Endowment Sustain Campaign - Topeka Collegiate School

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Securing Our Future

The Topeka Collegiate community has always stepped up to ensure our students learn in an innovative, secure, and inspiring environment. Thanks to your generosity, our campus has been transformed—fully funded and built to last. Now we move to building a legacy with an intentional focus on the next generation of learners.

Building a Legacy: The Power of Endowment
A strong endowment is the foundation of long-term excellence. Unlike annual giving, which supports immediate needs, an endowment is a permanent investment that provides financial stability and ensures Topeka Collegiate continues to thrive for generations. The returns from our endowment will support key priorities:
✔ Tuition Assistance
✔ Innovative Student Programs
✔ Faculty Excellence

^{Give Now to Topeka Collegiate's Sustain Campaign Endowment}

Every gift—whether a one-time donation or a multi-year pledge (1–5 years)—makes a meaningful difference.

A Transformational Opportunity

A generous donor has issued a $500,000 matching challenge—every new gift in 2025 will be doubled, doubling your impact.

Join Us in Shaping the Future

This is more than supporting a school; it’s investing in the next generation of leaders. Every gift—one-time or multi-year—makes a difference. To secure our future, we must grow our endowment from $2 million to $5 million. A robust endowment ensures that no bright, motivated student is turned away due to financial limitations. It is the ultimate “Raise the Paddle” for our school’s greatest need.

At Topeka Collegiate, we do more than educate—we ignite curiosity, foster confidence, and prepare students to lead with integrity. This is not just an investment in a school; it is an investment in the future of our children, our community, and the world.

The time is now. Every gift—whether a one-time donation or a multi-year pledge (1–5 years)—makes a meaningful difference. Thank you

Board President runs border to border

Sean Frost to Run 250 Miles Across Kansas to Support Topeka Collegiate’s Endowment
This May, Topeka Collegiate parent and ultrarunner Sean Frost will take on a remarkable challenge: running the entire length of Kansas—250 miles from the Nebraska border to the Oklahoma line—in support of the Sustain Campaign Endowment Initiative.

From May 22–26, Sean will run through towns and trails across the state, beginning in White Cloud and ending in Coffeyville. Each day, he will cover 50–66 miles, pushing his endurance to new limits in the name of access and opportunity for students.

“This run is about more than miles,” Sean said. “We have a donor offering a $500,000 match to help grow the endowment. These funds directly support families who need tuition assistance to attend Topeka Collegiate.”

An experienced ultramarathoner with over 18 long-distance races under his belt, Sean has spent months training for this five-day journey—his longest run to date. He describes the effort as “time on feet,” reflecting the mental and physical dedication needed to complete such a feat.

Topeka Collegiate’s Sustain Campaign Endowment Initiative ensures long-term financial sustainability and increases access to the school’s transformative education. Sean’s run brings attention—and momentum—to this vital campaign.

To support Sean’s run and contribute to the Sustain Campaign. Let’s cheer him on as he goes the distance for Topeka Collegiate!

A Look Back to Back to Where We Have Been

Topeka Collegiate's Sustain Campaign was its first capital campaign in over 15 years. Thanks to over 300 donors and countless volunteers, the Campaign brought extensive renovation, including the installation of new windows, an HVAC system, roofing, a campus-wide security system, and a safe, contemporary front entry. Additionally, a new building addition, "The Center for Curiosity, Awe, and Wonder," (made possible by Susan and Kent Garlinghouse and family) serves as a beacon of academic excellence to students and educators alike. The new building boasts four middle school classrooms, collaborative spaces, music and art classrooms. Replacing outdated trailers with these modern learning spaces is a major victory for the school. Moreover, The Center provides students with secure shelter during severe weather conditions.

The families, faculty, staff, and students are abundantly grateful to all who made these changes possible.

Sustain Campaign Timeline

In September, 2022, on the eve of its 40th year as the only independent school in the region, Topeka Collegiate gathered the school community to discuss the future. Over 200 individuals shared their vision for the small, innovative school.

Three pillars emerged within the school's new strategic plan: Educate; Connect; Sustain. Offering an 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio on a centrally-located eight-acre campus, Topeka Collegiate is well-positioned to grow.

As of June, 1, 2024, the school has successfully invested in its facilities with a completion of its $7.3 million Sustain Campaign, provided by over 300 donors, which allowed the school to build a new facility to replace the four mobile trailers previously used for twenty-eight years. The original school building underwent extensive renovation as well, including the installation of new windows, a brand new HVAC system, new roofing, a new campus-wide security system, and a safe, contemporary front entry.

The building addition named "The Center for Curiosity, Awe, and Wonder," opened on April 23, 2024 and serves as a beacon of academic excellence to students and educators alike. The new building boasts four middle school classrooms, collaborative spaces, music, and art classrooms. Replacing outdated trailers with these modern learning spaces is a major victory for the school. Moreover, The Center provides students with secure shelter during severe weather conditions.

The opening of "The Center for Curiosity, Awe, and Wonder" was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, beginning with eighth-grade students leading the community in the school song. The ribbon was ceremonially cut by the 8th-grade class and five teachers who collectively have nearly 150 years of teaching at the school. Susan and Kent Garlinghouse and their family named the new center, recognizing the school's commitment to inspiring and preparing every student for a successful future.

Topeka Collegiate celebrated the Sustain Campaign with the broader community during its "Evening on Eveningside," event on Saturday, April 27 and Donor Recognition Event on June 1, 2024. "We're thrilled to open this new facility and provide our students with the best possible learning environment that fosters critical thinking, curiosity, and creativity," said Dr. Lyn Rantz, Head of School at Topeka Collegiate. "This accomplishment could not have been possible without the generous support of our community. Thank you to all those who made this dream a reality. We are committed to rejecting mediocrity for our students’ experience."

Of the $7.3 M raised in gifts and pledges, $845,000 was dedicated to the School’s Endowment and the remainder to campus renovation and building construction. The Sustain Campaign funded the spaces and strategies to inspire young Eagles to soar to new heights for decades to come.