Donate to the Denver Waldorf School
If you prefer to deliver your gift in person, we welcome you to visit us at 2100 S. Pennsylvania St., Denver, CO 80210, or reach out to our School Director, Kelly Molinet ([email protected]).
The Wonder Fund
We are so grateful for the generosity of the entire DWS community: families, friends, alumni, grandparents- we thrive with your support! Since our founding over 50 years ago, we have all worked together to provide a distinctly unique K-12 Waldorf education.
The Wonder Fund is essential to our work, each year providing for teacher and admin salaries, financial aid, our beautiful campus, and all the daily things we do in school from the mundane to the magical. At DWS our goal of 100% family participation is just as important as reaching this year’s campaign goal. Read on to hear from our School Director, Kelly Molinet, on this year’s Wonder Fund campaign: Growing in Wonder.
A note from our School Director, Kelly Molinet
Dear Denver Waldorf Family,
In this year’s Wonder Fund campaign, Growing in Wonder, we will be highlighting stories from DWS families of how the seeds of wonder planted in the lower grades have borne fruit in high school and beyond. I’ll kick it all off with my own child’s story.
As the parent of a graduate, I see how his success and confidence in college was fostered and strengthened here. After his first week in college he told me he was the only one who participated regularly in class. He was eager to engage the material and to have ownership in his learning. College professors often highlight Waldorf graduates’ intellectual curiosity and ability to think independently. I know that my son’s curiosity and creativity was greatly enriched by his time here in our high school: reading, writing and thinking deeply in Ms. Jaehnig and Mr. Mill’s classes; making all kinds of art with Ms. Shope; excitedly engaging the science curriculum with Dr. Taylor and Mr. Clark; and facing his math aversion with Mr. Newman and Ms. Arora to gain the skills he needed to get an A in his college class.
As I watched his senior project presentation, and his performance in the play, I marveled at the confidence and presence he had gained in just the two years he spent here at DWS. In the speech I gave at his graduation I shared something he said to me on the way home from school last May, “I just got the chills thinking about all the things I’m going to create”. That’s the kind of kid he is and I’m so glad he finished his high school career, which started online during COVID, with such a rich, engaging, and holistic education.
I have found Waldorf education to be deeply intentional in its approach to child development and in how our teachers weave concepts and content with a view of where your child is now and where they will be in the future. The “spiral ladder” is a metaphor used to describe how subjects and themes are revisited at deeper and more complex levels as the child develops- rather than being taught once and left behind. Our campaign theme, Growing in Wonder, brings that picture as we give to support our school community.
Whether your child is in kindergarten or the grades or the high school, you can be sure that your child’s path up the spiral ladder is being lovingly held by their teachers and by all of us here at school. This is the education I choose to invest in and I hope you will give generously to.
With gratitude,
Kelly
Tax Deductions for Your Gift
Our Annual Fund goal: $350,000 and 100% participation from DWS families
Colorado Gives has a matching grant for monthly donations. You can give through our page on Colorado Gives.
The Colorado Childcare Tax Credit is available for donations of $1000+.
Many DWS families are embracing the power of the Colorado Childcare Tax Credit (CCTC).
Established to encourage comprehensive childcare service in Colorado, donations to The Denver Waldorf School — a licensed childcare provider in the state — yields an incredibly generous tax credit.
Qualifying donations made to DWS are eligible for up to a 50% credit against your Colorado state income tax liability.*
Maximize Your Giving: Utilize the Colorado Child Care Tax Credit Benefit
| Gift to DWS | $1000 | $2500 | $5000 | $25,000 | $50,000 |
| CO Child Care Tax Credit | ($500) | ($1,250) | ($2,500) | ($12,500) | ($25,000) |
| Federal Income Tax Reduction | ($160) | ($400) | ($800) | ($4,000) | ($8,000) |
| CO State Income Tax Reduction | ($23) | ($57) | ($114) | ($569) | ($1,138) |
| After Tax Cost of Gift | $317 | $793 | $1,586 | $7,931 | $15,862 |
*For illustrative purposes only. Tax saving example for individuals assumes a 32% federal tax rate and 4.55% state tax rate. Please consult your tax professional for individual tax advice.
GUIDELINES
You must designate in writing, either on the check, pledge form, by letter, or email, that the donation is to the Denver Waldorf School: Colorado Child Care Tax Credit.
- There is no minimum qualifying donation but for administrative purposes we ask that your gift be $1,000 or more.
- In-kind and stock donations do not qualify for this credit.
- If you donate from a charitable family foundation or a donor advised fund, please consult with your tax advisor as it may not be eligible for the credit.
- To receive a credit for your 2024 tax year, we must receive your gift by December 31, 2024.
- Consult your tax advisor about the calculation of the credit and your potential net tax benefit.
- DWS will provide you the necessary documentation for your tax records in January 2025.
Other Ways to Give
- Contact your HR representative to learn about matching gifts to DWS.
- Give to DWS at no cost to you by downloading the Box Tops for Education app.
- If you would like to donate an in-kind gift, please fill out our In-Kind Gift Receipt and email our School Director Kelly Molinet.
- DWS graciously accepts gifts of appreciated stock. To make a stock contribution, contact our School Director Kelly Molinet (303.777.0531 ext. 108).