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Make a Gift

Please make checks payable to The Avery Coonley School and mailed to:

The Avery Coonley School, Attn: Development Office

1400 Maple Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515

ACS welcomes tribute gifts made in honor or memory of friends and loved ones. With your gift, please indicate the name of the person whom you are honoring. The School will notify the honoree or family of the gift received, but the donation amount will remain confidential.

Make a Gift

Make a pledge today! Pledge payments are due by the end our the Fiscal Year - June 2025.

Make a Pledge

Gifts of stocks, bonds, or other securities support the School and may provide you with tax advantages. They may be given in the following ways:

• By transferring ownership of the stock to the School
• By instructing your broker to sell the stock and send proceeds to the School (by check or direct wire to the ACS account)

Please contact the Development Office for assistance with gifts of securities.

In-kind contributions are defined as non-cash items such as equipment, supplies, or receptions that are voluntarily transferred from the donor to Avery Coonley without compensation or consideration in return. Please contact the the Development Office or members of the faculty prior to making an in-kind contribution to be sure that the School can accept the gift.

A planned gift lets you create a legacy and make a lasting impact at ACS. Planned giving supports the school while also allowing donors to maximize benefits and tax savings. Please contact Carolyn Johnson to discuss ways to support ACS through planned gifts. 

The Leadership Giving Circles celebrate the generous annual support of donors to ACS. We greatly appreciate all gifts to the school and recognize donors in the giving circles below, established to honor the rich history of ACS.

Queene Ferry Coonley Circle
$50,000+

John Malach Circle
$25,000+

Elizabeth Coonley Circle
$10,000+

Jens Jensen Circle
$7,500+

Waldron Faulkner Circle
$5,000+

Henry Chapman Mercer Circle
$2,500+

Lucia Burton Morse Circle
$1,000+

Maple Tappers Circle
$500+

Bell Ringers Circle
$250+

Cloister Circle
Up to $249
 

The 1906 Legacy Circles celebrate those extraordinary donors who have given a gift to ACS  for four or more consecutive years. Named in honor of the year our school was founded, the 1906 Legacy Circles recognize donors through three levels of giving milestones, each named for a setting in our school’s rich history. 

The longer you give, the greater your impact and legacy!

Maple Grove Circle

15+ Years of Consecutive Giving 

The Maple Grove Circle celebrates donors who give for 15 or more consecutive years. Adjacent to the Maple Grove Forest Preserve, Mrs. Coonley chose the school's current location to create an open, comfortable learning environment that is in harmony with its natural setting. With its opening in 1929, the school was renamed The Avery Coonley School.

Coonley Playhouse Circle 

9-14 Years of Consecutive Giving 

The Coonley Playhouse Circle celebrates donors who give for 9 to 14 consecutive years. The now-famous Coonley Playhouse was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1912 to accommodate the growth of The Cottage School.

Riverside Circle

4-8 Years of Consecutive Giving

The Riverside Circle celebrates donors who give for 4 to 8 consecutive years. Riverside, Illinois was home to the school’s first setting, known then as The Cottage School. Queene Ferry Coonley founded the school in 1906 on her estate as she sought to expand educational opportunities for her four-year-old daughter, Elizabeth.

Our Annual Reports are included in the ACS Magazine so that we can share with the community in-depth stories on all our generous donors have made possible.

View the Report Archive