The Mountain Education Foundation has established an endowment fund to help support its mission and provide additional funding for the Signal Mountain schools.
Once fully funded, the endowment will provide lasting support for our students and more than double the amount of funding MEF is able to provide to Thrasher Elementary, Nolan Elementary and Signal Mountain Middle/High School on an annual basis.
What is an endowment?
To put it in simple terms, an endowment is a way to ensure that your donation provides funding for the Signal Mountain Schools for future generations. The gifts to MEF’s endowment are never spent. Instead, they are invested and a portion of the earnings from the endowment are used to help increase the funding available to fill needs in our schools. The remaining portion of the earnings is returned to the fund to increase its value for the future. Over time, the money available to support our schools will far exceed the value of the original gifts to the fund.
Why support the endowment?
There are many advantages to creating an endowment fund. First, endowments are a permanent fund that offers long-range continuity. Second, because only the interest from the endowment is spent and not the original gifts, the fund will provide financial support to the Signal Mountain schools forever. Third, the endowment is a reliable way to fill the growing gaps in school funding without continually making urgent appeals for money from the community because of state and county budget constraints.
Gifts to the fund are tax deductible and the rewards last forever. Your gift can memorialize a friend or loved-one by honoring their memory for generations to come.
How can you give to the endowment?
Additional donations are being sought to fully fund the endowment. There are many ways you can give to the endowment, such as: outright gifts, securities, real property, tangible personal property, bequests, life insurance, charitable trusts and retirement funds. Gifts may result in tax savings to you and your family (please contact your tax professional for advice).
To learn more about the endowment fund or to make a gift, please contact Mike Taylor by email here>> or call the MEF office at (423) 517-0772