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Our Campus
Alumni Pay It Forward Pledge
The Alumni Pay It Forward Pledge is your opportunity to continue the legacy started by your graduating class.
The Alumni Pay It Forward Pledge is your opportunity to continue the legacy started by your graduating class.
This campaign allows graduates of York to give back and continue to grow the Bursary Endowment.
Your gift is a permanent promise of support that will help future students in perpetuity. It gives students with great academic promise and demonstrated financial need the same life-changing opportunities you experienced at York.
The suggested donation for the Pay It Forward Pledge is $500 paid over 5 years.
Option 1: Make my first Pay It Forward Pledge installment of $100.00. A member from York’s Advancement Team will be in touch.
Option 2: Other amount
Why Donate?
A strong school community is comprised of students from many backgrounds, including from different economic backgrounds. What all York students have in common, though, is a passion for learning and a willingness to bring their genuine selves to our community. That's why we're committed to building York’s Financial Assistance (FA) program - so that we can welcome talented students by providing tuition flexibility.
As a school that places 98% of its graduating students in their top choice university, there is no doubt that the opportunities and experiences enjoyed by our students while at York will help open a world of great possibility to them in the years to come. Our alumni are living proof of that.
History of the Bursary
In 2022, York established an endowment with a foundational gift from Fred Leigh, whose three sons graduated from York. Like many of our donors, Fred believes that giving to the Bursary Endowment is an investment in the future of promising students, providing student support at York in perpetuity. It provides unparalleled opportunities for the avid coder who is set on working in Canada’s growing AI sector; the gifted musician who dreams of performing with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra; or the gifted science student who will be at the forefront of Canada’s next medical breakthrough.
Since launching the bursary endowment campaign in 2022, we've raised 40% of our $5M goal. Once achieved, York will be able to sustainably disburse $200,000 each year, with a promise to families that, if we provide FA in one year, we will continue providing FA until their child graduates, so long as their family remains in good standing with the school.
The Class of 2025 Bursary Campaign Frequently Asked Questions
The Class of 2025 Bursary Campaign Frequently Asked Questions
List of 9 items.
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What is the 2026 Bursary Campaign?
The Class of 2026 Bursary Campaign aims to bring our graduating class community together to support a shared goal of providing funding for hard working and promising students whose families can’t afford the full cost of tuition. We want more great students from across the GTA to benefit from the same wonderful experiences and opportunities current York students enjoy. -
Are donations mandatory and is there a minimum amount required?
While we hope that every Class of 2026 family chooses to support the Bursary Campaign, gifts are not mandatory and there is no minimum amount required. All donations are deeply appreciated and will impact our school in a truly meaningful way. -
Where will the funds raised for the 2026 Bursary Campaign go?
Funds will support our school’s growing Bursary Endowment. An endowment is a lump sum of money that’s invested and grows over time, with only the annual income earned from the lump sum ever being used for the designated purpose of the endowment – in this case, needs-based bursaries. Our goal is to create a $5 million endowment over the next few years, which would generate around $200,000 every year. Since launching the Bursary Endowment in 2022, we have raised more than $1.8 million. -
Do other CAIS schools in the GTA provide needs-based bursaries to students?
Yes. Unfortunately, York is well behind the curve compared to our peer schools. Most CAIS schools in the GTA offer hundreds of thousands of dollars in bursary support annually, while some provide support in the millions. -
How well do bursary recipients integrate into the school community?
Although they remain anonymous amongst their peers and teachers, bursary recipients nevertheless help to strengthen and round out a school community. Coming from socio-economically diverse backgrounds, these students often have perspectives and experiences that can enlighten, elucidate and inspire their peers. As they are highly promising and ambitious, bursary recipients tend to do well academically and thrive socially. -
Will bursary support be provided exclusively for specific demographics or ethnicities?
No. Funds raised will be used to support deserving students whose families’ finances have been reviewed using a third-party assessor, Apple Financial. Current, as well as new, York families are eligible for bursary support. -
Who can I contact to learn more or if I still have questions?
Adam Shamoon, Director, Advancement at ashamoon@yorkschool.com or Hailey Meslin, Associate Head, External Relations at hmeslin@yorkschool.com. -
Who are the members of the 2026 Bursary Campaign Committee?
The committee is led by Sarah Balzer, Kimberly Hebel, Jill Burgin, and Mahnaz Mousavifar. -
What was the participation rate and fundraising goal achieved by previous cohorts?
Last year the Class of 2025 raised $323,614, with 81% of families participating.
