Investing in Inclusion

In 2016, Miss Hall's School undertook a community-wide strategic design process, from which four institutional priorities were established. We are thrilled to announce that one of those priorities — making MHS a truly inclusive community — has recently received tremendous votes of support: a $500,000 gift from the Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation and a $200,000 gift from a trustee to bring our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Endowment over the $1M mark.

“We are delighted to be able to give back to the community that has done so much for our daughter,” said Jim and Susan Briggs, parents of Sarah ’21 and Trustees of the Fairbanks Family Foundation. “This is our daughter Sarah’s first introduction to the Foundation, and she forcefully advocated for the gift to be directed toward equity and inclusion efforts at Miss Hall’s. Sarah feels strongly that the School needs to continue purposeful measures not just for its own community, but also as part of the greater, nationwide effort. To that end, we are excited to see how Miss Hall’s will continue to improve its efforts in this critical endeavor.”

Inspired by this contribution, MHS Trustee Susan P. O’Day ’77 made a gift of $200,000 to push our Diversity Equity and Inclusion Endowment over $1 million. “Since its founding in 1898, Miss Hall’s has been eliminating barriers to education for girls and women,” Susan reflected. “This investment is about giving young women the tools, training, and practice they need to disrupt inequities for the common good.”

The work supported by these gifts is wide-ranging, and though the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced us to shift to new platforms and new modes of learning, it didn’t stop us from engaging in meaningful conversations, trying new initiatives, and looking for ways to make our community even more inclusive — and even more awesome!

Thank you to Dean of Equity and Inclusion Paula Lima Jones and DE&I Coordinator Kim Boland ’94 for leading this charge, the Briggs Family, International Student Advisor Tanya Kalischer and Global Programs Liaison Josephine Nicholson, the Fairbanks Family Charitable Foundation, Susan O’Day, and the Edward E. Ford Foundation for endowing this work and ensuring it continues long into the future, and to everyone who is part of this important work!

The Edward E. Ford Foundation has long supported important and innovative work at MHS. The Brooklyn-based foundation was an early supporter of the Horizons program and, more recently, helped underwrite the E.E. Ford Seminars, in which MHS faculty explored ways to incorporate the tenets of the Girls’ Leadership Project into their classrooms.

With a mission to strengthen and support independent secondary schools, the E.E. Ford Foundation’s latest support comes in the form of a $100,000 grant received in 2018 to underwrite diversity, equity, and inclusion at MHS. The award follows the successful completion in December 2018 of a $300,000 fundraising challenge required of the grant’s 1:3 match. Donors to the initiative included current, former and emeritus Trustees; alumnae, alumnae parents, and current families; and members of the School’s leadership team.

The latest E.E. Ford Foundation grant underwrote cultural competency training and professional and curriculum development, and helped support the salaries of coordinators of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs at MHS.

“The Strategic Design the School adopted in 2016 identified our diverse community as an ideal environment for learning and tasked us with recognizing the importance of cultural competency and honoring the global diversity of the MHS community," said Head of School Julia Heaton. "The support from the E.E. Ford Foundation significantly advances this work.”