The founders of Carolina Friends School imagined a better world. And they established CFS with the hope and the intention that the School would play a part in creating one. With your support, CFS will continue to create an educational experience, here, now, and for years to come that reflects the world we wish to live in.

Every year since the first grant of $6,000 (secured by the grandparent of a student) allowed CFS to open in 1964, donations have brought dreams and ideals into being. Donations have constructed buildings and outdoor spaces for play and athletics; stocked libraries, classrooms, studios, and labs; and funded educational experiences (for students and for staff) that develop skills and talents, channel enthusiasm, and have transformative power.

Full tuition covers only about 84% of the total value of a year's educational experience at CFS. We rely on annual giving and endowments to realize the aspirations of our teachers and the potential of our students. Tax-deductible contributions to the School make a CFS education more affordable by reducing tuition, provide signature programs like the End-of-Year Experience, and give our innovative and inspired staff the technology and teaching tools they need. They also build a sustainable future for our School and learning community.

When CFS began, local schools were segregated. A few families in the Durham and Chapel Hill Friends meetings envisioned educating their children at a Quaker school that would welcome children of all races. The CFS that exists today was built with love and care, intention and discernment, community effort and support. A better world begins here, with your help.

Our donors provide us with opportunities to innovate and to offer experiences for students that might not otherwise be achievable. They make education at Carolina Friends School attainable to a broader group of people. And, as our donors connect their passions and their dreams with the School’s aspirations, they are valued thought partners in imagining what is possible.
– Karen Cumberbatch, Head of School