Shady Side Academy Report of Philanthropy
2018-2019
CELEBRATING
a Culture of Generosity
FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Friends of Shady Side Academy, In his book The Path to Purpose, Stanford professor William Damon defines purpose as an “intention to accomplish something that is at the same time meaningful to the self and consequential for the world beyond self.” To put it another way, we discover purpose when we develop a meaningful connection to a cause outside ourselves and then resolve to do something about it. Thanks to the philanthropic commitment of so many in the Shady Side community, we continue to inspire students to discover purpose through extraordinary experiences in academics, athletics and the arts. Whether recruiting and retaining Pittsburgh’s most talented faculty or offering an SSA education to bright, motivated students regardless of their ability to pay full tuition, our strong tradition of giving helps us to deliver purposeinspiring opportunities for every student at Shady Side. I am excited to share with you this 2018-2019 Report of Philanthropy, which outlines our considerable achievements over the past year. We raised a record $1.52 million for the Blue & Gold Fund, our annual giving campaign, and secured more than $7.5 million in overall support for the Academy last year. We are thrilled that the Glimcher Tech and Design Hub, a dynamic new facility dedicated to innovation, fabrication, robotics, engineering and design, is now open at the Senior School. The 12,000-square-foot space provides students a remarkable opportunity to prepare for a future in which disruptive technologies and trends such as the Internet of Things, virtual reality and artificial intelligence will continue to change the way we live, work and make a difference. On behalf of all of us at Shady Side Academy, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your generosity. I look forward to our shared work on behalf of students and their families and to what awaits us in the exciting years ahead. Sincerely,
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Bartley P. Griffith Jr. ’93 President
DONOR SPOTLIGHTS
CELEBRATING LIVES THROUGH GIFTS
CULTIVATING ACCESSIBILITY
The Killian 5K and Killian Patrick Cavanaugh Scholarship Fund
“I give to Shady Side
honor the late Killian Cavanaugh ’16.
Academy because I’m appreciative of the doors
“Killian loved Shady Side Academy for its academic rigor and as
that were opened to me.
the place where he forged great relationships with faculty and
I want those same doors,
friends alike. He thought the campus was beautiful and inspired an
and others, to remain
enthusiastic environment for learning. We hope the Killian Patrick
accessible for students who
Cavanaugh Scholarship Fund will honor his love for the school,
look like me and come from
support its mission and give him a permanent seat at Shady Side
communities similar
Academy forevermore.”
to mine.”
Susan Cavanaugh, past parent
Aaron Horne ’13 Report of Philanthropy
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THE 1-2-3 OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR SHADY SIDE There is so much growth and innovation happening across our campuses! None of it could happen without the help of our devoted donors. Although we’ve accomplished great things since the kickoff of The Campaign for Shady Side five years ago, there is still work to be done to keep us on track for a successful end to our capital campaign.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ENDOWMENT FUND
BLUE & GOLD FUND
Goal: $17.5 million
Goal: $8 million
Goal: $7 million over 5 years
McIlroy Center for Science & Innovation opened May 2018 K-8 science labs renovated 2014-2016
$4 million for student financial assistance to fund financial aid for more deserving students
Supports the highest needs of the Academy by providing necessary and critical resources for the annual operating budget
Fundraising continues: Glimcher Tech & Design Hub opened September 2019
$4 million for faculty excellence to support our beloved teachers through professional development and compensation
Covers 6% of the average cost of educating an SSA student
$15 million raised $2.5 million needed to cover building and technology endowments
$12 million raised, exceeding goal by $4 million
$7.5 million raised over five years, plus a record $1.52 million in 2018-2019
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DONOR SPOTLIGHT PARENTS MAKE A DIFFERENCE “We contribute to the Blue & Gold Fund as we know it supports so much of what we love about Shady Side Academy. SSA allows for self-discovery, encouraging students to not only dig deep into their academics, but also to explore the arts, athletics or any of the numerous clubs on campus. The Academy has made a lasting impact on our daughter – a strong academic foundation paired with curiosity and confidence that she will carry for a lifetime.” Gwynn Repp, current parent
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THE CAMPAIGN FOR SHADY SIDE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE The completion of the McIlroy Center for Science and Innovation and the Glimcher Tech and Design Hub marks an important milestone in The Campaign for Shady Side. These new facilities both enhance the beauty of our Senior School campus and support innovative teaching methods to better prepare our students for our changing world. The opening of the Glimcher Tech and Design Hub in September 2019 offers the
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perfect complement to the McIlroy Center for Science and Innovation. The renovation brings spacious new computer labs, a modern fabrication lab, workshop, wet lab and robotics arena, as well the SSA Café, supported and named by the SSA Parents’ Association. The Glimcher Tech and Design Hub provides flexible learning spaces for the Senior School’s thriving computer science program, as well as a focus on design and creativity across academic disciplines.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT GIVING ADVANCES LEARNING “My wife and I chose to send our children to Shady Side Academy based on its renowned academic reputation and Having completed the two transformational facilities, as well as lab renovations at the Junior and Middle Schools, we now shift our focus to raising the last $2.5 million for building endowments to cover upkeep and maintenance costs in perpetuity. Now is when we truly need the help of our devoted donor base. Help us reach our final goal on this exciting initiative through a variety of naming opportunities within the new Glimcher Tech and Design Hub.
have made it a priority of ours to further support the school’s efforts to enrich its students’ educational experiences. By way of donation, we are contributing to the ongoing excellence of SSA by providing the students with advanced learning and athletic facilities, attracting and securing the most qualified teachers and administrators, and making the latest technologies available to the Academy. SSA is more than a school to our family and our city, it is an integral part of our Pittsburgh community.” Mazen Youssef, former trustee, current parent
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THE CAMPAIGN FOR SHADY SIDE ENDOWMENT FUND The Campaign for Shady Side set out to raise $8 million for the Endowment Fund: $4 million for student financial assistance and $4 million for faculty excellence. We are proud to announce that we exceeded our goal, raising $12 million thanks to the generosity of our community. The Endowment Fund continues to be essential to Shady Side Academy’s long-term financial stability. Let us help you focus your donation through a scholarship, faculty support or planned giving. HISTORIC $5.2 MILLION GIFT TO FINANCIAL AID ENDOWMENT Shady Side Academy received the second-largest gift in its 136-year history, a $5.224 million gift to the financial aid endowment that will ultimately fund seven scholarships for Shady Side students in grades 6-12. The gift was made in honor of late SSA Middle School Headmaster David A. Mancosh Sr. and his wife, Rose Marie, by a group of anonymous donors known as “The Family and Friends of David and Rose Marie Mancosh,” to create the new David and Rose Marie Mancosh Scholarship Fund. To qualify for a Mancosh Scholarship, a student’s financial aid need must equal or exceed 80% of current and projected tuition costs. The Mancosh Scholarship will cover 80-85% of tuition, with the Academy covering the remaining 15-20% from general scholarship funds.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT A LEGACY OF GENEROSITY “My father, William A. Meyer, graduated from Shady Side Academy in 1928 and served on the Academy’s board for decades. He very much believed the experiences he had at Shady Side Academy were instrumental in his successes in life, and as a result helped to start the Academy’s Scholarship Fund. It was his wish for the recipiants to someday give back to their school or communities. Through the William A. Meyer Scholarship Fund, his legacy proudly lives on.” Richard Meyer ’63
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DONOR SPOTLIGHT THE GIFT OF OPPORTUNITY COMES FULL CIRCLE Tim McGeary ’95 was the oldest of five children who grew up in New Kensington, PA. He came to Shady Side Academy in the seventh grade after receiving a financial award from the Murray Rust family. Each year, while attending Shady Side Academy, he would write a letter to Mrs. Rust (wife of the late Murray Rust) telling her about his time at Shady Side Academy and thanking her for her family’s generosity. He never met her, but knew that he had been given a great gift of opportunity. While at Shady Side, Tim worked as a dining room server at Longwood at Oakmont, an independent living/retirement community. While serving one evening, he met a resident who took great interest in his education and plans for after school. He couldn’t talk about his Shady Side Academy experience without mentioning the Rust family, who had made it all possible. “The woman I was speaking to turned out to be a dear friend of Mrs. Rust,” Tim said, “and she couldn’t wait to relay what a nice and conscientious young man I was! It was the next best thing to meeting someone from the Rust family in person.” After graduating from Shady Side Academy, Tim attended Lehigh University, where he later found a career as a systems librarian in the technology and digital collections division. During a capital campaign and renovation of the Linderman Library, it was announced that his division had been named for none other than the Murray Rust family. Not only had Murray Rust attended Shady Side Academy, but he was also an alumnus of Lehigh University. The benevolence of the generous family had come full circle for Tim in a remarkable chain of events. Today, Tim is an executive at Duke University’s Library for Digital Strategies and Technology, where he works closely with the development team to raise funds for the libraries. “Having a story of my own where I benefitted so greatly from someone’s generosity gives me a unique perspective,” said Tim, “It gave me an understanding that I needed to make the most of what I was given and the importance of giving back.”
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BLUE & GOLD FUND As we welcomed alumnus Bart Griffith ’93 as our new president in July, we wrapped up a remarkable year of giving in 2018-2019. The total raised in last year’s Blue & Gold Fund was the highest in the Academy’s history. Through the support of the members of the Shady Side Academy community, more than 1,500 donors raised $1.52 million. We are focused on the continued growth of the Academy. The Blue & Gold Fund brings this community together toward a common goal – providing the necessary resources to create the best educational experience for our students. This year we are building on the success of last year’s historic campaign as we reach toward an ambitious goal of $1.6 million. We need the support of the entire Shady Side Academy community to reach our goal.
DONOR SPOTLIGHT A FAMILY AFFAIR Spencer Todd ’89 and his wife, Wendy, are actively involved in the success of Shady Side Academy. Wendy served as president of the Parents Association and is an active volunteer for the Blue & Gold Fund. Spencer served as a trustee and a valued member of his reunion committee. The couple have actively supported the Academy through annual donations. Their benevolence has placed them in our distinguished Founders Society, honoring donors making annual gifts of $1,883 or more to the Blue & Gold Fund. “I’m a lifer,” said Spencer, whose father Tom Todd ’60 also spent his entire primary and secondary education at Shady Side Academy. “I was raised in a household where we were
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taught that it is our duty to give back to those places that influenced us, that helped us. Shady Side Academy is one of those places.” The Todds’ children, Abigail ’19 and Jack ’21, are also part of the Shady Side Academy family, as well as Spencer’s sister, Heather Todd Lorch ’85, continuing the legacy and spirit of philanthropy. “By donating consistently,” said Spencer, “we look at it as saying ’thank you’ every year. Shady Side Academy, our college and my graduate school – those are a few of the organizations we make sure to support every year because they’re near and dear to us and helped us to get to where we are.” Spencer, who led local charitable donations while at Thermo Fisher Scientific, managed
YOUR GIFTS AT WORK Gifts to last year’s Blue & Gold Fund supported countless educational tools and opportunities including: Middle School rocketry and robotics materials Seeds and irrigation supplies for the SSA Farm’s gardens
Computers, monitors, projectors and docking stations for classrooms, libraries and labs on all four campuses Class trips to: Pittsburgh
Athletic travel, referees and uniforms Science Olympiad and math competition fees
corporate gifts in excess of $100,000 to many local academic organizations, including Shady Side Academy, as well as a $1 million gift to the Pittsburgh Public Schools/The Pittsburgh Promise through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC).
Public Theater, Rivers of Steel, Frick Environmental Center, Carnegie Museums, Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, Inventionland, Byham Theater and Schramm Farms
give to the Blue & Gold Fund in support of their 30th reunion. “Whether you write a check for $19.89 or $1,989 or volunteer your time - it all counts. It’s your way of saying ’thank you’ for what Shady Side Academy has given to each of us.”
“I think it’s important for people to understand how best to give,” said Spencer, “As individuals, we make our annual contribution to the Blue & Gold Fund, as well as our support of The Campaign for Shady Side by donating highly appreciated stock. It is truly the most tax efficient means of philanthropy for us. It’s important to explore different vehicles of giving.” Spencer served on his class reunion committee this year and encouraged his classmates to Report of Philanthropy
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NEW OPPORTUNITY: PENNSYLVANIA SPE TRANSFORMING TAX DOLLARS INTO SCHOLARSHIPS What is a Special Purpose Entity (SPE) as it pertains to Pennsylvania education tax credits? A Special Purpose Entity is a new class of pass-through partnerships that exist solely for the purpose of obtaining individual Education Improvement Tax Credits (EITC). Who can receive education credits through the SPE? The Special Purpose Entity, at present, offers membership to individuals/couples with a minimum PA tax liability of $3,500 annually. Shady Side Academy is associated with the Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Fund, a Pennsylvania-approved scholarship organization and its collection of special purpose entities.
HOW DOES IT WORK? $10,000
PA State Income Tax Liability
$10,000
Donation to SPE for EITC
$9,000
PA State Credit Awarded
$300
Federal Tax Deduction on the $1,000 State Tax
$700
Net Cost to Taxpayer to Direct SPE to SSA SSA receives $10,000 in scholarship funds
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WAYS TO SUPPORT SSA Shady Side Academy celebrates the generosity of each of our donors who supported our students with a philanthropic gift during the 2018-2019 school year. Whether it’s time, talent or financial support, you are helping to transform the educational experience at Shady Side Academy. Here’s how to get involved: Naming Opportunities There are still many areas within the Glimcher Tech and Design Hub available for personalization. Blue & Gold Fund Gifts Our annual fund supports the highest needs of the Academy by providing necessary and critical resources for the annual operating budget. Leadership Gifts Shady Side Academy’s Founders Society represents donors contributing more than $1,883 annually to the Blue & Gold Fund. Endowment Gifts A strong endowment is essential to the Academy’s long-term financial sustainability and future success. Your support will help us to continue providing the priceless gifts of opportunity and mentorship to our students in years to come.
Planned Gifts Include Shady Side Academy in your will or other estate plans and make a lasting impact. Our Semper Society is a group of visionary supporters who have helped to ensure the continuing excellence of a Shady Side Academy education for future generations of our students. Matching Gifts There are more than 4,000 companies and foundations that match gifts to independent schools. Let us help you make the connection. Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program Eligible businesses can make a donation to Shady Side Academy and receive tax credits equal to a percentage of their gift. Special Purpose Entity (SPE) A Special Purpose Entity allows individuals to gain Pennsylvania tax credit by supporting financial aid at Shady Side Academy.
To learn more, contact a member of the Alumni & Development Office at 412-968-3011 or development@shadysideacademy.org
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FINANCIALS
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The investment in a Shady Side Academy education goes well beyond the cost of tuition. The generosity of our donors helps to enhance the educational experience of every student and makes a Shady Side Academy education accessible to more deserving students.
We are grateful for the commitment every Shady Side Academy family puts forward to investing in their student’s education. Our commitment is to limit annual tuition increases while still providing every student with an education of lifelong value.
The average comprehensive cost of educating a Shady Side Academy student is $34,315 across all four campuses, but the average tuition covers only $26,670 of that cost.
To expand on this investment, here is a visual representation of how we combine tuition dollars with the generosity of Shady Side Academy donors to create a more dynamic learning experience for a greater base of students.
Report of Philanthropy
SSA EDUCATION AVERAGE COST
Shady Side Academy spent an average of
$34,315
on every student last year. Where did it come from?
12% - $4,120 Endowment
6% - $2,080 Gifts
6% - $1,445
Auxillary Programs
76% - $26,670 Tuition and Fees
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View the full 2018-2019 Donor Listing (PDF)
www.ShadySideAcademy.org/support