Giving

“In January, 1913, I informed them <the Board of Trustees> that Walcott had sold his undeveloped mesa to my parents for a future home of the School…and that Marion Cate had suggested that we build our own school at the foot of the mesa....The trustees decided to build on the southern slope of the mesa which I deeded to the corporation on July 17, 1914. It was the incorporation of the School that made it possible to raise funds to build the first well planned buildings…They cost about $20,000. Of this sum, $9,500 was given by early friends of the school in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia. The balance needed to pay for the buildings was loaned by a Boston Bank.”

From its earliest days, Cate School has depended on the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends to build the educational experience that is now a hallmark of the School.  

Cate School accepts both unrestricted and restricted gifts. Donors may elect for a contribution to be used for the highest current priority (an unrestricted gift) or elect to restrict a gift for faculty salaries, financial assistance, the cost of a program, or the upkeep and maintenance of the Mesa. Gifts may be designated:

• for immediate use (Cate Fund)
• for the endowment – a permanently invested fund (Named Fund)
• for a capital project
• or as a deferred or “planned gift” to benefit the School in the future and the donor immediately.