The 2026–27 Friends Fund

At IFS, children grow the way living things do: rooted in integrity, sheltered by peace, nourished by simplicity. As an independent school, IFS isn’t funded by tax dollars. Tuition pays for today; gifts build tomorrow.

Give Now

Click the button above to give by credit card, bank transfer, or donor-advised fund.
100% of your online gift now reaches IFS, with no platform or processing fees.

To give stock, through an IRA, or to make a pledge, please email development@ifschool.org.

What Your Gifts Built

Last year, 100% of IFS families gave to the Friends Fund. Your generosity made possible:

  • Brighter, safer classrooms, from Koi and Panda through Grades 1–2

  • A forest made safe, with its trails redone and important arborist care

  • Upgraded security cameras and new lighting across campus

  • More than $100,000 in financial aid

  • For the first time in our history, operating and strategic reserves that help IFS plan ahead

This year, your gift supports:

  • Supplies and hands-on materials your children use every day

  • Caring for our classrooms and campus

  • Our teachers’ growth as educators and immersion experts

  • Financial aid, so every family who belongs here can be here

  • Reserves that protect the school we love

From the IFS Community: Why We Give

We support IFS because they support each of our children as individuals. All three of our children learn and interact with education differently, and IFS gives each of them what they need to thrive. We’ve watched them become curious, engaged learners who embrace challenges, including learning another language. We’re grateful for a community of families who share our hopes for our children and support one another along the way.

Eileen and Jake Days
Co-Chair, IFS Board of Trustees and Parents

IFS has been such a wonderful community for our family. Seeing our children speak Mandarin confidently and proudly, and watching them become curious about Chinese cultures and traditions, has been incredibly meaningful to us. IFS has created a special Mandarin immersion environment that we simply couldn’t replicate on our own. Over the past two years, we’ve also come to appreciate how much love, care, and dedication the IFS teachers and staff put into helping our children learn and grow every day.

We give to IFS to express our gratitude and to support its future. We hope our children, along with generations of students to come, will continue to benefit from this special community and the gift of a bilingual education.

Tiffany Kung and Richard Sheu
Member, IFS Board of Trustees and Parents

I am grateful to see our sweet children flourish each day, and grow into kind, thoughtful, and curious children! I am beyond grateful to the IFS community for providing us with a school that keeps our children safe and nurtured, all while teaching them so many new things!

We hope to continue to foster friendships within the IFS community, which will help our children feel a deeper sense of belonging to their school community.

Sandy Edpao, IFS Parent

IFS was a great fit for our daughter during our time in Bellevue. The small class sizes, individualized attention, and supportive teachers allowed her to grow at her own pace. As her Mandarin fluency strengthened, so did her confidence both in and outside of the classroom. We're grateful for the teachers at IFS who fostered her independence and resilience.

Sarah Green, IFS Alum Parent (Elementary)

I’m especially grateful that my son shares his thoughts and feelings with me in Mandarin every day. I’m deeply thankful to the IFS teachers for creating such a nurturing environment where he can develop his confidence, and love of learning. It’s been wonderful to watch him opening up himself.

I hope IFS continues to build strong operational support and sustainable resources for its teachers and programs. I also hope our community continues to grow stronger together, with families and teachers working hand in hand to preserve the warmth, care, and unique spirit that make IFS so special.

Jessica Su, IFS Parent

Our family's gift this year is in support of IFS' commitment to students. We feel so fortunate that our children are truly bilingual, are seen, understood and nurtured by their teachers. They're learning to be kind, responsible, curious and confident members of their community during the most foundational years of their elementary education. 

Our gift is an opportunity to invest in the school so that they can deliver on their mission of educating bilingual, globally minded, lifelong learners.  The lessons, values and gifts of an IFS education will shape who they become for the rest of their lives.

Yin-Yin Aung & Jeffrey Vick
Member, IFS Board of Trustees and Parents

Our Founding Story

In 2018, a group of families took a chance on a new idea: the world’s first dual-language immersion Quaker school. Our first class had 8 students. Today, more than 100 children learn here in two languages.

The Light in Every Child

The first Quakers believed every person carries an inner light: a spark of worth, wisdom and possibility. At IFS, that belief comes to life in two languages, through simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship.

Founding-Era Families

Our peer schools have been growing for 50+ years. Parents here help write the first chapters, and twenty years from now, families will be grateful to the ones who did.

There are many ways to tend the garden.

Double or triple your gift through your employer. Donate your appreciated stocks to avoid capital gains tax.

Email development@ifschool.org to learn more about your options.

Ways to Give

Give Now

  • Use our Give Now page to give by credit card, ACH bank transfer, Google Pay or donor-advised fund. Our online giving platform, Zeffy, charges IFS no fees, so 100% of your gift reaches the school. At checkout, Zeffy suggests an optional contribution to support its free platform; it goes to Zeffy, not IFS, and you can set it to $0.

  • Complete the pledge card from your Friends Fund package, or download the fillable pledge form, and return it to the front office or development@ifschool.org by December 1. Pledges can be fulfilled any time through June 30, 2027.

  • Make checks payable to International Friends School, with “Friends Fund” in the memo, and mail to 556 124th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA 98005.

  • Many employers match gifts, doubling or even tripling your impact. Request your match in your company’s giving portal (such as Benevity or YourCause), and note your employer on your pledge card. Matching gifts count toward your giving level.

  • Some companies donate to schools for the hours employees volunteer. Check your company’s giving portal or HR team.

  • Give through your DAF directly on our Give Now page, or recommend a grant to International Friends School (EIN 81-3819663).

  • Giving appreciated stock, bonds or mutual funds may help you avoid capital gains tax. Please notify the Development Office before you transfer, so we know who the gift is from. Request stock transfer instructions by emailing development@ifschool.org.

  • If you are 70½ or older, you can give directly from your IRA, up to the annual IRS limit ($111,000 in 2026). Ask your IRA administrator to send the distribution to International Friends School, and let us know it’s coming.

  • A bequest or other planned gift can support IFS for generations. Please consult your financial and legal advisors and contact development@ifschool.org.

  • Grandparents, friends and local community partners can give through our Give Now page, too.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Tuition pays for today; gifts build tomorrow. Last year, tuition and other income came just short of what it costs to run IFS. Family gifts closed that gap and created our first-ever operating and strategic reserves. Unlike tuition, Friends Fund gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law, and many employers will match them.

  • Covering every cost through tuition would put IFS out of reach for some families. Giving lets those who are able to do more keep IFS open to families from every background.

  • Supplies and hands-on materials for every classroom, caring for our campus, our teachers’ growth, financial aid, and reserves that protect the school.

  • Current parents and guardians, board members, and faculty and staff, with a goal of 100% participation. Grandparents, extended family, friends and alumni families are warmly welcome to give, too.

  • Every gift, at every level, helps our children grow. Your letter from Xiaorong includes a suggested amount, and the giving levels above can help you choose. Please give at whatever level is meaningful to you.

  • Yes. A gift of any size counts, and participation matters more than the amount.

  • It shows that our community believes in its school. Foundations and lenders look closely at participation rates when deciding whether to support a school. Last year, 100% of IFS families gave.

  • Please pledge or give by Giving Tuesday, December 1. Gifts made by December 31 count for 2026 taxes. Pledges can be paid in installments, with the balance due by June 30, 2027.

  • Click Give Now to give by credit card, ACH bank transfer, Google Pay or donor-advised fund. Zeffy charges IFS no fees, so 100% of your gift reaches the school. At checkout, Zeffy suggests an optional contribution to support its free platform; it goes to Zeffy, not IFS, and you can set it to $0.

  • Many employers match gifts, usually dollar for dollar, and some at 2:1 or 3:1. Request your match in your company’s giving portal and note your employer on your pledge card. Matching gifts count toward your giving level. Some companies also give for the hours employees volunteer.

  • Yes. Give through your DAF on our Give Now page, or recommend a grant to International Friends School (EIN 81-3819663). For stock, please download our transfer instructions and notify the Development Office before you transfer. If you are 70½ or older, you can give directly from your IRA through a Qualified Charitable Distribution, up to the annual IRS limit ($111,000 in 2026).

  • Your Friends Fund package includes a leaf card. Share what your family is grateful for, return it to school, and watch our gratitude garden grow on campus.

  • Quyen Ngo in the Development Office, development@ifschool.org.