Sidwell Friends Enters the Final Sprint to Our Campaign Goal

In September 2021, two generous, anonymous donors each made a $10 million gift—the largest gifts in Sidwell Friends’ history. Their goal was to inspire our entire community to raise another $20 million towards the Together We Shine campaign’s $152 million goal. Leading up to the public launch of the campaign, the challenge created a groundswell of support and momentum. And it worked. By October 2022, when the campaign was publicly announced, our community had surpassed the challenge by raising more than $26 million and pushing the overall total raised at that point to $118 million.

Now, as we enter this phase of the campaign’s final year, the community is coming together in a big way for a sprint to the end. “To break ground on the Upton renovation, we need 85 percent of that project goal in cash,” says Charis Menschel P ’25, ’27, ’29, one of the campaign’s three co-clerks. “We are getting close, but we are not quite there yet and we’ll need everyone’s help to get to the finish line.”

“As Head of School Bryan Garman often talks about, the world benefits from leaders who are grounded in Quaker values,” says Menschel. “Our community has been enthusiastic about the campaign because it fuels the school’s ability to make this education possible.” She says it has been thrilling to see families and alumni connecting and talking about Sidwell Friends experiences, traditions, and influential teachers. 

“That’s another reason why the prospect of unifying the campus is so exciting,” says Menschel. “Students, parents, faculty and alumni often say events like Founders Day are uniquely special in that all members of the community are together. And donors have been particularly motivated by the prospect of a future with the entire community on one campus as an everyday experience. The renovation of the Upton campus is a significant step toward that dream.”

Jason Carroll ’96, another of the campaign’s co-clerks, points out that Together We Shine has brought the community together in other ways as well. “I have long held Sidwell Friends as one of my top philanthropic priorities,” he says. “For me, personally, it has been amazing to meet so many others who love the school as I do and are equally eager to support it.”

As we enter the final sprint, it is heartening that we have already seen the collective power of our community. Thanks to the tremendous outreach efforts of volunteers, faculty, administrators and staff, we now have raised $136 million—90 percent of the campaign goal. 

At their best, campaigns not only achieve a philanthropic goal, they also move communities forward in shared accomplishment. The Together We Shine campaign is doing just that. As Jason Carroll notes, this campaign has brought so many Sidwell Friends community members together who might not otherwise have met. “I love the opportunity to get together with other members of the community and connect over our shared experiences and excitement in helping to ensure that this school has a long and bright future.”

You can help us complete this historic campaign by considering a multi-year pledge. Click here to learn more.