The Annual Fund

Tuition is kept reachable on purpose. The Annual Fund is how.

Tuition covers most of what it costs to run this school, but not all of it, and that is a deliberate choice rather than an accident. Setting tuition to cover everything would put a Waldorf education out of reach for families we want here. The Annual Fund makes up the difference: faculty support, tuition assistance, and enhancing school programs.

Our goal this year is $115,000, and we are aiming for participation from every family.

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Make a Pledge

Every Family Shows Up in Its Own Way

A meal train, a work day, an hour in the classroom, a gift: this school runs on people deciding to show up. That is why we count participation rather than compare amounts. A $100 gift and a $10,00 gift are both a family saying yes, and we appreciate every donation we receive.

Our whole Board of Trustees has given this year. Give what feels right for your family.

What your gift funds

  • Faculty Support

    A class teacher who stays with the same children for years, and who is paid and supported because they matter. Professional development, mentorships, and ongoing teacher support programs.

  • Tuition Assistance

    Families who can say yes to this education when the tuition cost alone would have ruled it out. Assistance is awarded confidentially, and the families receiving it are indistinguishable from anyone else in the carpool line.

  • Enhancing School Programs

    The parts of a Waldorf day that a lean budget would cut first: the garden, handwork materials, the things that make the day whole rather than merely efficient.

Three Ways to Give This Year

The Sun Circle

Families, grandparents, alumni, and friends who give $1,000 or more in a year are recognized as members of our Sun Circle. Members are listed by name in our annual recognition, never by amount, and anyone who prefers to remain anonymous simply tells us. If you are considering a leadership gift and want to talk it through first, we would welcome that conversation.

Join the Sun Circle
  • A Scheduled Gift

    Scheduling your donation using the Recurring tab and setting a start and end date means you have control over your gift whether it’s recurring or just planned ahead, and it’s easy to change or update later. Set it once, and your gift arrives annually, quarterly, or every month: steady support the school can plan around. Recurring smaller gifts can also sit more easily in a family budget than one larger one.

  • A One-Time Gift

    Give once, in whatever amount fits your year. Most families give during our September push, but the fund is open from July through June and a gift in March counts exactly as much as a gift in September.

  • A Pledge to Give

    Commit now and pay later, or spread a larger gift across the school year. Tell us the amount and the timing that works, and we will handle the rest.

FAQs

Why support WSA’s Annual Fund?

  • School Programs

    Music, movement, handwork, and world languages are what make a Waldorf day whole. They are not extras here, they are the day itself. Your gift is part of what keeps them in every grade.

  • Teacher Training

    Your gift pays for the courses and workshops our professional development budget cannot fully carry. That has sent assistant teachers to week-long training at a Waldorf center. A teacher who returns from that week brings all of it back into the room with your child in it.

  • Tuition Assistance

    Families choose this school so their children grow up alongside people from many walks of life. Tuition assistance is how we make that true rather than aspirational. Last year over 30% of WSA families received it, funded in part by gifts from families like yours.

You might also be interested in:

Other Ways to Give

  • Annual Fund

    The school's operating support, raised fresh every year. It is the most flexible gift you can make and the one we build the budget around. Our goal this year is $115,000.

  • GOAL Scholarships

    Redirect a portion of the income tax you already owe to fund tuition assistance at WSA, and receive a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit. Applying takes two minutes, and no payment is due when you apply. The window closes December 31.

  • Auction & Gala

    One evening each spring, our community gathers for dinner, dancing, and an auction of extraordinary things, and the whole night funds the school. Buy a ticket and bid, sponsor the evening, or donate something to the auction table. It is the rare way of giving where you also get a night out.

  • Matching Gifts

    Many employers match charitable gifts, and some match monthly ones too. Ask your HR department whether yours is one of them, and let us know if it is so we can thank you for both.

  • Stock, Retirement, IRAs

    A gift of appreciated securities can carry meaningful tax advantages compared with selling first and giving the proceeds. Contact us before you initiate a transfer so we can watch for your gift and thank you promptly.

  • Wills & Bequests

    Some families choose to make WSA part of their legacy through a bequest, a trust, or an endowment gift: the gift of this education for children they may never meet. We would be honored to talk it through with you and your advisor.

  • Sponsorship

    Sponsor the Holiday Fair in November or the Annual Auction and Gala in April, in cash or in-kind. Four simple levels at each event, with recognition that stays visible on our website.

  • In-Kind Donations

    Auction items and experiences valued at $50 or more, gift cards, flowers for the Fair, or professional services like printing, catering, or photography.

  • Evergreen Partners

    Georgia businesses that participate in GOAL on behalf of WSA are recognized as Evergreen Partners, with priority placement in our Business Directory.

Questions? We are here to help.

Reach Mae Hill, Development Director, at development@waldorfatlanta.org or (404) 809-3777.

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GOAL Scholarships