By Carol P. Bartold

Jul. 27, 2016:  "We have an incredibly generous community," said Peggy Williams, executive director of The Bronxville School Foundation, "and that has allowed us to serve as a catalyst to help the district move in the direction the administrators, the board of education, and parents want." 

For 25 years, The Bronxville School Foundation has made large and small grants that continue to have a significant impact on students at The Bronxville School. "We pay a lot of attention to the breadth and scope of grants," Williams said. "We try to aid as many areas of the school – professional development, curriculum, equipment, help with capital improvements – as we can and over all grades." 

Williams, with a strong background in volunteer leadership positions, as well as experience in banking for nonprofit organizations, joined The Bronxville School Foundation as executive director in September of 2004. Her involvement with the Foundation, however, began well before that. 

An alumna of The Bronxville School, Williams said that when the Foundation was first formed and did an alumni solicitation, "That was something that resonated with me. I have a brick laid at the early part of the brick walk." She added that she became a donor because she had very good memories of the education she received at the school. 

After years of living in New York City and then in London, Williams and her family moved back to Bronxville in 1995 and enrolled their children in The Bronxville School. "I had always been interested in the Foundation," she said, "but in terms of my time frame and its needs, there had never been a match." 

Williams's work at Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company helped forge her path to the Foundation. "I handled the banking for a number of prestigious New York nonprofits and family foundations," she noted. 

As the Foundation's previous director, Ellen Seabring, was preparing to retire, Williams's tenures in other organizations were coming to an end. "I thought the Foundation could be an interesting thing to do," she said, and as she thought more about the position, she realized her banking experience would serve her well. 

"I had worked on the credit side of banking for nonprofits," Williams said. "We lent them money. We gave them working capital lines of credit. I understood how all of that works with restricted and unrestricted funds." 

Williams is especially pleased with the $741,000 in grants that the Foundation approved in May during its grant cycle for the 2015-2016 school year. The Foundation also issues off-cycle grants for projects and concerns where timing is of the essence and when a valid reason exists to consider them outside the regular cycle. 

Over the Foundation's 25-year history, Williams noted, grants aggregating over $8 million have been given to the school.

With liaisons to the facilities committee of the Bronxville Board of Education, Williams said, the Foundation gains a forward look about the district's future needs. 

The Foundation will begin its annual fundraising efforts in September when it sends out its annual appeal letter. In the fall, when the district's budget process for the next academic year begins, the Foundation talks with teachers about their upcoming plans and needs. Grant applications are due in February and March. When the Foundation board meets in April to discuss the applications, it knows what amount of money has been raised. 

Williams stressed that no donation is too small. She said that every dollar that comes in is important. 

"By virtue of the fact that we're able to raise, basically from a letter, as much as we do, people must understand our work because they're very generous. It's very exciting to be involved in that capacity for the school," she said. "It's something dear to my heart." 

Learn more about The Bronxville School Foundation by clicking this link.

Pictured here:  Peggy Williams, executive director of The Bronxville School Foundation.

Photo by staff