Honoring the Founders’ Vision

Endowment for GDS Scholars Nears $12 Million 

In the 2024-25 school year, GDS raised nearly $12 million to launch the GDS Scholars Financial Aid Endowment, which will fund a four-year High School education for at least two new GDS scholars every academic year starting next fall. 

The endeavor marks a major milestone in the School’s commitment to educational equity and access, honoring the vision of the seven founding families who established GDS in 1945 as a racially integrated, multi-cultural school that mirrors the demographic make-up of the DC area.

The new funding, which will be awarded to students from historically marginalized groups, is made possible by an extraordinary circle of donors who have each prioritized this cause with a commitment of at least $250,000 to the endowment. Collectively, they agreed that the Scholars should be academically high-achieving students from DC middle schools who have a demonstrated need for full tuition coverage.

The idea for the endowment took shape when a family foundation (which asked to remain anonymous) pledged $4 million in seed funding, contingent on the School making significant progress toward raising an additional $8 million by June 30. As of publication time, $7.4 million had been raised toward the $8 million goal, thanks to the generosity of families who stepped forward to help bring the School’s mission to life for future scholars.

Beginning with the 2025-26 academic year, the endowment will make it possible for at least two additional students to attend GDS with full support. Assuming a 3.5 percent annual draw from the endowment’s total value, the School will generate enough funding to cover tuition as well as equitable participation costs, such as college admission testing fees and athletic equipment.

"Georgetown Day School was founded as an act of access,” said Head of School Russell Shaw. “I am delighted that this program will broaden access to our School for generations to come, enriching our student body and providing a launching pad for remarkable young people to pursue lives of purpose."

The new scholarships are modeled after two previous successful philanthropic initiatives at GDS that fund a high school education for individual incoming students. What makes this effort different is the endowment piece. By frontloading the investment, GDS now has a consistent, reliable source of financial aid for every school year into the future. 

“This endowed fund empowers Georgetown Day School to fully support exceptional students with the greatest need–allowing our annual financial aid dollars to go further and assist even more families who require partial support,” said Jeffrey Delozier, Director of Development. “It’s a remarkable step toward making a GDS education today accessible to a broader, more diverse range of students. We are tremendously grateful to the benefactors who made this historic achievement possible–for the School and, most importantly, for our students.”

GDS has increased its financial aid funds annually, thanks to community philanthropy and a robust organizational commitment, emphasizing the importance of meeting as many families as we can at their most acute point of need. In the past decade, our financial aid budget has increased by 68%. Still, those dollars can only go so far, and every year, we must turn away talented students for whom a GDS education is out of reach.