'Building for Tomorrow' Has Begun

Dear LP Community, 

Exactly one month ago, we shared exciting news that our Board of Trustees voted to dedicate a floor of our new building at 263 Clarendon Street to add a prekindergarten to The Learning Project! Today, not only do we write to share the remaining details for use of the new building, but our comprehensive vision to renovate spaces in both buildings – 263 Clarendon and the McCord Building at 107 Marlborough, as well as announce a critical new fundraising campaign to bring these final steps in the journey to fruition.

Last night’s Donor Celebration marked the kickoff of the school’s Building for Tomorrow campaign where we premiered a campaign video featuring LP’ers past and present, and that details the critical nature of this project to the future of the school. The video is shared with you below, and I hope you will take a few minutes to watch.

Building for Tomorrow is an ambitious fundraising effort aimed at raising $1.973M (a nod to the school’s founding year) in order to offset the anticipated costs of renovation and reduce any impact on the McCord Mission Fund – the school’s endowment. The endowment is the heart of our operations; it is critical to maintaining the school’s tuition level, commitment to financial assistance, and generous compensation for our beloved faculty and staff.  

Upon receiving our zoning approval just two months ago, we began planning next steps and meeting with community members about the project. I am beyond thrilled to share that in just this short amount of time, The Learning Project has already raised $700k toward our goal – already over a third of the way there!

Today, we turn to our community once again to help the school realize its next big dream, a dream that began years ago and is now on the verge of coming true. Along with the video below is a detailed case statement that describes our planned renovations to the McCord Building and 263 Clarendon, why these improvements are so important to the school’s operations today, and how they will help to ensure The Learning Project’s sustainability and success.

Over 10 years ago, the McCords and The LP’s Board of Trustees made the decision that additional space was critical for The Learning Project to thrive into the future. They dreamed big and launched a campaign to raise $6M for a real estate purchase – and that campaign was successful. It was, in fact, a part of the school’s serendipitous history in which the cost of acquiring this new building was that $6M sum. Now, with the building in hand, we have one major step left to make that big dream into a reality. Please help us once more as we bring this project across the finish line, and join us in building for tomorrow.

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What is the timeline? This campaign is a one-year, blitz campaign to fund renovations to both buildings. Multi-year pledges are most welcome! Construction at 263 Clarendon is scheduled to begin this spring, with doors opening in the fall of 2027, and with pre-k opening in the fall of 2028. Renovations at the McCord Building will take place in the summer of 2027 and the summer of 2028!

Will there be events? Yes, we will be holding ‘community mixers’: small, intimate gatherings in different locations in the city where presentations about the campaign will mix with social time to make for a fun evening. In the spring, phase two of the campaign will begin with an opportunity to see renderings of the newly imagined spaces and an opportunity to see the building before demolition begins.

Will there still be an Annual Fund this year? Yes! The school’s Annual Fund is critical to cover the ‘gap’ each year between what tuition brings in and the ‘true’ cost of educating an LP student. This year’s Annual Fund goal is $450k. Building for Tomorrow is our campaign for facilities renovations, and we are asking for community members to consider a gift to this limited campaign, with an understanding that what they can do is above and beyond what they typically give to the Annual Fund.

Where can we learn more? Visit the campaign website here, which hosts the campaign video featuring LP’ers past and present, the case statement for the campaign, a list of supporters updated weekly, as well as a progress tracker as we strive for our $1.973M goal. We also encourage you to read this year’s issues of The LampPost and the Magnolia as we share exciting updates and photos!

Who is doing the work of this campaign? The campaign is being led and coordinated by the school’s small, but mighty, development team of Sasha Zuflacht, our Crawford Director of Community Relations, and Jamie Hayhurst, our Advancement, Admissions and Publications Coordinator. They are also fortunate to be joined by a committee of current parents who have already been hard at work meeting with community members and educating constituents about the campaign. Our campaign committee members to date are:

Candice Corvetti & Stephen Kelleher – P’29, ‘31, ‘32

Camille DeLaite & Akhill Chopra – P’28, ‘31

Carolyn Marcus & Matt Farmer – P’28, ‘30

If there are any current parents who would like to join this group, please be on the lookout for a call for committee members this fall.

Who do I contact with questions? Questions can be directed to Sasha Zuflacht at szuflacht@learningproject.org or Jamie Hayhurst at jhayhurst@learningproject.org.