Establishing a Legacy
The Power of Endowments
An endowment fund is a lasting and stable source of income for Sequoyah that funds our exceptional education for generations to come. Gifts to an endowment are held in perpetuity and invested, with those investments and interest earned spent for a specific purpose:
Endowed Fund for Access
To Support Indexed Tuition for Students
Sequoyah’s founders recognized that a socioeconomically diverse school community was essential to our mission. At a time when most local schools, both public and private, lacked such intentional inclusion, Sequoyah stood apart by establishing a school that enrolls students of diverse racial, religious, cultural, gender, and class experiences. This commitment has been a cornerstone of who we are ever since.
In the fall of 2024, Sequoyah received a transformative $100,000 gift to establish an endowment that will, in perpetuity, fund access for students whose families could not otherwise be able to afford a Sequoyah education. The Endowed Fund for Access welcomes donations of any size. Additional contributions provide a stable source of growing financial support for Indexed Tuition—upholding a school community where each year 30-40% of families pay less than maximum tuition.
Endowed Fund for Faculty
To Support Compensation and Professional Development
In the spring of 2021, an extraordinary and important initial commitment of $100,000 from a Sequoyah family opened an endowment to support a sustained increase in faculty compensation, addressing a strategic priority. The Endowed Fund for Faculty is a permanently restricted fund whose proceeds support the school’s efforts to raise and sustain faculty compensation.
In sum, this gift is a long-term financial commitment to the art and value of teaching, which is at the heart of Sequoyah’s mission. With additional contributions, the endowment grows in capacity and impact, always directly benefiting teachers and encouraging them to build their careers at Sequoyah. Generations of students benefit from this legacy as it honors and celebrates Sequoyah’s passionate, deeply caring teacher-role models. The school continues to actively seek and receive additional gifts for this purpose.
Who can give to Endowed Funds?
Anyone! Both funds were established in a way that welcomes anyone to contribute any amount, at any time. In this way the generosity of a community empowers the fund’s growth and impact.
The school’s online giving donor form allows users to split their gifts among choices, or you may simply indicate your allocation in a check memo and/or message to the Director of Advancement, Elena Phleger.
What is the difference between the Annual Campaign and Endowments?
Because tuition alone does not cover the full costs of educating students, funds raised through the Annual Campaign are spent the same school year they are received, for any number of projects or initiatives.
In contrast, gifts to an endowment provide for the long-term viability of Sequoyah’s educational program. In the case of the Endowed Fund for Faculty, donations allow the school to recruit and retain amazing teachers for years to come. The Endowed Fund for Faculty predictably provides a source of revenue to support faculty compensation so that salary raises are not entirely dependent on increasing tuition or decreasing financial commitments to Sequoyah programs or personnel.
The Endowed Fund for Access provides the means to support Indexed Tuition, giving access to students who would otherwise be unable to afford a Sequoyah education. Together, they create a powerful and lasting legacy for the relationships at the heart of Sequoyah.
Teaching at Sequoyah means being part of an incredible community.
I love that I get to know my students as whole people, and to be part of their lives in a significant way. I feel so lucky to teach at a school where I’m supported to create a curriculum that is meaningful and exciting for the kids, while focusing on their social and emotional well-being.
I love that colleagues here feel like family. We support each other and care deeply about the community.
As a teacher at Sequoyah, I get to introduce my students to special traditions (most of which I took part in as a kid!), support them to make lifelong friendships, take them camping, learn with them, share my life with them, and watch them grow up. It’s a joy.
