A note from Kate McCreight, Great River School Foundation Board Chair:

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! 

It is with a deep sense of pride in our school and its history that I would like to (re)introduce you to the Great River School Foundation and its critical importance to the future of our community. 

I have been a parent at GRS since my son started first grade—way back in 2013. He will graduate from GRS in the spring. So much has changed in our time at GRS, but our community’s shared goal to give students the education and experiences they need to be engaged citizens of the world is steadfast. The Montessori approach is a community approach, and our fundraising approach is no different.

Great River School (GRS) Foundation is a 501c3 created to support the long-term financial needs of Great River School’s mission: to prepare students for their unique roles as responsible and engaged citizens of the world. By building relationships with individuals, corporations, and foundations, the GRS Foundation creates enduring support for students, faculty, and the school’s urban Montessori learning environment. 

All funds are held by the GRS Foundation for the sole purpose of supporting the programs of Great River School, with all funding priorities directed by GRS staff.

This school year, our fundraising goal of $250,000 will help close the gap between our state funding and the cost of supporting the unique learning opportunities that define the Great River experience. As a charter school, Great River receives less than 87% percent of the funding allocated to traditional district schools, and the amount is designed to decrease over time. Financial support from families, grants, and corporations has always been critical to fully fund our school, and our strength in fundraising will need to grow alongside our charter. 

As a caregiver, I have seen firsthand how our school goes above and beyond for our students, offering unique and immensely valuable education and whole-person development opportunities. 

Our goal this year is big. But we are a powerful community of over 700 students and their families, and reaching our goal is achievable. There are several ways you can join in to support:

• Give to the Fall Fund Drive

• Cover the cost of your child’s Key Experience

• Sign up to become a monthly donor: $40 per month ($480 per year) per student achieves our goal

• Check with your employer for matching gifts (matching for monetary gifts or your volunteer hours)

• Share our mission and ways to give with others who value Montessori education

To meet our goal, the Foundation will be working hard to promote key initiatives like the Fall Fund Drive and Blue Heron Bash. To be successful, our community needs to work together—we ask you to plan in advance to support these efforts in whatever ways work for your family. 

Your gift is an investment in an approach to learning and growth that makes our school so unique: Key Experiences, the arts, care of animals, Montessori classroom materials, and high school internships… Plus, there are everyday needs to run a successful school: buses, utilities, and paying our faculty and staff a fair wage. There is no place quite like GRS.

I hope you will join me as part of the Great River giving community! 

With gratitude,

Kate McCreight
Foundation Chair 
GRS parent to Finn (grade 12) and Moxy (grade 8)

GRS Foundation

Great River School (GRS) Foundation is a 501c3 created to support the long-term financial needs of Great River School’s mission: to prepare students for their unique roles as responsible and engaged citizens of the world. By building relationships with individuals, corporations, and foundations, the GRS Foundation creates enduring support for students, faculty, and the school’s urban Montessori learning environment. 

All funds are held by the GRS Foundation for the sole purpose of supporting the programs of Great River School, with all funding priorities directed by GRS staff.