Endowments

Mr. T. Boone Pickens and Ebby Halliday join Mr. and Mrs. Shipman for the opening of the Inn and Training Center

Vision for the Future

The Shipman family vision, born almost 40 years ago, is far from complete.  The goal ultimately is to enroll 300 students each semester. That means, in addition to raising sufficient funds to complete the “15-Year Advancement Plan” (more Student Residences, larger Chapel, expanded Athletic Facilities, and more), there must be endowment in place sufficient to provide the major portion of the annual operating budget for the expanded campus.  Since part of the Academy’s mission is to provide boarding and education, regardless of a family’s ability to pay, raising funds will always be a challenge.

There is a permanent Happy Hill Farm Academy Endowment Fund in place.  There are separate funds within the Permanent Endowment for athletics, the agricultural program, music, ministries, and others.  This means that a donor wishing to make a gift to the Permanent Endowment may designate where those endowment funds will be used.  The donor’s gift to the Permanent Endowment Fund remains in the Endowment Fund indefinitely.  Only a portion of the earned, annual interest from the Endowment is applied to the operating budget.

“The goal is to continue building the finest boarding, day, and international school of its kind in America,” says Ed Shipman, the Founder. “Happy Hill Farm Academy provides a private Christian education for highly-motivated underprivileged students, as well as students from caring families, at home and abroad, who are not being served adequately by the public educational system.  These students, with such potential, need the boarding and private school environment to succeed and become contributing and leading members of society.”

“We continue to improve our program,” says Chuck Shipman, COO.  “We are providing social, academic, and vocational components that are otherwise unavailable to many boys and girls.”

“In the process of growth and expansion,” says Todd Shipman, President/CFO, “we must continue to find new donors who will catch our vision.  We will need a lot of help if we are to continue to assist and educate the many students who come to our door looking for the help they need to grow, study, and impact their world for good.”

ENDOWMENT GIVING VITAL TO ONGOING OPERATION OF HAPPY HILL FARM

The program at Happy Hill Farm Academy has been operational for almost 40 years.  Though quite small initially, the Academy can now board more than 100 residential students, and it is educating an ever-increasing number of day students.  Many have little or no funding available for their residential and academic needs – education, clothing, food, medical and dental care, and all the things that it takes to help a student succeed.  With the goal in motion to expand the campus to 300 students, the operational costs will also continue to escalate.  To raise the budget annually is no small feat.  It will take individuals, foundations, corporations, and special events to build a permanent endowment sufficient to meet the on-going needs.

Since the annual operating budget must first be raised, we need several special people to help fund the endowment.  These monies can be designated by the donor to be placed in the permanent Endowment Fund in memory of, or in honor of, an individual.  The funds are managed by professional money managers.  Approximately 5% of income earned annually is designated to be spent on operations.  Help with the Endowment Fund by factoring a gift into your Estate Plan.  This may be done by a cash donation, insurance proceeds, property, annuities, or other means.  Help the students at Happy Hill Farm Academy beyond your lifetime with a gift to the Endowment Fund.

See Planned Giving on the website.