ENDOWED FUNDS
The endowment is a promise across generations. At Shipley, endowed gifts provide lasting support for the people, programs, and values that define our School—today and long into the future.
By investing in the endowment,
Donors create permanent funds whose annual earnings sustain faculty excellence, expand access through tuition assistance, and strengthen the student experience year after year. These gifts ensure that Shipley remains a place where students are known, challenged, and inspired—not just now, but for generations to come.
View a List of All Shipley Endowed Funds
Growing Shipley’s Endowment
Can I create my own endowed fund?
Can I contribute to an existing fund or to Shipley’s general endowment?
YES!
Shipley’s endowment is a carefully planned long-term investment, generating income that provides critical support for the School’s annual budget. Increasing our endowment will provide additional funds each year for tuition assistance, faculty compensation, and other critical needs.
Creating Your Own Endowed Fund
The minimum gift to create a named endowed fund at Shipley is $100,000 and pledge payments may be spread over 5 years. Donors may establish a fund to help Shipley with a specific part of the School’s budget – two popular examples are tuition assistance and faculty compensation. Other eligible designations include academic programs and departments, athletic teams, and performing and visual arts.
Almost anything Shipley does on a recurring basis could be the beneficiary of a named endowed fund.
Contributing to an Existing or General Endowment
There is no minimum gift to either add to an existing endowed fund at Shipley, or to make a gift to the School’s general endowment. A full list of existing funds may be found here, but the following are a representative sample of funds from a cross-section of Shipley’s programs and recurring expenses.
| Margaret Bailey Speer Distinguished Teachers Fund |
Established by the School in 1997 in memory of Miss Speer, Shipley Headmistress from 1944 to 1965, this fund supports faculty salaries by recognizing particularly distinguished teachers each year. The Fund also includes the Middleton Memorial Fund, which was established as part of the Margaret Bailey Speer Distinguished Teachers Fund in 1999 in memory of Herbert Middleton, parent and member of the Board of Trustees (1980-1989), by an anonymous friend. This fund honors Herb’s interest in teaching excellence and love of the School. |
| Margaret Bailey Speer Fund |
| Established in 1985 by Peter and Felicity Roosevelt Benoliel ’57 to honor Miss Speer, this fund provides a yearly scholarship. |
| S.O.A.R. Fund |
Established on the occasion of their 50th Reunion by the Class of 1972, the Shipley Open-Arms Resource Fund (S.O.A.R. Fund) supports full access for Shipley students with high financial need. This fund will not only benefit the students and families who draw on it each year, but also has the potential to foster a sense of equity and belonging by allowing all members of the Shipley community to participate in building the fund, according to their ability. Its existence and continual promotion will remind alumni, families, and students that we can all be part of making the full Shipley experience accessible to everyone. |
| Class of 1975 Professional Development Award Fund |
| Established in 2015 by Susan Gaukler Zimmerman ’75, this fund supports an annual Denis Nicholson Asselin Professional Development award for a Shipley colleague. |
| Black Alumni Association Fund |
| Established in 2022 through fundraising efforts led by Hakiem Coles ’07, this Fund supports curricular and cultural needs of Shipley’s Black students and teachers, with preference for activities and programs that provide the entire school community with a diverse, African-American experience integral to a shared American experience. |
| Richard Critchlow Brewer Performing Arts Fund |
| Established in 2002 by friends and former students in memory of Richard Brewer, Shipley’s beloved theatre teacher and director, this fund provides support to bring guest artists and performers to Shipley on an annual basis. |
| Unrestricted Endowment Fund |
| Gifts to unrestricted endowment support the general operations of the school and income from this fund may be spent from year to year on any expenses in Shipley’s approved budget. |
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SUPPORT SHIPLEY |
| No matter your connection to Shipley, there are many ways to contribute to our mission of educational excellence, love of learning, and compassionate participation in the world. |