Annual Report of Philanthropy
Welcome Friends of St. Stephen′s,
I am reminded daily of the ways that the generosity of the Spartan community allows us to live more deeply into our mission: from scholarship support that ensures students of all backgrounds have the opportunity to a St. Stephen’s education, professional development opportunities for our faculty and staff, to our beautiful grounds and facilities. Thank you for the difference you are making for all of us on The Hill and beyond.
Thank you to the many donors who invested in St. Stephen’s during the 2023-24 fiscal year. As the school prepares for our 75th anniversary and a public launch of an ambitious comprehensive campaign in the 2025-26 school year, we know we stand on the shoulders of all who came before us and gave to make St. Stephen’s possible. Thank you for continuing the tradition of generosity that ensures St. Stephen’s health and vitality.
Please enjoy these stories illustrating the many ways your gifts have made a difference for our school.
Construction is underway on the Still Water Foundation Aquatic Center and a new "Spartan Loop" roadway leading to the athletics corridor and aquatic center.
Starting in 2023, St. Stephen’s initiated a new model of faculty support and recognition, giving donors an opportunity to establish an endowed teaching chair with a gift of $500,000+.
A $1 million gift from the Episcopal Foundation of Texas for the Chapel expansion and renovation project will ensure the Chapel is inclusive and welcoming to all.
The St. Stephen’s Board of Trustees has identified several capital improvements as proposed priorities for an ambitious comprehensive campaign that will launch in 2025, the school’s 75th anniversary year. The cornerstone project and highest capital priority is a new state-of-the-art Science Center.
In December 2022, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to embark on the advanced gifts phase of a comprehensive campaign with a working goal of $75 million. The advanced gifts phase includes a new science building and financial aid and scholarships as the top priorities. Additional and important priorities that we will look for donors to support include bolstering our endowment, especially with gifts to support faculty and programming, as well as capital projects of a Student Support Services Center and Chapel expansion and renovation.
There has been early support that points to the potential of incredible success. In year two of the campaign, gifts and pledges totaled over $39 million, including the following:
We look forward to the public launch of the campaign during the 2025-26 academic year, which will be the school’s 75th anniversary year.
In the 2023-24 academic year, the Annual Fund reached a historic level with gifts exceeding $1.92 million. Gifts from St. Stephen’s trustees, alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff and friends made a tremendous impact on the day-to-day student experience. The Annual Fund enables St. Stephen’s to use funds in the current academic year when and where most needed. Every gift to the Annual Fund directly affects today’s students and is an important investment in this extraordinary school on a hill and beyond.
“We were thrilled to make our largest gift ever to the comprehensive campaign. In every way St. Stephen’s is a community, and this is a community effort. It takes all of us stepping up to support this amazing, life-changing institution — to make it possible for us to live completely into our grand ambitions for this generation of Spartans and the next and the next.”
*In an effort to maintain privacy, our donor lists are password-protected. The password was included in the Annual Report email announcement distributed by the School. If you have questions, please contact Sharon Sparlin at 512.327.1213 x158
Contact April Speck-Ewer, Director of Advancement,
at 512.327.1213 x118
