EAST PROVIDENCE – A local private school is launching a first-of-its-kind fundraising campaign in its history that hopes to bring in eight figures for its programming.
Providence Country Day School has kicked off its $15 million Centennial Campaign as part of the school’s 100th year in operation. School officials held a formal launch event June 22 at the R.I. Convention Center, where more than 400 people attended to celebrate the occasion.
PCD Heald of School Kevin Folan said in a statement that the campaign marks “an important moment” in the school’s history, shifting its focus from celebrating PCD’s first century of operation to “building a bright future” for the next century and beyond.
PCD over the past four years created multiple initiatives to grow its operations. Among them are
decreasing its tuition by 35% in 2020, partnering with the Henry Barnard School to have it become
PCD’s new elementary school and
moving said school from Rhode Island College to PCD’s campus.
Now, PCD says it is launching an ambitious campaign to raise $8.6 million for capital improvements, $4.9 in unrestricted gifts and $1.5 million for its endowment. The school says it has already raised more than $10 million, putting it on track to raise an additional $5 million over the next two fiscal years.
The campaign also includes PCD intending on constructing a new $8 million 12,000-square-foot arts building, which includes a theater and gallery space, in the center of campus. PCD says it aims to raise the needed money to start construction before the 2026-27 academic year.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.