The Annual Fund is designed to address the "gap" amount for funding an ACE education (the difference between the revenue from tuition and the actual cost to run the school). Also, parent participation in the Annual Fund is a significant metric that corporations and foundations use to assess the school when deciding whether to award donations and grants. A high participation rate shows that ACE parents invest in and support the school.

Parents of students, board members, family members of students, teachers and administrators, family foundations, corporate donation matching programs, and friends of all these stakeholders as well.

Every year the goals of the Annual Fund shift depending on what the school needs. A portion of our Annual Fund will help to subsidize a percentage of our scholarship allocation for the year. By offering scholarships, we will be able to better diversify our school and ensure a wide range of students.

Every dollar counts! How much you give is strictly up to you. We do not request any certain amount. Our goal is 100% participation. We welcome and appreciate gifts of any size.

Private schools raise up to 20% of their budgets each year with Annual Fund Drives. Public schools raise thousands of dollars, as well, to provide for curriculum gaps. Instead of raising tuition, we need to raise extra funds so that we can keep our tuition as low as possible. Our tuition rate is set at an amount that covers our basic operating expenses. With the Annual Fund, families can make a tax-deductible donation to help the school raise extra funds.

Many people think that corporations are one of the largest donors in the philanthropic world. The opposite is true. Last year, corporations were responsible for only 11% of giving in the U.S. Corporations also tend to give only to events are large-scale organizations that can ensure adequate press coverage and public relations opportunities. This makes it challenging for small private schools to secure those funds. ACE is applying for grants with various foundations. Foundations examine family participation rates in Annual Funds; your contribution will help us secure foundation support.

We are hoping that corporate matching funds will play a big part in our annual fund success. Please contact your Human Resources department to see if your company has such a program.

We ask that all families be ready to spread the word. Not only will we be asking faculty, board, and parents to support the annual fund, we will be asking you to forward information on friends and family so we can add them to our mailing list.

No gift is too small. We are looking for 100% participation to support our grant applications to foundations. Your gift will make a difference.