PBS Annual Fund

Today's giving benefits every student, every day.

The PBS Annual Fund is PBS’s most critical fundraising initiative, providing unrestricted funding that balances the operating budget and ensures an exceptional education for every child. These funds, which account for approximately 7–10% of the school’s annual operating budget, are utilized in the same fiscal year in which they are raised.

CLOSING THE TUITION GAP

In line with the traditional independent school model, tuition revenue does not cover the full cost of a PBS education. Rather than raise tuition across the board, we look to the generosity of our school community to help close the gap.

100% PARTICIPATION GOAL

Each year, the entire PBS community is invited to contribute, with the goal of achieving 100% participation. School-wide participation in the PBS Annual Fund reflects our Core Value of Community and demonstrates our collective commitment to supporting our students, faculty and staff, and one another.

PRIORITY ALLOCATIONS

Contributions to the Annual Fund are allocated to the following philanthropic priorities:

Unrestricted
Academic Programs
Faculty Support and Professional Development
Arts and Music
Athletic Programs
Facilities
Campus Improvements
Financial Aid

Goals for 2025–26

$1MM 100% Participation

100% participation from families. We hope that the PBS Annual Fund can be a gift from the entire PBS community to our students. We ask that each current family consider a donation that is meaningful to them and that places PBS among their top philanthropic priorities for the year.
Raise over $1 million. Each year we strive to raise over $1 million dollars during our PBS Annual Fund. It supports PBS in recruiting and maintaining our incredible faculty and staff, pays for supplies, and is a vital resource for our school.
Secure gift commitments by early fall. The money we raise this year is spent this year; please make your gift or pledge early.

Successfully achieving these goals will provide the necessary resources to ensure that this school year is filled with learning, growing, and playing for each and every student. We are so grateful to all those who have made PBS a top philanthropic priority with a gift to this year's PBS Annual Fund. Please consider joining this generous group as we strive for 100% participation.

give to the PBS annual fund

Gift Allocation and Giving Levels

PBS’s Architect's Circle includes Annual Fund donors who contribute $25,000 or more within the fiscal year. These donors are invited to a private dinner hosted by the Head of School and Board Chair in appreciation of their support of the school.

PBS’s Head’s Circle includes Annual Fund donors who contribute $10,000 or more within the fiscal year. These donors are invited to a celebratory reception in appreciation of their support of the school.

Annual Fund FAQ's

What was the Impact of the 2024–25 Annual Fund?

Thanks to the generous support of the PBS Annual Fund, the 2024–2025 school year was a period of growth built on our Core Values. Last year, the PBS Annual Fund allowed innovation including:

New Faculty Positions: Funding the addition of a Math Associate and a Science Associate to strengthen our students' foundational skills.
Addition of a 3rd Grade Co-Teacher: Expanding our teaching staff to support more differentiated instruction.
Renovation of Learning Spaces: Creating a designated small-group learning room to facilitate focused, collaborative learning experiences. Spaces have been updated from top to bottom -- new flooring to new paint.
Increased Small-Group Learning Time: Redesigning schedules to create more small-group work to foster deeper learning through differentiation.
Children’s Health Council Partnership: Partnering with CHC to offer on-campus consultations for families, including in-classroom observations to support students’ emotional well-being. CHC will also provide faculty and staff education on many topics, including mental health and speech therapy, ensuring comprehensive support for students in and out of the classroom.
Enhanced Family Education Speaker Series: Fostering family engagement with timely topics relevant to our early childhood and elementary school-aged children.
Inspirational Engineering Manipulatives: Introducing Tubelox, Fort Boards, and more manipulatives to come that elevate student play with deep, innovative engineering thought, inspiring problem-solving skills, and exploration of real-world applications.

What are the anticipated investments for 2025–26?

In anticipation of the generous support of the 2025–2026 PBS Annual Fund is set to drive continued innovation and academic excellence by investing in:

Newly Renovated Art, Science, and Music Spaces: Over the summer, these learning environments underwent top-of-the-line transformations to better support creativity, hands-on learning, and artistic expression—ready to inspire students in the year ahead.
Expansive Professional Development: From the Harvard Graduate School of Education, to a continued partnership with Institute for Social Emotional Learning, to sending a faculty member to Reggio Emilia in Italy, our educators are engaging in dynamic, research-based opportunities that deepens their practice and enriches the student experience.
Partnership with Challenge Success: This research-based, equity-centered partnership supports student well-being while giving our faculty and families opportunities to learn, reflect, and help shape a more balanced school experience.
A New Vision of the Associate Teacher Program: This formalized program will provide aspiring educators with robust mentoring, training, and classroom experience; cultivating the next generation of great teachers.
New Materials for Early Learning Outdoor Spaces: Our youngest learners will benefit from thoughtfully selected, developmentally appropriate furnishings and art and building supplies designed to support independence, exploration, and joyful discovery.
Updated Golf Cart: We’ve added a newly refurbished golf cart to optimize campus facilities. This addition helps to enhance daily logistics and ensure prompt support where it’s needed most!

What does the PBS Annual Fund support?

The PBS Annual Fund supports nearly every aspect of the PBS experience, providing immediate resources that enable us to:

Attract and retain the best faculty
Develop the academic, artist, and creator in every student
Incorporate innovative technologies in the classroom
Pursue exciting learning opportunities with agility
Remain flexible and prepared to meet the unexpected

Education & Instructional Programs

Teacher salaries and benefits, classroom and curriculum supplies, rent, campus cleaning

Management & General

Business Office, insurance, legal, Technology Team, HR costs, information technology expenses

Fundraising & Community Engagement

Advancement and Communications Team, marketing & advertising, community & volunteer events

Why are these needs not covered by our tuition payments?

When is the PBS Annual Fund?

Who should participate in the PBS Annual Fund?

We partner with every PBS family and member of faculty and staff to make a gift to the PBS Annual Fund, and our goal each year is to achieve 100% participation. Every family that commits to supporting the PBS Annual Fund will inspire and motivate others to give as well, fostering a sense of community in this effort. School-wide participation in this important annual initiative demonstrates an understanding of our shared responsibility for and belief in the exceptional education of our children.

How much should we give to the PBS Annual Fund?

Your child is always the top priority at PBS, and we hope PBS is among your family’s top philanthropic priorities. We understand that every family’s ability to give is unique and encourage you to consider what a meaningful gift to the PBS Annual Fund is for your family. Annual Fund gifts have ranged from $10 to $300,000, and each one has made a positive impact on our school.

What other fundraising efforts should we consider when determining our PBS Annual Fund gift?

While the PBS Annual Fund is our most critical fundraising initiative, it is not the only one. Each spring we hold our Spring Benefit, which supports our needs-based financial aid program and allows us to enroll as many families to the PBS community as possible. We ask that each family consider their overall Annual Giving to PBS and allocate their contribution to the PBS Annual Fund and Spring Benefit, with consideration of the school’s needs and their giving preferences.

During your tenure at PBS there will likely be additional fundraising initiatives or special campaigns in which you will be invited to participate. We aim to be as transparent as possible in our development efforts and will make every effort to provide information, answer questions, and show impact around any fundraising that takes place. The generosity of the PBS community is the foundation of all we do here, and every dollar contributed to our mission will be responsibly and effectively stewarded to create the best possible experience for your family, and for each family that makes up our unique community.

How can I get involved and support the PBS Annual Fund effort?

There are several ways to lend your talents to this initiative. Each year, two dedicated parents serve as our Annual Fund Co-chairs, leading the charge in rallying support from our parent and guardian community. Additionally, a wonderful group of parents and guardians serve as Annual Fund Class Captains. Volunteers from each grade act as ambassadors, advocates, and champions of this initiative, encouraging fellow PBS peers to make their gifts. Please reach out to the Advancement Office for more details on these roles if you are interested in participating.

students smiling together at PBS Fun Run