ENDOWMENT AND IMPACT GIVING
The alumni, parents, parents of alumni, and grandparents who establish endowments and impact gifts with O’Dowd are incredibly instrumental for maintaining the exceptional programs and socioeconomic diversity that makes O’Dowd so unique. You can establish an endowment to honor a family member, friend or mentor. Starting with a minimum commitment of $50,000, endowments can be made with cash, securities, real estate, or a life-income gift, as well as a will/living trust bequest or via a retirement plan/insurance policy beneficiary designation.
Faculty and Teaching Support
You can establish an endowment to support faculty and teachers at O’Dowd, including investing in professional development, program enhancements, educational technology, leadership training, or other areas of teaching and student formation that most matter to you and your family. Current endowments of this kind include the Fund for Faculty Excellence.
Student Scholarships
The most popular endowment form, you can establish a scholarship endowment in the name of a beloved teacher, student, friend, family member, or mentor, to support O’Dowd students who would otherwise not be able to attend. Some endowed scholarship funds designate areas of academic interest, strength of character, co-curricular involvement and more, such as the James Barbagallo '70 Memorial Scholarship Fund for music, the Elizabeth J. Cabraser '70 Scholarship Fund for community service, and the Sister Katharine Emery Memorial Fund for language arts.
Facilities Support
Your endowment can be designated to support our campus and facilities. These endowments are a powerful way to create a lasting footprint on our 20-acre campus, enriching the experience of students for generations. An example of such an endowment is the Anna Costa '90 Tree Fund, which plants trees in Anna’s memory, expanding the forest canopy and making our campus greener, while addressing the ravages of our rapidly changing climate.
Academic Program
Many families and individuals choose to create an endowment that strengthens O’Dowd’s academic programming and enriches the high school experience for students. Examples of such endowments include the Forensic Competitive Team Fund, which supports our mock trial, debate, speech and academic decathlon teams, and the Lew Hong Suey Inclusion Fund, which benefits the Black Student Union. These endowments present a meaningful opportunity to give back to O’Dowd in the specific ways the school impacted you or your student.