Philanthropy FAQs

Your annual gift to The Foothill Fund provides vital and essential support to the School. Like other independent schools, tuition alone does not cover the cost of a Foothill education for your student. Every gift, regardless of size, makes an impact on every student!

Your gift is put to immediate use to benefit our students and teachers:

• Curriculum, technology, and all educational priorities
• Field trips, library books, and classroom supplies
• Foothill and Seedling traditions such as Holiday Sing, International Day, Grandparents Day, Field Day… and more!

Everyone! We count on philanthropic contributions from parents, grandparents, alumni and their families, as well as corporations and foundations, to meet the full cost of educating a student as well as strategic needs. You are all stakeholders in this great community!

Every gift matters. Whether large or small, your participation ensures we reach our goal of 100% family participation. Many corporations and foundations consider parent participation percentages as they make decisions on grants. 

Yes! The Seedling School is a part of Foothill Country Day School. We hope that Seedling families will participate in annual giving, just as the Kindergarten - 8th families do. Gifts from Seedling parents will directly benefit Seedling programs in the current school year.    

The Foothill Fund runs from the beginning to the end of the school year. The big push is in the fall (November-December) so that families can take advantage of year-end tax deductions. However, you have the option of making your gift by July 31, 2026. Any and all charitable gifts made in a calendar year (tax year) are eligible for deductions to the extent of the law; please consult your tax advisor.

The tuition gap per student is approximately $3,000. It's the difference between tuition revenues and the total cost of educating a student at Foothill. This gap is met by donations, endowment earnings, and investment income.

Please give the amount that you are comfortable with—the gift that is right for you is the gift that is right for us. All donations of any size are gratefully received and acknowledged. Every gift, regardless of size, makes an impact!

Consider a one-time gift of $1,954 in honor of our founding year or a gift that matches your ability. 

All donors who make a gift of $1,954 or above are honored as members of The 1954 Society. Additionally, the Benefactors Circle recognizes donors at $5,000-$9.999 level and the Visionary Circle recognizes donors who contribute at $10,000 or above.

The 1954 Society, named after the year of our founding, recognizes leadership in philanthropy at Foothill. All donors who make a gift of $1,954 or above are honored as members of The 1954 Society. Additionally, the Benefactors Circle recognizes donors at $5,000-$9.999 level and the Visionary Circle recognizes donors who contribute at $10,000 or above.

Annual funds run from school year to school year, similar to fiscal years. At Foothill, it runs from August 1 through July 31. Families can make their annual fund gift anytime during that time but we encourage gifts in the fall (Oct-Dec) for two reasons: first, we don’t want to be asking for annual fund gifts all year, and second, we want to encourage families to make their gifts by the end of the calendar year for tax purposes.

The tax year runs with the calendar year, so any gifts made in 2025 can be part of 2025 tax filings.  So, if you make a Spring Benefit contribution in the spring and then make an annual fund gift in the fall, you can count both of those gifts in your following year's tax filings.