GIVING TO SUMMIT
Summit’s independence as a public charter school is what allows us to be the vibrant and tuition-free school we are, but our self-governance comes with a price. While we have tremendous creativity and flexibility in our curriculum, we receive significantly less government funding per student than a traditional public school (~25% less) and zero funding for capital improvements. We rely on private funding on an annual basis to fully fund the critical needs of our school children, faculty and staff, and facilities.
By choosing to donate to Summit today, you will help us sustain the unique qualities of a Summit education and have a purposeful impact on the life of a student. Thank you in advance for believing in our school and community!
Ways To Give
Summit's model of education brings immense value to the lives of our students—a level of impact made possible by the continued support of our community, family, and alumni donors through our annual giving campaigns.
There are many ways to make a charitable contribution to our school. Each gift option has tax benefits to the donor as the Summit Charter School Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization under Federal Tax ID 56-2039872. Below we summarize the variety of funds and events you can be a part of, as well as the types of gifts we receive.
If you have questions about making gifts of any kind to the Summit Charter School Foundation, volunteering or participating in other ways, please call or write:
Summit Charter School Foundation
Attn: Melissa Hudson
P.O. Box 2493
Cashiers, NC 28717
828-743-5755 X 102 | Email
Annual Giving
Small class sizes, field excursions, lego robotics, exceptional educators, advanced curricula, expansive facilities - they truly make a difference in our children’s success. In this section, you'll find many ways in which parents, grandparents, and community members can participate in the ongoing support of these programs and our children through financial commitments on an annual basis.
1. FAMILY FUND
Donations to the Family Fund come from our Summit parents, grandparents, and family businesses to help Summit bridge the gap between what we receive from the government and the actual cost of educating a student. Each year a Family Fund committee is formalized and creates a fun grade-by-grade fundraising contest. A letter from our Head of School Kurt Pusch and this year's giving levels can be viewed here. If you are ready to invest in your children's education by donating now, please mail a check or click here.
2. ANNUAL FUND
Donations to the Annual Fund come from community members, private foundations, and alumni. These gifts further strengthen our ability to fully fund the vital needs of our students, educators, and facilities. Gifts to the Annual Fund have an immediate and positive impact on our school's annual budgeted needs and ensures our school children receive the education they deserve. If you are ready to have a purposeful impact on the live of a student, please click here to make a 100% tax-deductible gift.
Cashiers Festival of Trees
In 2021, the Summit Charter School Foundation introduced a new signature fundraising event, the Cashiers Festival of Trees, and we are excited to share our 2025 dates:
Toast to the Trees: July 29, 2025 at Canyon Kitchen in Lonesome Valley
Cashiers Festival of Trees: November 28-29, 2025 at Summit Charter School
Cashiers Festival of Trees is a multi-day, family-friendly event during Thanksgiving weekend where guests bid on decorated trees and holiday décor, enjoy a wide variety of holiday performances, create personalized children’s crafts, celebrate literacy on the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Storytime Stage, enjoy a pop-up O.P. Taylor's Teddy Bear Workshop, and shop one-of-a-kind gifts in the Gift Zone.
While raising money for the school is the primary focus of the event, the SCS Foundation spreads the holiday spirit of giving: when a non-profit decorates a tree or wreath, 80% of the item’s sale will go BACK to the participating non-profit, creating a collaborative initiative to benefit our fellow charities and their worthy causes. Supporting our entire community is very important to our cause and the school’s overall mission.
Learn more on the official Cashiers Festival of Trees website by clicking here.
College Scholarships
Facilities Endowment and Planned Giving
As a new high school, Summit is committed to doing whatever we can to help our students attend and graduate from the college or university of their choice. Our college counseling and development team have partnered with organizations and donors committed to ensuring that our students have the necessary resources to do so. In addition to informing our students of ongoing community scholarship opportunities, the Summit Charter School Foundation is pleased to offer scholarships to the Class of 2025. Our goal is that we can grow our scholarships through private donations and help our seniors every year. Donors interested in helping Summit students with life-changing scholarship funds should learn more here and contact us!
JERRY JOHNSON LEGACY FUND: In October 2019, our Summit family lost a beloved member of its school community: Gerald “Jerry” Johnson. Jerry was a Summit Charter School Foundation board member and a grandparent. He was a fierce champion of Summit and had a tremendous impact on the school. The Jerry Johnson Legacy Fund has been formed in his memory, with all gifts restricted to maintaining school facilities in the future. This is a first step to ensuring a future of enduring vitality for Summit in addition to securing fiscal stability.
PLANNED GIVING is another way to ensure your support of Summit and is an important part of your estate planning. By including Summit in your estate plan, you make a statement of your confidence in our school. This is a very powerful way to ensure our future strength.
If you would like to contribute a future gift through a trust, life insurance, gift annuities, or a provision in a will, please contact mhudson@summitschool.org or 828-743-5755 ext. 102.
Support Summit While You Shop!
Make a difference by earning free money for Summit when you do your regular shopping! Box Tops for Education, Ingles Tools for Schools and Amazon Smile are three programs that add cash to our operating budget. Click on the logos below to learn more about each program.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Summit embraces and encourages involvement from the community at large.
Here are the wonderful organizations that have partnered with Summit last school year.
A. Friends' Foundation
A. Jones Company
ACP Interiors
Africa Awaits
Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library
Alli-Jean, LLC
Altec-Styslinger Foundation
Annawear
Anne Neilson Home
Appalachian Golf Cars
ASAP Generators
Atelier Maison & Co
Balsam West
Benjamin Moore
Berkshire Hathaway Home Services
Big Brothers Big Sisters WNC - Cashiers & Highlands
Big Ten Network
Blackwell Farr Interiors and Peacock Republic
Blossman Gas
Blue Bike Cafe
Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic
Blue Ridge School
Bombshell Hair Boutique
Bonnie & Bud
Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau
Brook Trout Inn
Brookings Angler & Pure Fishing
Bungalow Boutique
Burlingame Golf
Caboodle
Cabin Care
Caliber Fine Properties
Calm Creek Farm
Camp Cashiers Clothing & Apparel
Camel's Construction Services LLC
Camp Merrie-Woode Foundation
Cara Chase
Care Bears
Carla Gignilliat
Caroline's Cakes
Cashiers Cares
Cashiers Chamber of Commerce
Cashiers Chiropractic and Acupuncture
Cashiers Community Fund
Cashiers Emporium
Cashiers Farmers Market
Cashiers Firewood
Cashiers Friends of the Library
Cashiers Historical Society
Cashiers Kitchen Co.
Cashiers Literacy Council
Cashiers Pump and Plumbing Supply
Cashiers Property Management
Cashiers Sotheby's International - McKee Group
Cashiers Valley Pharmacy
Cashiers Valley Preschool
Cashiers Valley Real Estate
Cashiers Valley Smokehouse
Cedar Creek Charities
Cedar Creek Club
Chapin Creative
Chatooga Club
Chestnut Cove
Children's Edit
Chinquapin Builders
Church of the Good Shepherd
Church of the Incarnation
CK Swan
Michelle and Tim Clement
Community Bible Church
Complete Property Services INC
Continental Divide Creations
Convoy of Hope - Hain Celestial
Cornucopia
CRAWFORD CONSTRUCTION, LLC
Crawford Environmental Services, LLC
Cullasaja Women's Outreach
Design South Builders
Discover Turf & Native Grass, Inc.
Doss Foundation
Dr. Patti Wheeler and Friends
Dyer & Ricke General Dentistry
Eduardo Painting
Evan's Hair Graphics
Fern Creek Builders
Fiddlehead Designs
Justin Allman - Firemoss Pottery
Flat Mountain Farm
Floressence Flowers
Four Season Landscape INC.
Four Seasons Compassion for Life
Friends of Summit
Fusion Yoga & Wellness
Garden Club
Glass Foundation
Jackson County Green Energy Park
Gracewear Boutique
Green Mountain Builders, LLC
Golden Design Architect
Gracewear
Grand Bohemian - Greenville
Grand Ol' Station
Growing Studio
H. Foundation, Inc.
Hallmark Channel
Hampton Realty
Harris General Surgery
Harris Regional Hospital
Heather and Craig Johnson
Hennessy Automobile Companies
Highland Hiker
Highland Steak House
Highlander Heating and Air
Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation
Highlands Cashiers Land Trust
Highlands Community Fund
Highlands Decorating Center
Highlands Dental Care
Highlands Technology Group
Hotel Cashiers
Stacey Howell
Hudson Library, a branch of Fontana Regional Library
Ingles Markets
Interior Enhancements
J. Gabriel
J. McLaughlin
Jackson County Arts Council
Jackson Hole Gem Mine
Jersey Mike's Franchise Systems, Inc.
Jersey Mikes Brevard & Sylva
Jim Benton
JP-Bourgeois
Lake Toxaway Charities
Landmark Realty
Laura Moser Art
Love, Louise Designs
CFWNC - Learning Links
Lehotsky & Sons
Lonesome Valley
Loudermilk Homes
Loudermilk Design
Lulu & You
Luna Mountain Doulas
Lynn Monday Home
Madison Restaurant
Mantiques
Mathis Landscapes
McCulley's of Highlands & Cashiers
Mebane Foundation
Merrie-Woode Foundation
Micas
Miller Residential Company
Moët & Chandon
Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton
Molly Grace
Mondays' House of Design
Mountain Dog Spa
Mountain Life Properties
Mountain Theatre Company
Murdock Accounting Solutions, LLC
My Little Pony
NC Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council
Nora's Gift Shop
Oakleaf Style
Old Edwards Club, LLC
Old Edwards Inn & Acorns Boutique
O.P. Taylor's
Osteria
Outpost Inn
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
Patriot Roof Cleaning & Property Management
Plateau Magazine
POA Support Inc.
Pound Puppy
Pure Fishing
REACH of Macon County
Rely on Boris, LLC
Rick Ramsey Insurance Agency Inc
Roman's Roofing
Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley
Rusticks Home Furnishings
Sarah's Sinful Sweets
Sashay Around
Savannah Bananas
Scotlynn Yard
Sea.Island @ 30A
Sesame Street
Slab Town Pizza
Smoky Mountains Home Services LLC
Southern Fuel & Provisions
Specialties Plus of NC
Spruce Interiors
Stanberry Insurance Agency, Inc.
Steward Construction
Sugar Cloud Baking Company
Summit Charter School Foundation
Summit Family Association
Sunny Daze Flower Company
Sweetwater Builders
Tangles
tarte Cosmetics
Tate Landscaping Services
Terrapin Properties
The ARTIST MANAGEMENT GROUP
The Bascom - A Center for the Visual Arts
The Bird Barn
The Business Spot
The Cashiers Glenville Volunteer Fire Department
The Cashiers Store
The Club at High Hampton
The Clubs of the Plateau
The Corner Store
The Country Club of Sapphire Valley, Inc.
The Designer's Market
The Highlands Hatter
The Hudson Library of Highlands NC Inc
The Library Kitchen & Bar
The Local
The Look Boutique
The Moskowitz Law Firm
The Orchard Restaurant
The Perch Associates LP
The Silver Skillet Restaurant
The Spinx Company, Inc.
The Village Green
The Village Pantry
The Village Salon
The Vineyard at 37 High Holly
TJ Bailey's
Tractor Supply Company Foundation
Trillium Links and Lake Club
Trillium Land & Realty Company, LLC
Unfurl Wellness Spa at Highlands Creek
United Community Bank
Valley Garden Club
Village Grooming
Viking Appliances / EVO Outdoor Grills
Vivace
Wade Hampton Golf Club
Weldon Mills Distillery
Western Carolina University
White Moon
Whiteside Art Gallery
Whiteside Brewing Co.
Whole Life Market & Nectar Juice Bar
Wickles Pickles
Wit's End
Wofford Sculpture Studio
Zoller Hardware
The Different Types Of Gifts We Accept
Gifts of Cash
The majority of gifts received to the Summit Charter School Foundation are in the form of cash contributions for which donors, depending on their individual financial circumstances, may receive tax benefits. The school may put gifts of cash to immediate use for programs, endowments, and projects.
To make a monetary gift, you may contact the Foundation directly or donate online in secure transactions via PayPal. You will receive a receipt of your transaction instantly.