Far Hills Fund - Far Hills Country Day School

HEAD.
HANDS.
HEART.

The Far Hills Fund covers it ALL!

The Far Hills Fund covers everything from cutting-edge curriculum to our Five Pillars, from experiential learning on our 54-acre campus to building life-long bonds with teachers and friends. Each year, Far Hills must raise over $ 1 million to make all of this and so much more possible. By making a gift, you are investing in our student’s bright minds, unique experiences, and joy of learning—helping them feel connected and excited to grow.

The FH Fund supports our students' heads, hands, hearts.

The Far Hills Fund, formerly known as the Annual Fund, impacts every student every day. Like most independent schools, tuition only covers about 90% of the cost of education. Far Hills must raise $1.1 million in philanthropic support from our community to sustain and expand our exceptional programs.

So, when you make a gift, it's not "just a donation." It's an investment in the educational and emotional growth of our students.

All gifts made in support of the Far Hills Fund provide general support for the current school year and fund ALL experiential learning, teacher professional development, technology and innovation, financial aid and scholarships, and student activities.

Six areas of need that the FH Fund supports

At Far Hills, we know that every donor is different, and the reason you choose Far Hills for your child(ren) may impact the area you'd like to support. If you would like to have further discussions about supporting Far Hills with a restricted gift to one of our areas of distinction or special funds, please feel free to contact Gina Fernicola at gfernicola@fhcds.org or 908-766-0622 ext.1464.

Need a breakdown of the various ways to give to Far Hills and how they impact the school? Here are real-life equivalents and highlighting how each Fund supports the school in various ways.

We’re ALL IN! Are you?

A Special Thank You to our 2021–22 Far Hills Fund Committee!

2022-23 Far Hills Fund Committee

Far Hills Fund Co-Chairs

John and Anne Albright, P ‘29, ‘32

New Family Ambassadors

Kristen O’Donnell, P ‘29

Hope Cooper Walsh, P ‘29

Jessica Saul, P ‘25, ‘27

Grandparent Ambassador

Maudie Shanley P ’86,’88, ’92, ‘92, GP ‘25, ‘26

Current Parent Ambassadors

Helen Plummer, P ‘21, ‘24, ‘29

Cecelia Chu, P ‘23, ‘27, ‘30

Dolly von Hollen, P ‘22, ‘24

Christina Sudler P ‘30

Alumni Ambassadors

Chapin Durling ‘92, P ‘26, ‘26, ‘29

Eliza Sutte ‘92, P ‘25, ‘26

Far Hills Fund FAQs

The CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) ActFor the 2021 tax year, the CARES Act allowable deduction for charitable contributions doubled to $600 for Married Filing Jointly filers ($300 for those filing Single) who take the standard deduction. Note that the charitable deduction for 2021 differs in that the deduction is taken "below-the-line" after taking the Standard Deduction and not "above-the-line," as it was taken for the 2020 tax year. For those who itemize their deductions, the new law allows for cash charitable contributions to qualified charities (such as Far Hills Country Day School) to be deductible up to 100% of adjusted gross income for the 2020/2021 calendar year. While Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) are no longer suspended for the 2021 tax year, RMD recipients who are 70 1/2 or older and plan to take the standard deduction may further increase their support of Far Hills Country Day School and the deductibility of such contributions by making a Qualified Charitable Distribution with their RMDs in 2021.

Qualified Charitable Distributions ("QCDs")

An alternative method of using RMD funds for charitable purposes include Qualified Charitable Contributions (QCDs). QCDs are RMDs that the taxpayer instructs the IRA custodian to pay directly to a qualified charitable organization (i.e., Far Hills Country Day School). When executed properly, QCDs can be excluded from income recognition in any given tax year (up to $100k). When the Secure Act was passed in late December 2019, the age for taking mandatory RMDs from traditional IRAs was increased from 70 ½ to 72; however, QCDs are still allowed at 70 ½. Friends of Far Hills Country Day School that are 70 ½ or older can use QCDs as a way to recognize a federal tax deduction on charitable contributions (even if the standard deduction is taken). When combined with the $300 or $600 charitable contribution via the CARES Act, these particular types of donors can further increase their charitable contributions without having to itemize.

If you have any additional questions on how this may affect your charitable contribution tax deductions, make sure to consult a licensed tax professional.