Support GMS
A GMS education is one-of-a-kind. Our ability to live our mission of educating girls at a crucial time in life is made possible through our annual fundraising efforts. Because of your support, inside and outside of the classroom, GMS can provide each student with the environment and the opportunities to explore new experiences, build their social-emotional and physical skills, and nurture a lifelong curiosity for learning.
Meet The Team
Erin O’Toole
Ruby Siltanen
Aero Paczuski
Give
Support GMS
A GMS education is one-of-a-kind. Our ability to live our mission of educating girls at a crucial time in life is made possible through our annual fundraising efforts. Because of your support, inside and outside of the classroom, GMS can provide each student with the environment and the opportunities to explore new experiences, build their social-emotional and physical skills, and nurture a lifelong curiosity for learning.
Meet The Team
Aero Paczuski
Ruby Siltanen
Annual Initiatives
The GMS Fund
The GMS Fund is our annual giving program, which funds the remaining 10% of our annual operating costs not covered by tuition. It supports our greatest needs across the school, which impacts every student and faculty member and allows GMS to be nimble and innovative in our learning opportunities. Our 2025-26 goals are to raise $700,000 and achieve 100% family participation.
For the second year in a row, we launched The GMS Fund: 90 Days of Giving Campaign. During this time, we hope that every GMS family will make a contribution to The GMS Fund achieving our goal by December 31st, 2025.
The Bennett Scholars Program
The Bennett Scholars Program supports high-achieving girls who are from under-resourced communities and often represent the first generation in their families to be college bound. In each grade, GMS provides full three-year scholarships to 10 incredible students. In addition to tuition, GMS provides our Bennett Scholars with laptops, lunches, uniforms, one-on-one tutoring, and the costs of all trips and material expenses. The program’s ultimate goal is to ensure that each girl and her family know that when she leaves GMS, she can determine her own path to whatever future she desires. Our 2025-26 goal is to raise $1.6 million.
Other Ways To Give
Thank you for considering making a gift to GMS. Ongoing support is essential for the school to grow and flourish. You can give to GMS in a variety of ways. If after reviewing the ways to give below, you still have questions about giving to GMS, please contact us at advancement@girlsms.org.
Make your gift instantly through our secure online giving page with a credit card. We accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover online. If you prefer, contact the Advancement Team and we can accept your credit card information by phone, including American Express.
Checks made payable to The Girls’ Middle School can be mailed to the following address: The Girls’ Middle School, 3400 West Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303. You can drop off your check or cash in the secure silver mailbox outside the front door of the building facing West Bayshore Road. If you are donating cash, please be sure to include a note with your name and contact information with the cash in the envelope before you leave it in the secure silver mailbox.
If you are not ready to make your gift right now, please let us know your plans to give using our Pledge form. You can pledge now and pay later. We request that all pledges are fulfilled by May 31.
Gifts of appreciated securities offer significant tax advantages to the donor and are easy to arrange. Please reach out to the Advancement Team at advancement@girlsms.org for stock donation instructions
You can recommend a grant to The Girls’ Middle School through your Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) to support our fundraising campaigns. Please contact the Advancement Team at advancement@girlsms.org to let us know your plans or if you have any questions. Our tax ID is 94-3253594.
You can give your gift or pay a pledge through a bank wire or ACH. Please contact the Advancement Team at advancement@girlsms.org to let us know your plans and we will send you the GMS banking details. Be sure to include your name and gift information in the instructions.
Corporate matching gift programs are a great way to double or triple your gift. Use our Double The Donation tool or check with your Human Resources Department to learn whether your company has a matching gifts program and how to start the process.
Any asset may be transferred to The Girls’ Middle School by bequest. The gift may be made in your will, through a trust, or by designating The Girls’ Middle School as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy or retirement plan. Our planned-giving circle, The Founding Mothers Legacy Circle, honors the women who through their keen foresight and deep generosity made The Girls’ Middle School possible. Please contact the Advancement Team to let us know your plans or if you have any questions.
Gifts of personal property are accepted if they can serve a meaningful purpose in the life of GMS. A description of the item donated will be provided to the donor by the Advancement Team, but the donor must determine the value of the item for tax purposes.
The Girls’ Middle School is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our federal tax identification number is 94-3253594. Gifts made to the school are 100% tax-deductible to the extent allowed by IRS regulations for charitable donations.