Philanthropy Frequently Asked Questions

Simply, your gift advances Durham Academy’s mission. Philanthropy is integral to ensuring the best academic experience for each student, providing growth and development opportunities for faculty, supporting our culture of diversity and inclusion and bridging the gap between tuition and the cost of a DA education. Your support matters!

Durham Academy has a strong culture of giving. Each year, parents, alumni, grandparents, parents of alumni, faculty and staff give generously. The school also receives support from grants awarded by local and national foundations.

Durham Academy is grateful for a gift of any amount and hopes each family will give according to their means. This collective investment speaks volumes to our wider community. Because every student and every teacher benefits from the DA Fund, we believe and encourage all members of our community to participate.

Durham Academy accepts gifts of all kinds at any point during the year. Our fiscal year runs July 1–June 30. 

Yes! If your employer matches donations made to educational institutions, your gift can be increased at no additional cost to you. Visit da.org/match to see if your employer participates. You will be credited for the total amount of the gift (donor contribution + employer match).

Gifts to Durham Academy can support the Durham Academy Fund, an endowed fund, a specific program or capital projects. Gifts to the Durham Academy Fund are unrestricted, which allows the school to apply your gift towards our area of greatest need. Gifts made to restricted endowment funds, school programs or capital improvement funds support those specific areas of the school. All charitable donations are tax-deductible.

The Durham Academy Fund is an annual philanthropic effort that raises money to subsidize tuition income in order to meet the school’s operating budget. The true cost of an independent school education is not fully covered by tuition and fees. Schools like Durham Academy have a long history of relying on the generosity of their community to cover this difference. For 2020–2021, that gap was $2,274 per DA student. For this reason, the DA Fund remains our most critical fundraising priority.

We could, but augmenting tuition with DA Fund dollars allows the Board of Trustees to keep tuition at a competitive rate with our peers. Additionally, contributions to the DA Fund are tax-deductible, while tuition payments are not.  

Beyond the Threshold is the most ambitious fundraising effort Durham Academy has ever undertaken. 

We’re on the threshold of the next phase in our exciting campus plans to create state-of-the-art teaching and learning environments. As we extend the ability of our life-changing teachers to create innovative, integrated learning experiences, we continue to carry out our commitment to the excellence for which Durham Academy is known. Beyond the Threshold delivers on our promise to provide a transformative educational experience, fulfilling a plan that started almost 30 years ago with the creation of our Preschool and Lower School campus.

Donors who make a gift to Durham Academy during the fiscal year are listed in our annual Impact Report at the following levels:

• $25,000 and above
• $10,000–$24,999
• $5,000–$9,999
• $2,500–$4,999
• $1,000–$2,499
• Up to $999

If a donor wishes to remain anonymous, their gift is listed as anonymous. Alumni donors are recognized by class year. In addition, DA also recognizes donors in special lifetime and legacy giving societies.

Reaching our annual philanthropic goals depends on gifts at all levels of support. In 2020–2021, Durham Academy introduced new Giving Circles and Giving Societies to recognize those members of our community who make especially generous contributions to the school. All gifts to Durham Academy are recognized in our annual Impact Report.

Any member of the Philanthropy Team can assist you with making a gift or learning more about philanthropy at Durham Academy.