Boldly Forward, The Campaign for NCCS |New Canaan Country School

Five years ago, we launched the Boldly Forward Capital Campaign to raise critically important funds to construct new community spaces, improve our facilities, and strengthen our endowment.

Early community-wide support of our Boldly Forward Campaign allowed the school to open the Susan Haigh Carver ‘51 Dining Hall & Commons, and that same level of strong support has been a significant driving force behind the construction and completion of our new Athletics & Wellness Center. To date, more than 100 Country School parents, alumni, parents of alumni and grandparents have contributed more than $20 million to support these projects and grow our endowment. We are in our fifth and final year of the Campaign -- and we are almost 70% of the way toward our $25 million goal. But we still need your help!

Contributions to the Capital Campaign (which is separate from the school’s Annual Fund), come in the form of multi-year pledges as well as one-time gifts, and we are grateful for the community’s support at all levels. There are still opportunities to name spaces within the Athletics & Wellness Center and support the vital programs that will continue to grow and thrive within the new building. Additionally, there are many opportunities to help beautify our campus by supporting the Campus Landscape Project. Campaign gifts are also needed to help support and strengthen the school’s endowment.

You can learn more about these funding opportunities below:

List of 3 frequently asked questions.

+ Remaining Named Spaces

Athletics & Wellness Center:

Athletics & Wellness Center ($3,000,000)
Fitness Center ($1,000,000)
Turf Field ($1,000,000)
Dance and Yoga Studio ($500,000)
Wellness/Multi-Purpose Room ($250,000)
Student Locker Rooms (2) ($250,000 each)
Trainer’s Room ($250,000)
Squash Courts Bench Room ($100,000)
Squash Court Viewing Areas (2) ($50,000 each)
Bleachers for Spectators in Gym (4) ($25,000 each)

Grace House & Dining Hall:

Dining Hall Terrace (back) ($500,000)
Conference Room #2 ($150,000)
Conference Room #1 ($50,000)

Learn more
+ Campus Landscape Project

Outdoor Classroom ($50,000)
Bench ($50,000)
Sugar Maple ($25,000)
Evergreen ($10,000)
Dogwood ($5,000)
Birch ($1,000)
Daffodil ($500)

Learn more
+ NCCS Endowment

Financial Aid
Faculty Development
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Academic Programs

Campaign News

List of 2 news stories.

$2.5 Million Gift from the Jefferson Family will Support Diversity and Financial Accessibility
4/26/2021

New Canaan Country School parents Cathy and Brett Jefferson have made one of the largest gifts in NCCS history, recently pledging $2.5 million to support diversity and financial accessibility for students.

“Our vision is to identify and support outstanding students who do not have the economic means to attend NCCS and afford them the opportunity to pursue the American Dream. We hope that there will be many outstanding Chao Scholars that will benefit from our gift and we are also hopeful that NCCS will benefit from the diversity this program will offer,” said Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson in a letter to Head of School Aaron Cooper.

The gift will create the Chien and Taina Chao Scholarship Fund, named in honor of Mrs. Jefferson’s parents who came to the U.S. to pursue their advanced education, both earning PhDs in chemistry and building successful careers in science. The gift is being made through The Catherine Jefferson Foundation, which Brett and Cathy founded, and, in part, by Hildene Capital Management.

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Mancini Family Establishes Faculty Diversity Fund
4/26/2021

In 2020, Country School grandparent and parent of alumni Bob Mancini reached out to NCCS to express his family’s interest in supporting the school’s commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI).

The family has a deep legacy of support here at Country School. They established a separate endowed fund to support the school’s sports program several years ago. In conversations with Head of School Aaron Cooper, Bob shared the family’s intent to shift the scope and focus of the fund - and add additional funds - to directly support Country School’s dedication to being a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, with the goal of becoming a leader among independent schools.
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