Exceptionally Sanford

The Sanford Endowment

Nurturing our Roots

Build Your Legacy. Invest In Our Future.

Secure your legacy and be a part of something remarkable with the Exceptionally Sanford Campaign. Our goal is to increase the Sanford Endowment by $4 million. As stewards of Sanford’s exceptional tradition, we invite you to play a vital role in sustaining our legacy of excellence. By supporting our endowment, you make it possible for Sanford to thrive today and remain resilient in the years ahead.

Your generous contribution gives Sanford the flexibility to address our most pressing needs every year, regardless of the economic climate, while providing enduring support for students and faculty alike.

 

The Sanford Endowment

While Sanford's endowment has grown from $7.4 million to $13.6 million over the last 14 years, maintaining this momentum is critical. Compared with local and national peer schools, Sanford still has room to grow.
A helpful measure of endowment strength is median endowment per student:
  • Sanford (2024-25): $19,822 per student
  • Peer schools, National Association for Independent Schools: $25,924 per student
  • Peer schools, Delaware Valley Independent Schools: $31,390 per student
We invite the entire Sanford community to help keep this important growth on track. Together, we can secure the extraordinary experiences that define a Sanford education!
 

Why Endowment Growth Matters

Growing Sanford’s endowment strengthens the school in ways that directly benefit students and faculty. Increased annual endowment income allows us to:
  • Attract and retain outstanding faculty by remaining competitive with peer schools in salaries and benefits.
  • Expand financial aid and scholarships to ensure talented students have access to a Sanford education regardless of their financial background.
  • Support program enhancements each year, giving flexibility to invest in the areas of our curriculum that will make the biggest difference.

Providing for Tomorrow's Students

Heather and Kenny Mitchell ’93 have made a transformative $1.5 million gift to establish The Mitchell Family Endowed Scholarship Fund at Sanford. This scholarship ensures that four Mitchell Family Scholars will have the opportunity to attend the Upper School each year, supporting Sanford’s ongoing commitment to affordability, access, and a richly diverse community in perpetuity.
"If it were not for the generosity of the school, I would not have been able to afford a Sanford education. I'm grateful to be able to pay that forward...I look back at my time as a Sanford student with tremendous gratitude for the educators, coaches, staff, parents, and Sanford community members who encouraged and fostered my early talents as a student, athlete, and leader." - Kenny Mitchell, 1993 alumni and former board of trustee.

The Role of Endowment Draws in Sanford’s Annual Budget

Typically, Sanford follows a standard approach used by independent schools, drawing 4-5% annually from the endowment (calculated on a three-year rolling market value).

Currently, Sanford draws about $550,000 each year from the endowment. These funds play a vital role in the annual operating budget. The graphic (right) shows how annual draws compare with larger endowment balances, illustrating the lasting impact that continued endowment growth can have on Sanford’s operations.

Ways to Give

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  • Credit Card

    Donate securely online by credit card. Make a one-time gift or set up a recurring gift plan. With a recurring gift, choose the amount and the frequency that you'd like to donate to Sanford; just "set it and forget it." Should you ever need to change your recurring plan, contact Jody Cross in the Development Office.

  • Corporate Matching Gift

    Check with your employer or HR department to see if they have a corporate matching gift program that will match your donation. If so, apply for a matching grant following your company's rules. Let us know you've applied for a matching grant so that we can approve requests and thank you.
     
     
     
     

  • IRA Gifts

    Give to Sanford School through your Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Those who are at retirement age need to take a required minimum distribution (RMD) each year. Contact your retirement account administrator to direct all or part of your required minimum distribution (RMD) to Sanford. Because Sanford is an IRS-qualified charity, this is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). With a QCD, the amount donated is not reported as taxable income, even if you do not itemize deductions. In this way, Qualified Charitable Distributions can offer greater tax savings. Sanford’s EIN is 51-0064331.

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  • Check

    Send a check payable to Sanford School with the specific project you would like to support listed in the memo line.
    Attn: Development Office, Sanford School, 6900 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, DE 19707.
     

  • Stock Gifts

    An economical way to support Sanford is through a gift of appreciated securites that you have held for more than one year. This allows you to bypass capital gains tax on the growth and receive an income tax deduction for the stock's fair market value. In order to determine the value, we will use the mean sale price on the day it comes into our possesion. Contact Jody Cross in the Development Office for Sanford's Charles Schwab account info and to alert us of the transfer.
     

  • charitable lead trust

    Talk to your attorney or financial advisor about the advantages of setting up a charitable lead trust with Sanford as the beneficiary. Charitable Lead Trust refers to an irrevocable trust designed to provide financial support to one or more charities, such as Sanford, for a set period of time, with the remaining assets eventually going to family members or other non-charitable beneficiaries.

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  • Pledge

    Fill out this online form or contact Jody Cross in the Development Office to set up a pledge and payment schedule. A pledge allows you to commit a larger specific donation amount with the flexibility to pay it out over multiple years and at payment times of your choosing, whether that be monthly, quarterly, or annually.

  • Donor Advised Fund

    A Donor Advised Fund, or DAF, is a giving vehicle established at a public charity like Fidelity Charitable. Giving in this way allows donors to make a lump sum charitable contribution, receive an immediate tax deduction, then recommend grants to qualified non-profit organizations over time. When processing a grant through your charitable giving account, search for Sanford School by tax ID (51-0064331). Include the donor's name and gift designation (i.e. Sanford Fund, Sanford Endowment, etc) with the grant request.

  • Charitable Remainder Trust

    Talk to your attorney or financial advisor about the advantages of setting up a charitable remainder trust with Sanford as the beneficiary. Charitable Remainder Trust refers to an irrevocable trust that generates a potential income stream for the donor or other beneficiaries, with the remainder going to your favorite charity or charities. At the end of the specified term of the trust, the remaining trust assets are distributed to one or more charitable beneficiaries, such as Sanford.

Projected Growth of an Endowed Fund

Each endowed fund at Sanford is designed to do two things: support its intended purpose–whether salaries, financial aid, athletics, or other programs–and grow over time. A portion of the fund’s value is distributed each year, while any earnings above that distribution are reinvested, allowing the fund to increase in market value and provide lasting, perpetual support.

The graph shows what a $50,000* endowed gift could achieve. Over 50 years, your gift could generate more than $225,000 in revenue for Sanford while the original gift quadrupled, leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come.
*Projected growth is based on an initial principal gift of $50,000, 7% annual growth, and a 4% annual withdrawal.
 
 

Endowed Fund Calculator

Please click on this link to find out more about Sanford's endowment priorities and funding opportunities. If you would like to create a new endowed fund, restricted to a particular purpose, we invite you to have a conversation with us about opportunities to mesh your philanthropic passions with Sanford's funding priorities. You can reach Jody Cross in the Development office on her direct line, 302.235.6526 or at crossj@sanfordschool.org. 

Questions? Please contact

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  • Photo of Jody Cross

    Jody Cross 

    Associate Director of Development
    302.235.6526

Sanford School

6900 Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, DE 19707
Phone: 302.235.6500
Email: admission@sanfordschool.org

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