive called the Annual Appeal, and through our Spring Gala-Auction Fund-raiser.  These efforts are overseen by the SFMS Fundraising Committee, chaired by the SFMS Director, James Barter.  This year they are run by two parent volunteer committees: The Annual Appeal Committee, chaired by SFMS parent Brenda Hand, and The 2010 Gala Committee, chaired by SFMS parent Anna Danes.  If you would like to help organize either of these efforts, please call the SFMS Development Office at 858-755-3232, ext. 111.

Why not cover school costs with tuition raises and eliminate the need to fund-raise?

Fundraising enables us to keep tuition increases to a minimum, which benefits every SFMS family. Also, giving to our Annual Fund is voluntary. When you make a donation to SFMS you are giving to a 501 (c) (3) charity, and tax advantages accompany your act of philanthropy - - all donations to Santa Fe Montessori School are tax-deductible. So with a fund-raising strategy your tuition remains lower and whatever you donate to offset the “tuition gap” entitles you to a tax benefit.

The Annual Fund is just one of the ways we strive to ensure SFMS’s mission of maintaining economic diversity. By having only modest tuition increases we hope to keep a Montessori education affordable for a broader range of students. It is important that those that can give do give to make this a reality for our community.

Additionally, the Annual Fund helps establish relationships with donors. High parent participation signals to foundations that our parents are vested in the school increases SFMS’s chances of receiving outside funding. There is no gift too large or too small – all gifts count.

Your participation in the Annual Fund will not only honor the past dedication of the families who helped make SFMS what it is today, you will also help contribute to preserving the present and future success of a community dedicated to providing Education for Life.