Horizon Fund 2026-2027

The Marin Horizon Annual Fund is the single most important way our community elevates the student experience. As the school’s largest source of support after tuition, it provides immediate funding for the people, programs, and experiences that define a Marin Horizon School education. Every student benefits.

Horizon Fund donations are put to work today, in the current school year. They support our ability to:

Invest in professional development that keeps our faculty at the forefront of innovative, research-based education. Support opportunities like this year’s training with World Leadership School and Harkness Education that equips our teachers to design the rigorous, transdisciplinary learning experiences that define a Marin Horizon education.

Deliver on the promise of our experiential education. Extend learning beyond our classroom walls with more trips and travel to science exhibits, museums, farms, cultural institutions, historical landmarks, and alongside experts in the field. From the Bay Area to Washington D.C. to international travel, these experiences ground academic concepts in the real-world and make student learning both deeply meaningful and memorable.

Expand our signature outdoor education experiences. Support the transportation, staffing, and programs that make frequent time in nature possible–from hiking trails, parks, and local watersheds to camping, backpacking, and service projects. These experiences cultivate a lifelong connection to the natural world.

Make a Marin Horizon education accessible to additional motivated and talented students. Strengthen our position to ensure our community reflects a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.

Marin Horizon School is a tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and our tax identification number is 94-2427732.

Like many outstanding independent schools, Marin Horizon relies on annual philanthropy to bridge the gap between tuition and the full cost of an exceptional education. Raising tuition would make Marin Horizon tuition inaccessible for many families. Additionally, gifts to the Horizon Fund are fully tax-deductible, whereas tuition is not.

Horizon Fund contributions range from $5 to more than $50,000, and every gift, at every level, makes a meaningful difference. Our overall fundraising goal for 2026–2027 is $600,000, achieved through the Horizon Fund, our Spring Party, and Fund a Need efforts. We ask that our families make Marin Horizon School their philanthropic priority while their children are students here.

In addition to our financial goals, our participation goal is to achieve 100% participation from current families, faculty and staff, and trustees. High participation is a vote of confidence and a sign that our community supports all the students and teachers at Marin Horizon School. This noteworthy percentage also has an impact on gifts from outside sources, because foundations prefer to see high parent participation rates before granting funds to an organization.

Giving Tuesday is typically held the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving Break. Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement that started in 2012 as a day for anyone, anywhere to give, and has grown into the biggest giving movement in the world. We take advantage of this enthusiasm by holding a rally in the chute, with giveaways and Willie the Wildcat, to encourage families to make their gift to the Horizon Fund.

The Horizon Fund campaign runs in the fall, from September through December. All pledge payments are due by June 15.

Many companies provide a matching gift, usually up to a maximum amount, for every dollar their employee donates. Asking your employer to match your donation to Marin Horizon School can double and, sometimes, triple the impact of your gift. Please contact the HR department in your company to learn if your employer has a matching gift program.

Leadership Giving Circles
Headlands Circle $20,000+
Tamalpais Circle $10,000-$19,999
Horizon Circle $5,000-$9,999
1977 Founders Circle $1,977-$4,999

Giving Clubs
Wildcat Club $1,000-$1,976
Homestead Valley Club $500-$999
Friends of Marin Horizon Up to $499

Donors at the $1,977 and above level will be invited to a reception with the Head of School in the fall. Additionally, alumni and alumni families at the $1,000 level and above will be recognized and invited to attend.

Marin Horizon School has two major fundraising campaigns every school year—Horizon Fund in the fall and the Spring Party and Fundraiser in the spring. Our overall fundraising goal for 2026–2027 is $600,000, achieved through the Horizon Fund, our Spring Party, and Fund a Need efforts.

Please contact Mary Bishop, Director of Development, at [email protected] or 415-388-8408 x230.