“I speak for all members of the School Committee in expressing our heartfelt gratitude for the generosity of each donor and volunteer who has made GFS an important philanthropic priority," said David Feldman ’76, Clerk of the School Committee. "Their investments have supported our mission and buoyed our excellent academic and athletics programs, our community, and our campus profoundly."

In consultation with Dana Weeks, Head of School, and the GFS leadership team, the School Committee affirms GFS’s resolve to carry the campaign further. This decision is based on several factors:

• The new All School Commons project, which was expedited to hedge against rapidly rising construction costs, remains $8 million short of its fundraising goal.
• While the campaign’s financial aid goal has been reached, the demand in this area is greater than ever, requiring additional dedicated endowment funds to help make GFS even more accessible to more students and families. 
• The GFS Annual Fund, which currently contributes substantially to the yearly operating budget, supports every aspect of the school's mission. Continuing to increase its value and impact remains a strategic imperative.
• GFS has received its first-ever endowed gift to support and grow community education programming, but continues to pursue an additional $1 million towards its goal.
• Improving and expanding athletic facilities has become an increasingly urgent priority, and planning for those improvements is currently in the developmental stage.

GFS’ Picture This: A Campaign for Learning in Community focuses on fostering cross-disciplinary learning in the arts and engineering, while supporting the wellbeing of our community; increasing need-based scholarships; expanding the teacher pipeline and offering meaningful academic enrichment opportunities for Philadelphia students; and furthering the extraordinary teaching and learning for which GFS is well known.

“We are deeply grateful to all who have signaled their faith in the school and their commitment to present and future generations of students, who are transformed by the GFS experience,” said Head of School Dana Weeks. “The ‘Picture This’ campaign is, at its core, about nurturing great teaching and learning, focusing critical attention on student growth. And we know from long experience that this requires a commitment to community, to seeking truth, and to seeing and amplifying the Light within each person.” 

For more information, visit Picture This: GFS’ Campaign for Learning in Community or contact the GFS Advancement Office at 215-951-2340 or advancement@germantownfriends.org.