Giving

Providing students with a unique Wilson education requires a significant financial investment beyond the cost of tuition. Each year, tuition covers 90% of the expenses related to educating a Wilson student, therefore we must rely on tax-deductible donations to Annual Giving to help bridge the gap. Community support through the following are essential to the annual operating budget:

Strong participation in the Wilson Annual Giving Campaign by Wilson board, staff and parents signals institutional strength and school pride. This is why we seek 100% participation from our community in the Annual Giving Campaign. Strong participation makes a statement to foundations and corporations that look at these numbers when considering their own financial support. Further, your investment means that more individuals are sharing the financial responsibility to support Wilson.

In today’s world, it is increasingly important to plan and prepare for the future needs of the school. We can do this through a healthy endowment and completion of strategic capital and special projects.

The Annual Fund

Annual Fund gifts bridge the gap between tuition and the true cost of providing each student the extraordinary opportunities of a Wilson education. Each academic year, the school relies on gifts to the Annual Fund to provide resources for students and faculty to distinguish our school. These gifts allow us to provide the many enhancements that enrich each child’s educational experience at Wilson.

Gifts to the Annual Fund are a direct investment in the education of every Wilson student. Because dollars from the Annual Fund are flexible and immediately available, your generosity can be put to good use right now, addressing real needs and having real impact.

The Excellence Fund

In conjunction with the Annual Fund, the Excellence Fund is an integral component of Wilson’s Annual Giving. In 2006, Hal and Catherine Faught pledged a $2 million endowment to The Wilson School – the largest single gift to an elementary school academic program ever given in Missouri history.

Through this generous donation, Wilson created the Excellence Program, which is funded through a dollar-for-dollar matching gift. All donations to the Excellence Fund are restricted to the direct support of the Excellence Program during the current academic year.

Learn more about the Excellence Program.

Secure our future by:

Endowment

Endowment: Building the Foundation for Our Future

At Wilson, our mission guides everything that we do, including our approach to our endowment. Our commitment to prepare students for success in an ever-changing world is also a commitment to secure Wilson’s future as a home for generations of students to come.

According to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the median endowment for a school of Wilson’s size is approximately $5 million. In 2017, Wilson embarked on a campaign to build its endowment - the Foundation for the Future Endowment Campaign. This campaign is the first step toward achieving our long-term ambitions to meet and exceed the NAIS median. The Wilson community celebrated reaching its first-phase goal of this effort, $1.5 million in gifts that will bring the school’s core investment to approximately $2 million.

Funds generated from gifts to our endowment, large and small, allow donors to leave a legacy and to ensure future generations receive the benefits of a Wilson education. With each endowment gift, the principal is invested and a portion of the income becomes available each year to support the school. The Foundation for the Future Campaign:

Ensures competitive salaries for our educators
Underwrites tuition assistance, ensuring socio-economic diversity in our classrooms while opening the doors to a Wilson education to all children regardless of means
Provides the resources needed to upkeep and upgrade our technological resources
Underwrites innovative programs that set Wilson apart from the rest

With the first phase of the Foundation for the Future Endowment Campaign came a gift that is transforming our Innovation Room into our Innovation Wing. In this reconceived space, students have the tools they need to enhance their ability to code, create, collaborate and communicate with one another as they build the skills necessary for success at Wilson beyond.

To learn more about the Foundation for the Future Campaign and how your family can be part of this exciting initiative, contact the Development Office at 314.725.4999.

Capital Campaigns

Campaigns + Projects

A Proven History of Success
Throughout the school’s 111 years, capital improvements – made possible through donations to special campaigns and initiatives – have distinguished the Wilson experience in exciting ways.

Special Projects Yield Exceptional Experiences
While a major capital campaign may be initiated once every several years, gifts to The Wilson School in the form of sponsoring a special project help the school make significant leaps forward through opportunities not otherwise possible in an annual operating budget.

2017-2019 Foundation for the Future Campaign
According to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the median endowment for a school of Wilson’s size is approximately $5 million. In 2017, Wilson embarked on a campaign to build its endowment. This campaign was the first step toward achieving our long-term ambitions to meet and exceed the NAIS median. The Wilson Community celebrated reaching its first-phase goal of this effort, $1.5 million in gifts that will bring the school’s core investment to approximately $2 million.

2012-2013 Centennial Capital Campaign
A landmark initiative, this campaign raised 110% of its goals transforming the front entry plaza and exterior, creating a library classroom and a one-of-a-kind “innovation” room, as well as contributing to the school’s endowment.

2004-2005 Campaign for Excellence
Creating an even brighter future for Wilson, this effort raised funds to build the current subterranean gymnasium, turf field, library and dining area.

1990-1991 Window on the World Capital Campaign
This successful campaign raised 100% of the funds needed to create the school’s first gymnasium, a science lab, and other classroom and office space enhancements.

If you have an interest in learning more about current special projects, or if you would like to propose an idea that you might have for the school, please contact the Development Office at 314.725.4999.

Planned Giving

Every person who enters our halls has a special relationship with The Wilson School. Making provisions for a planned gift is a great way to pay tribute to your unique Wilson experience and leaves a legacy to this exceptional educational institution.

A Planned Gift, or bequest, is a future gift made through a donor's will that takes effect at or after their passing. With a Planned Gift, both gift and estate taxes are avoided, and the donor does not have to part with any property or assets until after death. Distributions can be made at a specific dollar amount or as a percentage of the estate.

Examples of Planned Gifts include:

Simple Bequests
Charitable Gift Annuity
Charitable Remainder Unitrust or Annuity Trust
Pooled Income Fund
Beneficiary Designation or Retirement Plan Asset, IRA, Bank Account or Life Insurance Policy

All planned giving donors will be included in the Mabel Wilson Society. This group will ensure the legacy of our founder, an innovative educator and loving woman.

Wilson School's Official Legal Bequest Language

I give to The Wilson School, a nonprofit educational institution located at 400 DeMun Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri 63105, and incorporated under the laws of the State of Missouri, the sum of $XXX OR the following described property OR a designated percentage of my estate, to be used for its general educational purposes.

Wilson School Tax I.D. Number

A photo of a young woman known as Mabel Wilson, Founder of The Wilson School — Mabel Wilson, Founder of
The Wilson School

43-6099964

The Mabel Wilson Society Founder's Circle
Herbert Atherton*

Catherine and Hal* Faught

Ashley George Gill and Scott Gill

Steven C. Shepley

The Thomas Hill Ward Foundation

*Deceased

Have you already made provisions for The Wilson School in your estate planning? Let us know! Contact the Development Office

at 314.725.4999.

give today

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In This Section

Giving

Annual Giving is comprised of:

The Annual Fund

The Annual Fund

The Excellence Fund

The Excellence Fund

Secure our future by:

Endowment

Endowment: Building the Foundation for Our Future

Capital Campaigns

Campaigns + Projects

Planned Giving

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