Annual Fund

Gifts to the Annual Fund are necessary because tuition doesn’t cover all the opportunities our students receive. The Annual Fund allows us to make up the difference between tuition cost and actual cost of a Dunn education.

No independent school would want to price itself out of the market, so keeping tuition rates competitive while supplementing with an Annual Fund campaign is a common practice of most independent schools.

Plus, while tuition payments are not tax deductible, donations to the Annual Fund are 100% tax deductible.

It's worth noting that more than 50% of our student body currently receives tuition assistance. 

If tuition was increased to include all costs, many families would be unable to afford an independent school experience, and this would exclude those talented and deserving students who add so much to the Dunn community. 

A diverse student population enriches the educational experience for all of our students and their families. Increasing the tuition price to cover costs would further limit enrollment and could require a cutback in the things that make our school special, such as talented teachers, smaller class sizes, and a wide array of experiential and leadership programming.

Yes! Each gift makes a significant difference to our community.

Your gift helps to provide an atmosphere of educational excellence to every Dunn School student. Participation in the Annual Fund builds a stronger, more unified community and represents an investment in our collective future, one child at a time.

High Annual Fund participation levels can also help Dunn raise crucial dollars from outside foundations and institutions. Greater participation helps the school when applying for grants and helps in securing gifts from large corporations because these institutions support schools who are first supported by their loyal community.

We ask you to consider giving an amount that makes you feel comfortable and that is meaningful to you and your family.

We hope that Dunn School sits in your top three charitable organizations, but we also understand that life is full of financial demands.