SCM Annual Fund

A yearly request for tax-deductible support that provides crucial funding for St. Catherine’s Montessori. Gifts to the annual fund allow us to complete the school’s operating budget and fully fund the cost of educating every St. Catherine’s student. Like tuition, annual fund contributions are unrestricted revenue that directly funds:

Salaries, benefits and professional development for guides and staff

• Classroom materials
• Extracurricular activities
• Tuition assistance
• Campus utilities and maintenance

September is Annual Fund Month at St. Catherine's, and we ask that 100% of our parents make a gift or pledge by September 30, 2024. Completing the annual fund drive in September gives us solid financial footing for the remainder of the school year and allows us to shift focus to other advancement priorities. 

Although the drive runs for one month, we absolutely accept annual fund contributions after the drive ends and follow up with families who have yet to give or pledge throughout the school year. The deadline to give and fulfill all annual fund pledges for 24-25 and to appear in the Annual Report is April 30, 2025.

The 24-25 SCM Annual Fund goals are $200,000 and 100% parent participation. We ask that every family make a gift that is commensurate with their financial capacity and desire to have an impact. Last school year, annual fund gifts ranged from $10 to $35,000.

The average family gift to the annual fund falls at around $1,000. It is our hope that every family will consider giving at this level or above, however, every gift makes a difference.

St. Catherine’s accepts gifts via check, credit card, cash, and securities. Some families give through donor advised funds and family foundations. Online gifts and pledges can be made here on the school website. Checks can be dropped off at the Front Desk or mailed to St. Catherine’s – please note “Annual Fund” on the memo line.

Contact Lyndsey Ray, advancement director, at lray@stcathmont.org or (713) 665-2195 to discuss securities transfers, giving through a donor advised fund, making a qualified charitable deduction from your IRA, or including St. Catherine's in your planned giving.

Named in honor of our school's founding year, The 1966 Society is the SCM Annual Fund's leadership donor society. Annual Fund contributors of $1,966 and above become members and are invited to an exclusive reception hosted the following fall.

Yes! We love it when our donors make use of matching programs to increase the impact of their gifts. Please let us know you intend to submit your gift for a match, then follow your company's submission process using our Tax ID number: 74-1727136. We will notify you once we have received those matching funds.

If you require additional documentation from St. Catherine's, please contact Lyndsey Ray, advancement director, at lray@stcathmont.org or (713) 665-2195.

At St. Catherine's, as at most independent schools, tuition and fees only cover a portion of the cost to educate every student. Gifts to the annual fund bridge the difference. 

Maintaining affordable tuition for families who wish to send their children to St. Catherine's is a fundamental principle in which our foundresses, Sister Edna Ann Hebert, O.P. and Sister Shirley Owens, O.P., firmly believed when they opened the school in 1966. It is a value that holds true today. If we did not raise funds each year to support the school's daily operations, the only other method to fully fund operating expenses would be to increase tuition. St. Catherine's has been able to grow because of our history of generous community giving. 

For more information about giving to St. Catherine's Montessori, contact Lyndsey Ray, advancement director, at lray@stcathmont.org or (713) 665-2195.