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Annual Giving

Every student's experience is made possible through the enthusiasm and philanthropic support of the entire Moravian Academy community. 

2023-2024 Annual Giving can be directed towards your greatest interest. Choose to direct your gift to any of our four funds:
  • The Moravian Fund - Supports Moravian's greatest needs
  • The Swain Fund - Supports the Swain Campus
  • The Historic Downtown Fund - Supports the Downtown Campus
  • The Merle-Smith Fund - Supports the Merle-Smith Campus
Interesting Facts about Annual Giving
  • Tuition payments only cover 84% of the cost of a Moravian Academy education.
  • The Annual Fund plays a key role in reducing the gap between tuition income and the actual operational costs of running Moravian Academy.
  • The gap between tuition and the cost of educating each student at Moravian Academy is approximately $1,800.
Please contact Susan Parent, Director of Annual Giving and Special Campaigns, to help. 

List of 5 items.

  • Annual Fund

    The Annual Fund provides charitable gifts in support of faculty salaries, professional development, instructional support, classroom equipment and supplies, curriculum and technology improvements, fine arts, and sports, on any one of our three campuses.

    Every gift is important and makes a difference in each student's educational experience. 

    A gift to Moravian Academy recognizing a loved one, faculty, or staff member is a meaningful way to honor or memorialize that person. Tribute gifts can be a perfect way to recognize any of life’s special events such as a graduation, birthday, special achievement, wedding, or holiday. Memorial gifts in lieu of flowers serve as a meaningful and lasting tribute to someone we have lost.

    You can also sign up for automatic recurring gifts. To learn more, click here.
  • Gifts of Cash, Check, or Card

    Personal checks, cash, or credit/debit card transactions (American Express, MasterCard, or Visa) are the most popular ways to make a gift to Moravian Academy and allow the donor an income tax deduction in the year the gift is made. Checks, made payable to Moravian Academy, can be mailed to 7 East Market Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018, c/o Bob Zaiser, Director of Institutional Advancement.
  • Gifts of Stocks or Bonds

    As with publicly traded securities, a gift of stock of a private corporation may allow the donor to avoid capital gains on appreciation of the stock, while attaining a tax deduction based on the stock’s fair market value. The donor may obtain an immediate tax deduction up to 30% of the adjusted gross income. If the gift exceeds 30%, the remainder of the deduction generally can be carried over for up to five years. 

    Gifts of stocks or bonds, which are or will be readily marketable, may have important added tax-benefits for the donor. The deduction for outright gifts of appreciated long-term securities (held more than 12 months) is equal to the fair market value of the securities on the date the donor relinquishes control of the assets to the school, and none of the appreciation is taxable for capital gains purposes. The school maintains an account for the transfer of securities at Bank of America.
  • Matching Gifts

    There are many companies that match their employees’ gifts to independent schools. For example, if a donor gives $1,000 to Moravian Academy, a matching gift company will also give $5,000 to the school and thus the donor is credited with a $2,000 gift. Some companies will even match gifts on a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. Donors simply need to contact their human resources offices for the appropriate forms and forward them with their gifts to the Development Office for completion. 

    To find out if your company has a matching gift policy, please enter your employer's name below.
  • Merle-Smith Society

    With your gift of $1,000, we invite you to become members of the Academy's most prestigious recognition group—the Merle-Smith Society. Named for the Academy's generous benefactors, the late Kitty and Van Merle-Smith, the Merle-Smith Society is the premiere Annual Fund recognition society at Moravian Academy. Members of the Society are brought together for an annual reception with the Academy's leadership and fellow Society members. To become a member, click HERE.

The Merle-Smith Society

The Merle-Smith Society was founded in 1982 in honor of Rev. Van S. Merle-Smith, Jr. and his wife, Kitty, former parents, honorary alumni and long-term benefactors of Moravian Academy. The purpose of the society is to acknowledge the most philanthropic donors from any of our three campuses and constituencies.

Membership in the Merle-Smith Society is accorded to parents, grandparents, alumni, trustees, faculty, staff, and friends who give at least $1,000 to Moravian in a fiscal year. Gifts of cash or stock for the Annual Fund and/or for capital programs qualify for listing in the Merle-Smith Society.

Does Your Company Match Gifts?

    • Giving Levels New for 2023

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