Taft Fund

You may choose to support academics, arts, athletics and afternoon program, community service, diversity, equity & inclusion, environment & sustainability, faculty & staff, financial aid, health & wellness, technology, or area of greatest need.

Being an independent school means that we are a nonprofit organization, operating without financial support from local or federal taxes. We rely on tuition income, Taft Fund income, and endowment income to support the day-to-day operation of our school—which comes with an annual price tag of more than 51 million dollars. Our tuition, which aligns closely with that charged by our peer schools, covers only about 68 percent of what it costs to educate each Taft student. The Taft Fund helps bridge that gap.

Parent support at Taft not only enhances the lives of each student in a direct and immediate way, but it is also one of the school's most impressive credentials. Ninety percent of Taft parents joined in raising $3,101,991 last year, representing 50% of total Taft Fund giving. Whitney and Raja Chatterjee, trustees and parents of Xander '25 and Cece '27, lead the effort alongside a dedicated Parents’ Committee.

Endowment funds are like savings accounts that generate income from the investment of the principal. For example, a gift to the Lance Odden Scholarship is put in endowment so that the fund grows and spins off more and more income as years pass. The principal is not touched. A gift to the endowment is NOT a gift to the Taft Fund.

Many companies offer matching gift programs to employees and their families, allowing individual gifts to be doubled, and sometimes tripled. All matching gifts are credited directly to you. To find out if your company has a matching gift program, please enter your employer's name below. If you do not see your employer listed, ask your Human Resources department if they offer a matching gift program. Please submit your completed matching gift form to the Advancement Office using the address or email below. If you have any questions, please call our office at 800-959-8238.

The Taft School
Attn: Anna Kasperuk
110 Woodbury Road
Watertown, CT 06795

akasperuk@taftschool.org

From time to time, our Board of Trustees identifies projects that require large sums of money to complete; capital funding may support those projects. Bingham Auditorium, HDT dormitory, the Martin Health Center, Snyder Field, Camp Field, and Odden Arena were all recently renovated thanks to capital giving. Capital gifts may also bolster our endowment, providing meaningful support for academic programs, students, faculty, and staff.

To learn more about capital gift opportunities, please call Lawrence Crimmins, Chief Advancement Officer, at 800-959-8238.

The Taft Fund helps us live; capital funds help us grow. That is, the Taft Fund is used for annual expenses, while capital and endowed gifts are for building and special projects.