The Gunston School is an independent, not-for-profit institution governed by an elected Board of Trustees. Like virtually all top-tier independent schools, tuition alone does not cover the full cost of a student’s education. We rely on two primary funding streams to maintain our excellence:

1. Tuition Revenue: Powers our essential everyday operations, including faculty salaries, facilities maintenance, and baseline operational insurance.
    
2. The Heron Annual Fund: Bridges the gap by funding the exact programs, excursions, and student experiences that make a Gunston education so distinct.

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The Power of Your Gift: What Does It Fund?

The Heron Annual Fund acts as our value-added engine. It directly funds the hallmark experiences that define a student's time on our waterfront campus:

1. Immersive Learning: Immersive trips and excursions, including Cultural Excursion Day and full-scale Bay Studies.
2. Interscholastic Distinction: Travel, registration, and equipment for elite competitive teams like Robotics, Mock Trial, and Model UN.
3. Time-Honored Celebrations: Campus-wide milestone events, including Earth Day, In Celebration of Books, and Commencement.
4. Campus Enhancements: Infinite student-facing capital improvements, from new gymnasium bleachers to digital scoreboards.
5. Campus Resilience: A vital contingency reserve to handle unexpected campus needs, keeping our facilities safe and operational year-round.

The Power of Participation

At Gunston, participation is our primary metric of community confidence. Every single gift matters, regardless of the amount. Whether it is $5 or $5,000, your donation serves as a direct vote of confidence in our mission.

Did You Know? 

High parent, faculty, and trustee participation rates are critical when Gunston applies for competitive foundation grants. Outside philanthropic foundations prioritize funding schools that demonstrate strong internal community backing. Your participation directly unlocks outside dollars for financial aid, major capital projects, and expanded programming.

What Counts Toward Participation?

• Direct donations of cash, check, or stock
• Sustaining monthly online gifts
• Corporate Event Sponsorships over $1,500 (10% is directly designated to the Heron Fund)

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