FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about Elevating Excellence.

General Questions

What does campaign fundraising support? How will funds raised be allocated across the campaign’s priorities?

Elevating Excellence is a $20 million philanthropic effort supporting Bullis’ campus transformation and long-term sustainability. Funds raised will directly support:

  • The New Lower School: A purpose-built, 38,000-square-foot learning environment tailored to the developmental needs of K–5 students, including classrooms, specialty spaces, outdoor learning areas, and a playground.
  • South Hall Renovation: A modern, centralized hub for Middle School that fosters collaboration, independence, and community across grades 6–8.
  • The Bullis Endowment: Growing the endowment strengthens Bullis’ long-term financial stability, ensuring resources for scholarships, faculty support, and program excellence for generations to come.
Why did Bullis decide to embark on a campaign that includes these campaign priorities?
  • In 2020, school leadership developed a strategic plan for the School’s future and defined what makes Bullis School a leader in independent education. Elevating Excellence will allow us to continue moving forward at the vanguard of K-12 independent education.
  • Campus enhancements will underpin our strategic enrollment growth, add classrooms across all divisions, and support the entire Bullis School ecosystem for generations of learners and leaders. Enhancing the campus will best serve our students by offering exceptional programming in intentionally designed and specifically designated learning spaces.
  • The campaign will ensure our ability to provide the most transformative learning opportunities possible for our students and raise the profile of Bullis School.
What is the campaign timeline?

The Elevating Excellence campaign began its quiet phase in Fall 2022 and will conclude by December 2025.

CAMPAIGN ENHANCEMENTS QUESTIONS

Why is Bullis School embarking on campus enhancements?
  • Bullis School has grown enrollment to right-size the school and best serve students in alignment with the strategic plan.
  • We’ve considered optimal class sizes in each division that will maximize student connections, maintain low student-teacher ratios, and allow for even more robust programming and activities.
  • In order to continue providing the most transformational education, we’re making deliberate campus enhancements that will allow Bullis School to grow with purpose.
What campus enhancements will occur?
  • A new Lower School building will double the size of the current K-5 space, offering each grade its own classrooms and developmentally appropriate common spaces. They will have access to science and outdoor learning spaces, as well as a paved play area, playground, and practice field designed especially for them.
  • A renovated South Hall will serve as a centrally located home base for the entire Middle School, including administration and the majority of Middle School classes. There will also be a designated Middle School makerspace in the Trone Center with access to the adjacent outdoor classroom.
  • Upper School will regain valuable space when Lower School and Middle School classes move to their new centralized locations. Newly reclaimed classrooms could be used for a variety of purposes, including recording studios, expanded arts spaces, and classrooms for all academic disciplines. The several science and math courses that have been displaced in recent years due to space constraints will move back into the Trone Center, which was purposefully designed for teaching these subjects, and study and community spaces will become more readily available.

FINANCIAL QUESTIONS

What is the campaign fundraising goal?

Elevating Excellence seeks to raise $20 million.

How will Bullis School fund this project?

The project is funded through a combination of the campaign’s $20 million in philanthropic support and Bullis’ internal investment of $23 million.

Will tuition increase as a result of this project?

No. Tuition increases will continue to follow Bullis’ typical annual adjustment process. The campaign is structured to ensure long-term financial sustainability without placing an additional burden on families.

Can a donor’s gift support a specific campaign initiative?

Donors can choose where to allocate their campaign gift. If a donor chooses to make an unrestricted gift to the campaign, Bullis School will allocate the funding to the campaign’s greatest area of need.

Can I apply my annual Bullis Fund contribution toward the campaign?

The Bullis Fund continues to provide an important stream of annual unrestricted support to sustain Bullis School’s daily operations. Donors are encouraged to continue supporting the Bullis Fund annually and consider making an additional one-time gift in support of Elevating Excellence, a once-in-a-generation fundraising campaign for Bullis School.

Does the campaign have naming opportunities?

Yes. Naming opportunities are available across the new Lower School, South Hall, and other campus spaces. We welcome conversations to explore what naming opportunity would be most meaningful to your family.

What types of gifts will the campaign accept?

The campaign will accept, but is not limited to, gifts of cash, marketable securities, closely held stock with restrictions, real property, tangible and intangible personal property, and grants. Some types of gifts will not be counted as part of the campaign, including planned gifts and gifts-in-kind. If there is another type of gift that a donor would like to consider, please contact Sharon Kessler, Director of Advancement, at sharon_kessler@bullis.org.

Can donors pay their campaign pledges over multiple years?

Campaign pledges may be paid over the course of three to five years.

Additional Questions?

If you have additional questions please reach out to:

Sharon Kessler
Sharon Kessler
Director of Advancement
(301) 634-3697

This is our moment to shape the future.

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Now is the time to give forward—so Bullis can grow, lead, and thrive for generations to come.

Let’s elevate excellence—together.

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