The Annual Fund

The Annual Fund is the school’s most important philanthropic initiative, providing the flexible unrestricted support for the current year’s operating budget.

The Annual Fund launches in October and ideally, we have all of our commitments in by December 15th as it is incredibly helpful for the School to know your intention for budgeting purposes.

We are a community that values economic diversity, and each family is encouraged to consider a personally meaningful gift. Contributions to the Annual Fund range from $50 to $25,000. What matters most is that every family participates. Every gift, at any level, makes a difference.

This year, we are excited to introduce new giving levels as a way to recognize the generous support of our families. Please note that company matches will be soft-credited to your family’s total giving for recognition purposes.

Our 2025-26 GIVING LEVELS are:

• Trailblazers: $20,000 and above
  You are a visionary source of light whose extraordinary generosity anchors and uplifts our entire community.

• Luminaries: $10,000–$19,999
  You are an inspiring guide whose commitment helps strengthen our mission.

• Guiding Stars: $5,000–$9,999
  You are a dedicated light whose support builds stability and compassion.

• Bridge Builders: $2,000–$4,999
  You are a core contributor supporting collaboration and shared success.

• Helping Hands: $1,000–$1,999
  You are a generous friend who lifts our mission through thoughtful support.

• Community Champions: Up to $999
  You are an integral part of the broad, caring community that makes everything we do possible.

The Annual Fund happens each year, and unrestricted gifts support the current year’s operating budget. A capital campaign is designed to raise a set amount of money within a defined time and is restricted for a specific project requiring an infusion of capital outside of the Annual Fund. Capital campaigns usually have large goals and are typically carried out over a longer period.

Gifts to the Annual Fund directly support the following core operational priorities for the current school year

A VENTANA EDUCATION

At Ventana, every student has space to explore, connect, and express their boundless creativity both in and outside of the classroom. The Annual Fund supports everything that goes into designing and delivering our Reggio-inspired programs and enables our teachers to thoughtfully and intentionally create educational experiences that nurture critical thinking, collaboration, and communication.

TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RETENTION

Teachers are the heart of Ventana! The Annual Fund supports professional development such as Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging workshops, social-emotional learning workshops, and training specific to the developmental stage that teachers are working with to ensure that our teachers remain at the forefront of educational best practices. In addition, Annual Fund gifts enable us to recruit and retain inspiring teachers with competitive salaries.

FLEXIBLE TUITION

Ventana is committed to increasing economic diversity and making our program accessible to as many families as possible by offering Flexible Tuition. Currently 25% of Ventana families participate in Flexible Tuition which is partially supported by Annual Fund gifts:

We ask every member of the Ventana community to make a donation to the Annual Fund. We know that each family is unique. 100% participation is a vote of confidence - a sign that our internal community is committed to our students, faculty, and to the mission. High Annual Fund participation is a benchmark used by the National Association of Independent Schools to measure community support and parent approval.

Raising tuition would likely result in the loss of many students whose families cannot afford the increase. A drop in enrollment would lead to cuts in our programs, staff, and a less economically diverse community.

1. Click the DONATE button to give by credit card.

2. Mail or drop off a check at school- made out to Ventana School with Annual Fund in the memo.

3. Contact us at giving@ventanaschool.org for stock donation information or for other inquiries.