Gator Gala Fund-A-Need: Red Tie Scholarship Endowment — FAQ
1. What is the Fund-A-Need at Gator Gala this year?
The 2026 Fund-A-Need will support the Red Tie Scholarship Endowment, which celebrates the Senior Class of 2026 and all of our Red Ties by strengthening financial aid for future generations of students. Current Red Ties include Grade 12, Grade 8, Grade 4, Kindergarten.
2. What is an “endowment fund”?
An endowment fund is a special pool of donated money that is invested for the long term. The original donation, called the principal, is never spent. Instead, the money is invested so it can grow over time. Each year, only a small portion of the earnings is used to support things like scholarships or other important programs. Because the principal stays invested, the fund can continue providing support year after year, potentially forever.
3. What makes the Red Tie Scholarship Endowment special?
This is the first Tie Color Endowment Fund-A-Need in a four-year cycle:
- 2026: Red Ties
- 2027: Green Ties
- 2028: Blue Ties
- 2029: Yellow Ties
Each year’s endowment will honor a senior class and expand access for future AWS students.
4. How will the funds be used?
Annie Wright Schools’ endowment policy allows approximately four percent of the total endowment value to be distributed each year to support scholarships, while the remaining funds stay invested to grow over time. By preserving and reinvesting the majority of the endowment, the school ensures that each gift provides meaningful support for students not just today, but for generations to come.
5. Why invest in an endowment vs. annual giving?
An endowment creates a lasting legacy by generating reliable scholarship funding year after year. Donors to an endowment help ensure that future students can attend Annie Wright Schools regardless of their families’ financial situation. Because the principal remains invested and continues to grow over time, the fund can generate steady support for future generations of AWS students.
Annual giving is the school’s annual fundraising effort that provides essential support for students, teachers, and programs. Contributions of any size help close the gap between tuition and the full cost of delivering a dynamic, well-rounded education, ensuring the school can meet its most important needs each year.
6. How many AWS students receive financial aid?
While specific figures can vary year to year, Annie Wright Schools reports that over 40 percent of families receive some form of need-based financial aid or scholarship support.
7. Why does financial aid and diversity matter?
Research shows that diverse school communities — including socioeconomic and cultural diversity — benefit all students, not just those receiving aid. Students in diverse environments tend to demonstrate:
- Improved academic achievement and engagement
- Higher critical thinking and problem-solving skills
- Greater opportunities for intergroup friendships
- Reduced stereotypes and bias
- Enhanced preparedness for leadership and global citizenship
8. How will giving at the Fund-A-Need make a difference right away?
Your donation to the Red Tie Scholarship Endowment will immediately begin growing the principal that creates future scholarship awards. Each year, only a small part of what it earns is used for scholarships. As more people give, the fund grows bigger and can help more students every year. Over time, this means more students from many different backgrounds can learn and succeed at Annie Wright Schools.
9. Why an endowment fund?
An endowment is forever. Making a gift into an endowment fund means that your gift will continue to make an annual impact forever. What a legacy! For example: A $100 gift to this year’s Fund-A-Need means that you are giving $4 a year every year in perpetuity. Based on conservative growth estimates, that $4 becomes $8 in 36 years. Annie Wright has been here for 142 years. In another 142 years, that yearly draw will be over $100, and the initial $100 will have grown to over $3,000.
10. What is the difference between Fund-A-Need for Red Ties and the funds raised for Tacoma Scholars as part of Dessert Dash?
The Red Tie Endowment and Tacoma Scholars are two separate financial aid offerings. The Tacoma Scholars was launched by Annie Wright Schools to provide a full AWS education to students from historically under-resourced communities in Tacoma, including full scholarships and academic, travel, and enrichment support. It is currently funded in a real-time partnership between Annie Wright Schools and donors. For every $18,760 raised, another scholar is supported for one year. Learn more about the Tacoma Scholars program here. A donation to the Red Tie Endowment and a purchase at the Dessert Dash will give dollars towards two separate programs at Annie Wright.
11. When donating to this year’s Fund-A-Need, which programs does my money support?
Your donation supports the full Annie Wright experience. When a student receives financial aid, it covers their tuition, and tuition at Annie Wright includes far more than classroom instruction. It includes inquiry visits, Middle School Journeys, class retreats, Grade 10 Expeditions, (s)Electives travel, and access to necessary equipment, supplies, and uniforms. We work hard to ensure that every student, regardless of their financial situation, can fully participate in everything our school offers. Your gift to the Red Tie Endowment helps make that possible.
12. How are you ensuring the endowments are equitable for each Tie Color class?
We understand the concern about fairness across grade levels. Here's how it works: By committing to a four-year cycle of Fund-A-Need opportunities (one for each tie color), we're giving each class endowment a strong start. But those won't be the only opportunities to contribute. Special alumni fundraising efforts will also add to these funds over time.
More importantly, while these endowments are still growing, the school ensures that financial aid remains balanced across all tie colors and graduating classes by drawing from other financial aid funds as needed. No grade will be left behind while we build this foundation for the future.
13. What is the difference between financial aid and an endowment/scholarship?
Financial aid is awarded to students based on demonstrated need, and it's funded from two places: the school's annual operating budget and endowed scholarship funds like the Red Tie Endowment.
Right now, Annie Wright dedicates 14.5% of our overall budget (millions of dollars each year) to financial aid. That's a significant commitment, but it comes from funds we need each year for other priorities like faculty salaries, facilities, and programs.
Here's where endowments make a difference: Every dollar the Red Tie Endowment distributes for scholarships is one less dollar we need to pull from the operating budget. That frees up resources to invest in programs, faculty development, and strategic initiatives that benefit every student. And because endowments grow over time, the impact gets bigger every year, helping more students, from more backgrounds, across all grades, forever.
