United Friends School is committed to providing the highest standards of teaching excellence while fostering spiritual and moral values, leadership qualities, and a sense of personal and community responsibility within our children. Few could dispute the value of this type of education not only to our own students now, but to the greater society at large as our children grow to become capable, compassionate adults.

Tuition funds a large portion of the expense, but does not truly cover all of it. As with every independent school, UFS relies on various fund raising efforts to bridge the gap between tuition and actual cost, which amounts to more than $3,200 per full time student. The following activities help defray some of the cost:

• The Annual Fund - each fall we begin the effort to raise funds that will be allocated into next year's operating budget. It is a tax deductible way to help fund the day to day needs of the school - from crayons to field trips to financial aid. We think of it as the "grocery money" of our annual budget!
  
  
• Capital Initiatives - "Bricks and mortar" projects around campus require special funding outside our day-to-day, operating budget. We look to families, friends, foundations and local businesses to support these projects to help us achieve these goals.
  
  
• The Spring Benefit - Each Spring, we organize a hugely successful fund raiser that involves the generosity of the entire community. Our Spring Benefit committee solicits for donations of auction items, food from local restaurants for the "Taste of the Best", business sponsorships and paid ads in our auction catalog. This, and of course, party goers to the Benefit, are all required to make this a success!
  
  
• Endowment - Healthy endowment contributes significantly to an institution's longevity. Since the principal monies are never touched, only a conservative portion of the interest each year, this type of charitable giving insures that funding is consistently available for it's intended purpose. UFS has established policies and practices for endowment funds, and hopes to grow this area of our support for our school.