Support Marshall

We’re more than a school. We’re a community.

Independent schools rely on philanthropic support to provide the educational experiences that go beyond what tuition alone can cover. Gifts from our community help fund innovative programs, financial aid, faculty development, and the unique opportunities that shape each student’s journey. This generosity ensures that we can sustain excellence, enrich learning, and make our school accessible to a diverse group of students, preparing them for college and beyond.

Types of Support

Annual Fund

The Annual Fund at Marshall School is essential for enriching the school experience beyond what tuition alone can provide. It fuels key initiatives such as academic programs, faculty development, financial aid, and campus enhancements. Every contribution strengthens our vibrant educational environment, empowering students with exceptional opportunities and resources. Achieving our Annual Fund goals depends on the collective support of parents, alumni/ae, grandparents, and our broader community.

Support the Annual Fund Today
Give Online

Restricted Gifts

Support what matters to you

We know that our donors are diverse in their interests and priorities. When you support the school with a contribution, you have the option to designate it to a specific area or opportunity such as:

Topper Teacher Fund

The Topper Teacher Fund was established to help recruit, retain, and develop the best faculty possible at Marshall School. Gifts to this fund directly contribute to providing salaries competitive with other Midwestern schools.

At Marshall, our teachers are committed to helping our students develop a sense of belonging. When students feel supported, they are willing to take risks and try new things. It is through that growth that students develop creativity, perseverance, and ingenuity.

Thank you for ensuring that our current and future students have access to the best teachers.

Give Today!

Kids and teacher playing outside on grass.

Fund-a-Need

Fund-a-Need is an essential annual Marshall tradition! Each year, this special event of financial support brings the entire Hilltopper community together to help address a specific need in our school. Because of past success, we have been able to introduce new programs, facilities, technology, and other improvements that further build and celebrate some of the most compelling and hopeful aspects of the Marshall experience.

Scholarships and Financial Assistance

Marshall is committed to ensuring that the school is accessible to students of all economic backgrounds. Your gift helps make Marshall more affordable to families by supporting our general scholarship fund or contributing to a specific endowed fund. You can also establish your own named fund by making a gift to our endowment. Contact Johanna Wagner to learn more about how to establish an endowed fund.

Athletics/Clubs

Gifts can be designated to the restricted fund of your choice by noting it on your check or listing it in the comments box when you give online.

Give Today!

Endowment Gifts

Your Gift Can Last Forever

An endowment gift to Marshall School is an investment in a brighter future. By contributing to the endowment, you provide a gift that delivers both immediate impact and enduring benefits.

Endowment donations are carefully invested, generating annual income that supports Marshall School's current priorities. At the same time, a portion of the returns is reinvested, ensuring that your gift continues to provide lasting support for generations to come.

Endowment Gift Options:

Support Marshall’s mission through a gift to the general endowment
Support one of our existing named scholarships or funds
Establish a named fund that can honor you, your family, or someone important to you. Funds can be created by an individual, a family, or a group of people collectively

To learn more about establishing an endowed fund or making a gift to the endowment, please contact Johanna Wagner at 218-727-7266 or johanna.wagner@marshallschool.org.

Ways to Give

Give Online

Mail a Check

Make a Gift by Phone

Gifting through Donor-Advised Fund

A donor advised fund (DAF), which is like a charitable savings account, gives you the flexibility to recommend how much and how often money is granted to Marshall School and other qualified charities. You can recommend a grant or recurring grants now to make an immediate impact or use your fund as a tool for future charitable gifts. Please consult your DAF sponsor to recommend a grant in support of Marshall.

Legal name: The Marshall School
Address: Duluth, Minnesota
Federal tax ID number: 41-0765672

Gifting Appreciated Stocks

Securities gifts are an advantageous way of making a charitable contribution that may positively affect financial, tax, and estate plans.

Securities and mutual funds that have increased in value and been held for more than one year are popular assets to use when making a gift to Marshall School. Making a gift of securities or mutual funds offers you the chance to support our work while realizing important benefits for yourself.

When you donate appreciated securities or mutual funds in support of our mission, you can reduce or even eliminate federal capital gains taxes on the transfer. You may also be entitled to a federal income tax charitable deduction based on the fair market value of the securities at the time of the transfer.

If you wish to make a gift of stock, please share the following account information with your broker:

North Shore Investments & Trust Account DTC 2116
Marshall School Account #010033004108

Please be sure to notify us of any transfers you make to help us properly track and credit your gift. To learn more about making a security or stock gift to Marshall School, please contact johanna.wagner@marshallschool.org or call 218-727-7266.

Gifting IRA Distributions

Individuals who are age 70½ or older can make gifts of up to $100,000 directly from an IRA to qualified charities, such as Marshall School, without paying federal income tax on the distribution. Because such a gift is excluded from adjusted gross income, this gift option provides tax savings to donors even if they do not itemize deductions.

Steps to make an IRA Distribution:

Donors must be age 70½ or older at the time the gift is made.
It is important to use your IRA trustee's forms to designate your distribution. Do not withdraw the funds before making a gift. The time it takes for the IRA trustee to transfer funds may vary.
An individual’s total qualified charitable distributions cannot exceed $100,000 per year.
Gifts can be used to satisfy the donor’s required minimum distribution.
Instead of taking a charitable income tax deduction for the gift, donors exclude the distribution from their income.
Qualified charitable distributions can only be made from a traditional (non-Roth) IRA, not 401(k)s or other retirement accounts.
Donors cannot receive goods or services, or a personal benefit in return for an IRA charitable distribution.

Marshall School does not provide legal or tax advice. Donors should consult their own professional tax advisor before making a gift.

Please contact Johanna Wagner at johanna.wagner@marshallschool.org or 218-727-7266 if you have any questions or need additional information.

Make a Recurring Gift

Members of our Sustainer's Society make ongoing, monthly gifts to Marshall School by credit card or automatic deposit.

Monthly giving helps you maximize your gift by incorporating it into your monthly budget. You can automatically direct your monthly gift from your credit card. Your gift arrives on time, without the stress of remembering to give.

Please call us at 218-727-7266 to become a Sustainer or set up your gift using the online giving form.

Matching Gifts

Does your employer match philanthropic gifts? Additional support to Marshall is provided every year through the generosity of corporate matching gift programs that make it possible for employees to increase the value of their gifts. The company match will be credited to you, and you will receive donor recognition for the total amount. Many corporate matching gift programs will match not only gifts of current employees, but also retirees, directors, and spouses.

Planned Giving

Gift in Your Will or Living Trust

Planning for the future and creating the legacy you wish to leave is one of the most effective ways to ensure a lasting impact. Making a gift in your will or living trust, known as a bequest, can guarantee that your legacy endures. Your gift may be a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate or the remainder after all other provisions are specified.

Below is suggested language to use when drafting your bequest.

Sample Language

For an unrestricted gift that allows Marshall School to determine how to use the funds based on the most pressing needs, use the following language for your will and/or trust:

To designate your provision for a particular purpose:

"I give to Marshall School, a nonprofit corporation currently located at Duluth, Minnesota, or its successor thereto, _________ [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property]. This gift should be used for (state purpose) if and so long as Marshall School determines that the need exists. If Marshall School shall determine at the outset or at a later time that the need does not exist, or no longer exists or for some reason it is not possible (or prudent) to administer my gift as originally intended, then Marshall School may, in its sole and uncontrolled discretion, direct the use of my bequest for a purpose related as closely as possible to that stated above."

Please let us know if you have named Marshall School in your will or trust so we can ensure that your gift is used according to your wishes. Notifying us of your plans will enable us to plan for the use of your future gift. Donors who have designated Marshall School in their estate plans become members of our Cornerstone Society. However, if you prefer to remain anonymous, we will keep your name and gift in strict confidence.

Next Steps

Seek the advice of your financial or legal advisor.
If you include Marshall in your plans, please use our legal name and federal tax ID.
Contact Johanna Wagner at 218-727-7266 or johanna.wagner@marshallshool.org for additional information or to chat more about the different options for including Marshall in your will or estate plan.