Skip to main content

OPEN THE DOOR TO LEELANAU!

YOU CAN OPEN THE DOOR
WITH AN ALUMNI KEY SCHOLARSHIP

Refer a student, and Leelanau will provide at least $5,000 annually in scholarship support.*

It’s never easy to describe the Leelanau experience. The journey to and through Leelanau means something different to every student who attends. But as a former student, parent, or employee, you likely have a keen sense of those students who would benefit most from the challenge, compassion, and creativity of our school community.

*We invite alums, past or current parents, faculty, and staff to contact The Leelanau School via this link or the button below. We’ll reach out to encourage a chat with our Dean of Admission and a visit to our beautiful campus. If the student you refer is admitted to Leelanau and chooses to enroll, they will automatically receive an Alumni Key Scholarship of $5,000 annually during their tenure. Additional support may be available via financial aid at leelanau.org/financial-aid.

Your thoughtful recommendations will help us grow our program, help families navigate tuition costs, and change lives!

This is a gift that keeps on giving and sustains learning and Leelanau. Thank you.

Refer a Student to The Leelanau School

More Ways to Support Scholarships and Financial Aid:

Create a Scholarship.
Open a Door.
Follow a Journey.
Leave a Legacy.

Your journey to Leelanau was sponsored by champions dedicated to your education. Perhaps it was parents or grandparents, a mentor, or financial aid support from generous donors to The Leelanau School. Somebody took the needed steps to open the door for you.

While Leelanau has made cautious, incremental tuition increases in recent years to meet growing inflation, expenses, and aid requests, analysis shows that we will need to double our current financial aid budget to meet current demands for need-based assistance.

Simply put, more students need Leelanau, while fewer students have the resources to afford it. 

Leelanau has designed a new Annual Scholarship Program to connect you to one of our deserving students. You can transform an educational journey by establishing a named scholarship with a $10,000 or more annual recurring gift or a $5,000 gift supported through an estate gift.* 

When Creating a Named Annual Scholarship:

  • You determine the name of the scholarship and parameters that support the growth of our student body. The name can reflect your family, honor a teacher, or recognize someone influential in your life.
  • The Office of Development documents your philanthropic intent and helps establish a convenient pledge payment schedule. Most agreements begin with a four-year pledge.
  • You provide funding through a check, online gift, donor-advised fund, stock, or IRA distribution. 
  • You receive a thank you note and photo from your financial aid recipient each year the scholarship is awarded.
  • You receive an invitation to our Lawn and Tree and Graduation ceremonies.
  • Your Named Scholarship is recognized in our Annual Report and Graduation program.

Parents and faculty will tell you that few things are more satisfying than watching a student grow and blossom at The Leelanau School. We invite you to experience or rediscover this joy, extend your Leelanau legacy, or pay it forward by sponsoring a named scholarship at The Leelanau School.

With your help, we can open the door to students who deserve a Leelanau School experience.  

TO INQUIRE MORE ABOUT OUR NAMED SCHOLARSHIP INITIATIVE, CONTACT:

  • Kate Olson, Director of Alumni and Development
  • kolson@leelanau.org
  • Office Phone: 231.334.5841

* Learn more about estate planning by contacting Kate using these same contact links.

LEELANAU GIVING FUND
Your generosity opens a door to Leelanau and a window on the world for our community of learners and teachers. 

Charitable gifts to Leelanau provide financial aid and scholarships, resources for faculty and classrooms, and exploratory and residential life activities. They open the door to joyful learning for our curious and deserving students.

And your tax-deductible donations to Leelanau build on the foundation laid over 95 years ago by Skipper and Cora Beals—to provide students with a high school education emphasizing character development, social responsibility, and environmental awareness. That vision and spirit remain a cornerstone of everything we do today at The Leelanau School.

The easiest way to give is to contribute to The Leelanau Giving Fund. We are delighted to accept one-time gifts or monthly sustaining gifts. Both options are available on our giving platform below. Click on the orange box below or visit leelanau.org/opendoor.

Contribute to The Leelanau Giving Fund

Click below to learn more about monthly sustaining gifts, matching gifts, stock donations, IRA distributions, and estate planning.

More Ways to Give