FY 2023 - 2024 - Impact Report Miss Porter's School Fall Bulletin 2024
Miss Porter’s School: Education that emboldens diverse young women to excel
Impact of Your Philanthropy
At Miss Porter’s School, our ability to deliver transformational education is strengthened by our broad community of philanthropic supporters. Through gifts of talent, time and treasure, our volunteers and donors help us continue to thrive as a dynamic and innovative academic institution of consequence for girls. Your generosity helps us actualize our mission to empower girls of diverse identities to be informed, bold, resourceful and ethical global citizens who will shape a changing world.
Christine M. Pina, Ed.M. Chief Advancement Officer
*Ivy Society members are donors who make gifts of any size to Porter’s for at least five consecutive fiscal years.
**Moonbeams Circle recognizes individuals who have included Porter’s in their estate plans.
PHILANTHROPY IN ACTION
TOTAL DOLLARS RAISED $9M
1,670
TOTAL DONORS
214
VOLUNTEERS
692
IVY SOCIETY MEMBERS*
10
NEW MOONBEAMS CIRCLE** MEMBERS, MORE THAN 200 TOTAL MEMBERS
5
NEW ENDOWED FUNDS
Our Annual Fund is a key driver of every aspect of the Porter’s educational experience, including academics, extracurriculars, facilities, financial aid, faculty salaries and maintenance. In 2024, you gave generously, with 67% giving less than $500 reflecting the incredible power of collective giving.
1,632
TOTAL DONORS
1,097
145
DEIB** & financial aid were the top two donation designations
Donors hailed from 47 U.S. states and 23 countries
ANCIENT PARTICIPATION IN MPS GIVING
Annual Giving Bowl
Awarded to class of 2006 for achieving the most participation in the Annual Fund during a non-reunion year this class achieved a 33% participation rate.
100% participation by board of trustees, alumnae board, and class of 2024
Silver Pitcher
Awarded to class of 1995 for achieving the largest increase in class participation in the Annual Fund from the previous year this class achieved a 10% increase in participation.
*Recurring gifts are monthly, quarterly or yearly donations.
106
$14.9M Annual Fund dollars raised from 2019–2024
1947 Bowl
Awarded to the class of 1974 for achieving the highest rate of participation in the Annual Fund in its reunion year this class achieved a 68% participation rate.
Farmington Give Day
Taking place each April, Farmington Give Day is Porter’s biggest fundraising day for the Annual Fund. In 2024, you showed up for this day in record numbers your contributions represented a 31% increase over 2023!
Annual Fund
Dollars raised in the past six fiscal years:
Discover how your philanthropic support to Miss Porter’s School creates
opportunities for students, faculty and staff.
Giving empowers MPS students to be…
Diplomacy seekers
In May, five Porter’s students participated in a multischool, mini-Model United Nations event at Westover School. Anya Kumar ’26, who represented the United States, earned the Honorable Mention award!
This activity was supported by the Annie Hill 2012 Fund, established at MPS by Joan and David Hill P’12 in honor of their daughter Annie Hill ’12, to support students’ participation in diplomacy activities.
Sustainability activists
In FY24, more than 90 MPS students in Earth Club together with partner Blue Earth Composting composted 77,790 pounds of waste, which mitigated the emissions of 16,308 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
These efforts were supported by the Feather Foundation Fund, which supports educational initiatives focused on creating a sustainable future for life on earth.
Global travelers
In 2024, 81 students in grade 11 traveled with faculty to Costa Rica, Germany and France as part of Advanced Interdisciplinary Seminar (AIS) courses, which provide experiential, project-based learning opportunities with an international travel component to help students understand a specific regional pressing problem.
Travel abroad is enabled by donations made to the MPS Annual Fund and endowment. You can learn more about school trips to France, Costa Rica and Germany here:
AISstudents in front
Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging advocates
In April, 16 Porter’s students attended the Connecticut Association of Independent School’s Student Diversity Leadership Conference at Hopkins School, where they connected with other students from around the state to work together, network and share best practices.
Meanwhile, financial support from the Khalid family allowed the Muslim Student Affinity group to host an inter-school Iftar, which brought together Muslim student groups from the Founder’s League and SPHERE
Informed citizens
During the 2023–2024 academic year, MPS hosted several speakers for our students, including Luca Martinez, a photographer and environmental activist who promotes sustainability and climate action by connecting his audiences to our natural world.
Among the funds that supported these events was the Dorothy Walker Bush 1919 Fund, which supports MPS in engaging speakers for convocation ceremonies.
“The Luca Martinez event was a great example of how funding speakers and experts in various fields inspires us to be informed and engaged citizens … I left [after having been] exposed to a whole new realm of environmental issues … and felt inspired to take action.”
Leah Glaspey ’24
Giving empowers MPS faculty and staff to be…
Thought leaders
In April, Elizabeth Simison, academic dean and humanities teacher, and Cate Rigoulot, science teacher, Earth Club advisor and recipient of the Sarah Porter Teaching Excellence Award, presented at the Global Education Benchmark Group’s 11th Annual Global Educators Conference in Montreal, Canada. Their session, “Creating Mission-Driven Global Programming through Institution-Wide Collaboration,” highlighted how MPS is living its mission to cultivate ethical global citizens.
Also in April, Eileen Mooney, the Elsa Parker Armour ’05 Teaching Chair in Mathematics, attended the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association in Philadelphia, which focused on dismantling racial injustice and constructing educational possibilities. The programming aligned with Porter’s objective to be an antiracist institution.
In June, John Bryk, mathematics and technology, innovation and entrepreneurship teacher, attended the Anja S. Greer Conference on Mathematics and Technology in New Hampshire. The insights he gained will enable him to ensure MPS students develop up-to-date data science skills, which will help equip them to shape a changing world.
International explorers
In 2024, Melissa Schomers, chair of the Humanities Department, and Ian Rumsey, mathematics teacher received the Cravens Fund for Teachers’ Summer Sabbaticals, which was established in 1955 by Martha and Malcolm Cravens P’55, P’63, P’64, P’65 to enable two teachers to travel abroad each summer.
Avi Dubnov, director of athletics and head varsity soccer coach, received the Marianna M. O’Brien Heads Discretionary Fund award, which provides non-teaching faculty with an opportunity to travel.
“We had the opportunity to share how our AIS Global Intensive courses align with the MPS mission. Thanks to generous donors and their philanthropy, we continually implement innovative global programs that enhance the student experience.”
Dr. Elizabeth Simison
Academic Dean & Humanities Teacher
Mathematics Teacher Ian Rumsey and his family at the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh.
