Giving

As an independent school, Westside is driven by its own unique philosophy, values, and approach to teaching. Unlike public or parochial schools, independent schools, including Westside, rely solely on tuition and charitable contributions to support their educational program.

Westside raises funds during the Westside School Fund and Annual Westside Together Spring Gathering to support our strong educational program.

WESTSIDE TOGETHER SPRING GATHERING

Thank you to everyone in our community who came out to support Westside's Tuition Assistance Program at Westside Together. It was a wonderful evening of community and support for our students. If you were not able to attend and would like to make a donation, you can do so below.

This year, we are exclusively raising money for Westside's Tuition Assistance Program so that every student has access to a Westside education.

MAKE A DONATION TO THE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM HERE

WESTSIDE SCHOOL FUND

Each fall, Westside's community of families, faculty, staff, friends, and alumni come together to support our school during the Westside School Fund. These gifts support the full delivery of a joyful and community-oriented Westside education rooted in a solid academic foundation for all of our students.

Whether it's $10, $100, $15,000 or beyond, gifts of any size have a direct impact on our educational program and our students. Join the joy by supporting Westside today!

Ways to Give
FAQ

Ways to Give

Direct Gifts

Contributions of check, credit card and electronic fund transfers are greatly appreciated.

You can give via credit card here .

Pledge Contributions

Pledges are welcome and make giving easy for every family. Pledges are made at the beginning of the year and can be paid over time or scheduled for a later date, such as monthly, quarterly, next February, or some now and some later. Payments can be made until the end of the school year.

Click here to make a pledge today.

Securities

Westside School gladly accepts gifts of stock. Please contact the Advancement Office for more information.

Matching Gifts

Many employers will match employee donations and volunteer time. The impact of your gift may be doubled or even tripled! Some companies even match gifts made by retirees and/or spouses.

Companies with a Matching Gift Program

Alaska Airlines
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Boeing
Charles Schwab
Delta Airlines
Liberty Mutual Group
Microsoft
Morgan Stanley
Starbucks
Washington Mutual
Wells Fargo
And so many more!

Find out if your company has a matching gift program HERE!

FAQ

Q. Why Annual Giving?

A. As in most independent schools, tuition and fees do not cover the full cost of a student’s education. Your contributions directly impact each student at Westside. Contributions for the Annual Fund directly support this year’s budget, including:

Teacher Compensation & Development
Student Support
Teaching & Learning

Q. Who gives to the WSF?

A. All members of the Westside School community engage in annual giving: faculty and staff, trustees, current and alumni families, grandparents, corporations, foundations, and friends.

Q: What are the Giving Levels?

A: Leadership Giving Levels:
Gold - $10,000+
Silver - $5,000 to $9,999
Blue - $2,500 to $4,999

Community Giving Levels:
Green - $1,000 to $2,499
Orange - up to $999

Q: Where does my money actually go?

A: Your support allows Westside the flexibility to respond adeptly to the most urgent, ongoing needs. Whether it is hiring and retaining the most qualified and dedicated faculty, ensuring technology access for each student, supporting educational strategies and materials; or funding specialized learning such as the arts and language programs, your support allows Westside to go above and beyond for our students.

Q: How much do people ordinarily give?

A: Gifts to our Annual Fund have ranged from under $25 to over $15,000. Every gift, no matter the amount, is important and genuinely appreciated.

Q: How do I make a gift?

A: There are many ways to give to Westside School. You can give a one-time donation or make a pledge using the online pledge form and pay throughout the year. Westside accepts donations by:

Check made out to Westside School
Credit Card online through our website
Stock, contact A lysse Mastrude for transfer instructions.
Employee payroll deduction and matching - Many donors also take advantage of their employers' matching gift program, which makes it easy to donate and often double or triple their gift to the school.

Q: Is my gift tax-deductible?

Yes. Westside School is a non-profit organization. All gifts made to the school are tax-deductible. The Westside School Tax ID Number is 91-1151493.

Additional questions? Contact Alysse Mastrude at alyssem@westsideschool.org.

2022-2023 Giving Priorities

Compensation & Professional Development

Supporting salaries and benefits in an inspiring work environment to allow Westside to retain our quality faculty and staff.

72% of the budget goes to salaries and benefits
Increased professional development for all of our faculty in the areas of academics, DEIA, and social/emotional learning
- 2022-2023 Professional Development theme: meeting the needs of all our students
  - Major topics include typical child development and digging deeper into neurodiversity

Student Support

Guiding students to increase their self-awareness, academic capabilities, and positive behaviors both as members of the Westside community and as global citizens.

Social/Emotional Learning & Counseling:
- Addition of a second counselor so that all students’ social and emotional needs are addressed

Increased the learning support team from one to four educators. This team’s goal is to more deliberately try to meet the academic needs of all students. The team identifies academic barriers to growth and develops individualized plans of support
- Differentiation (both support and stretch) in math and literacy, in both push-in and pull-out settings
- Supporting teachers with in house workshops, goal setting, and observations

Teaching & Learning

Advancing Westside’s strong academic programs in literacy, math, social studies, science, and world language, and preparing Westside students for success in high school and beyond.

Expanded arts programs
- Year round music and visual arts
- Expanded visual arts for Early Learning
- After school drama club and arts electives
Enhanced our library program by hiring a professional children’s librarian.

Tuition Assistance Program

All donations made during the Westside Together Spring Gathering ensure and impact the quality of education for every student at Westside School. A robust Tuition Assistance program allows us to cultivate a diverse student body who are engaged and elevate the educational experience of everyone. In whatever capacity that is meaningful for your family, we hope you will consider making a gift to help Westside meet our goal.

Tuition Assistance Program Fundraising Goal: $296,000

Your support helps break down barriers so that anyone can receive a Westside education, regardless of financial circumstances, including partnering with the Rainier Scholars Program.

This year, your gift to the Tuition Assistance Program is crucial and will allow us to meet an increase in requests for tuition assistance. For the 2022-2023 academic year 19% of students, approximately 77 students, received financial support totaling $767,650. Westside commits 7% of its budget to tuition assistance. We are asking our community to come together to increase our tuition assistance capabilities with an additional $296,000.

Giving

WESTSIDE TOGETHER SPRING GATHERING

WESTSIDE SCHOOL FUND

Limited Openings in Kindergarten and Preschool