BRANKSOME HALL: LEADING THE WAY IN GIRLS' EDUCATION
More than 1,800 community members have come together … and counting! Join us to set a new standard for excellence in girls’ education. The most ambitious campaign in Canadian girls’ school history continues to unfold. We're not stopping until the opening of the Karen L. Jurjevich Innovation Centre and Studio Theatre in January 2026.85
Campaign Progress
$2.3 MILLION RAISED TOWARDS OUR $5 MILLION GOAL FOR MAKE WAY INCLUDING THE KAREN L. JURJEVICH INNOVATION CENTRE AND STUDIO THEATRE IN 2024–25.
WHY iCAST? EXPLORE HOW iCAST WILL PREPARE YOUR DAUGHTER FOR THE FUTURE
- a 34,458 square-foot facility where the Arts and STEM will flourish in unprecedented ways
- a first-of-its-kind space for any JK–Grade 12 institution in Canada, offering a dress rehearsal for tomorrow’s economy
UNIVERSITY DIFFERENTIATOR
Gender Divide
STEM SKILL SUPPLY
PACE OF CHANGE
A LOOK INSIDE iCAST
With movable seats and a 2,550-square-foot tension grid, students can produce professional quality theatrical lighting designs.
Guest experts, entrepreneurs-in-training working with our Noodle business accelerator, or our championship-winning Debate Team can hone pitches and presentations.
In our fabrication spaces, students can create and manufacture prototypes or theatre sets and props.
Students will build, code and prepare robots for competition, honing their STEM acumen for tomorrow’s top programs and careers.
Students will explore real-world applications of artificial intelligence and augmented reality, then integrate them with Arts programming.
The new home of our Noodle business accelerator will allow us to expand the program, welcome external experts and offer a permanent sales outlet.
AN INTERACTIVE TOUR
HEAR FROM OUR EXPERTS
Technology touches everything, so we need to prepare the next generation to work in that environment… iCAST is the breeding ground for just that.” — Eva Lau, Founding Partner, Two Small Fish Ventures (Naomi’20; Peony’22)
iCAST will be critical to the future of your daughter and to the future of Canada. Fluency in STEM skills will be a prerequisite for virtually every quality career. We must encourage young women at the earliest stage of their education.” — John Ruffolo, Founder & Managing Partner, Maverix Private Equity (Rome, Grade 10)
We grew up in a different world and iCAST ties it all together to prepare girls to excel in a tech-oriented world and go after it in an ambitious and unapologetic way.” — Shelby AUSTIN Cooper’99, CEO, Arteria AI (Simone, Grade 6)
Your Opportunity
Ways To Give
Stepping Stones Donor Wall:
Make an impact and leave a legacy with this one-in-a-decade opportunity. Name a “Stepping Stone” on this beautiful lobby-level donor wall in iCAST.YOU CAN PLEDGE YOUR GIFT OVER TIME:
For example, a $50,000 gift can be paid off over five years, i.e. $10,000 a year. Donors have the discretion to structure their pledge to best suit their financial circumstances, making a transformational gift more financially feasible. Learn more.THE TAX ADVANTAGES OF GIVING:
Learn the different ways to give and the advantages of each.THERE ARE OTHER NAMING OPPORTUNITIES:
Depending on the size of your gift, you can name a space in iCAST! Contact Claudia Metelsky, Director, Campaign and Development, Advancement and Community Engagement to learn more!YOU CAN DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT:
By directing your United Way donation to Branksome Hall through your employer’s United Way campaign, receiving credit for both campaigns. Donate now.
MAKE WAY CAMPAIGN CABINET
- Don GuloienHonorary Chair
- Michael & Julia Bratty
- Monique MORAN’94
- Tyler & Claire MacNamaraCampaign Chairs
- CK PURKS Hoffler’80
- John Ruffolo
- Tristan & Tara Armstrong
- Eva Lau
- Mona MaloneBoard Chair
- Jamie Scarlett & Vanessa Yeung
- Clara Angotti Mathur
- Christie Love Thomas & Jeff Thomas
- Heather Simmons
- Jackie NIXON Gowdy '03
INNOVATION COUNCIL
- Clara Angotti Mathur Co-Founder and President, Next Pathway
- Andrea Bielecki Former CEO and President, INVIVO Communications Inc.
- Chanda Carr Chief Client Officer, Osler
- Martin Kon President & COO, Cohere
- Kevin Goodridge Chief Innovation Officer, Branksome Hall
- Shelby Austin CEO, Arteria AI
- Joe Cashion Managing Partner, Prism Global Management
- Monique Moran Founder, Goodenergii
- Deena PANTALONE '95Managing Partner,
Vertical Builders Inc. - Chad Bayne Partner, Emerging and High Growth Companies, Osler
- Mark Cohon Chair, Toronto Global; Chair and Partner, Georgian Bay Spirit Co.
- David Boriss Managing Partner, NxtRnd; Partner, Fort Capital
- Michael Ianni-Palarchio Chief Strategy Officer, Project X
- John Ruffolo Founder & Managing Partner, Maverix Private Equity
Other ways to make an impact
Financial Assistance:
Amplify our commitment to open our doors to diverse and promising students, regardless of their financial situation, enriching the learning environment for all with a range of perspectives and talents.Opportunity Fund:
Enrich our learning environment and set our students apart. This fund enables nimble response to opportunities identified by faculty and staff for the benefit of our students, including curricular and co-curricular enhancements.FAQs
CAMPAIGN
We’re not done raising funds yet! Our goal this year is to raise more than $5 million. The top priority of the Make Way Campaign is the new Karen L. Jurjevich Innovation and Studio Theatre (iCAST), scheduled to open in January 2026.
The Make Way Campaign will also support Financial Assistance and programming at the school. All gifts made until June 30, 2026 will be counted as part of the Make Way Campaign.
The Campaign began in July 2019 and was publicly launched on September 22, 2023.
As of September 2024, we have raised close to $33 million towards Make Way.
To date, more that 1,800 alums, parents, grandparents past and present, and employees have come together to support the future of girls’ education.
For those who have not yet had a chance to support iCAST, we hope that you will consider joining together with our 1,800 donors. We need you. Please know that every gift matters and every gift has an impact. We are a bold and united community and we are going to continue to raise the bar!
Tuition does not cover the cost of capital expenses. For iCAST, just as for the Athletics and Wellness Centre, we rely on our community’s philanthropic support to make these types of transformational projects a reality. Simply put, without donations, we would not enjoy the cutting-edge facilities that transform our students’ daily experience, impact curricular and co-curricular programming, and benefit the wider community.
DONATIONS
Every gift positively impacts the student experience, and when combined, these contributions play a significant role in advancing the Make Way Campaign for Branksome.
Yes, by making your gift to iCAST, Financial Assistance or another area of need at Branksome, you will be supporting Make Way.
Yes! There is tremendous flexibility in establishing a gift over time (or what we call a pledge). Donors have the option to pledge their gift over a span of two to five years. You may also customize the timing and installments amounts according to your specific needs.
Yes. Tax receipts will be issued for all eligible donations. When you make a gift online, you will receive your tax receipt automatically by email right after your donation is made. Branksome makes it easy for donors to contribute in convenient and tax-efficient manners, including options like flow-through shares, donations of stocks and securities and through their workplace giving programs.
Yes! We have a number of naming opportunities available at various giving levels. Naming opportunities are a meaningful way to leave a legacy at Branksome Hall for your family and daughter.
One way to leave your legacy is on a unique donor recognition wall, a central architectural feature in the new Karen L. Jurjevich Innovation Centre and Studio Theatre (iCAST). The Stepping Stones Donor Wall is a rare opportunity to make your mark while maximizing your support of girls’ education. Reserve your Stepping Stone here.
Depending on the level of your gift, we have a number of meaningful ways to recognize your generosity, including naming opportunities, signage, plaques, invitations to special events and visibility in Branksome communications.
Building Timeline & Design
The project is a partnership between New York-based ENNEAD and Toronto-based MJMA (architect of the AWC). ENNEAD has experience redefining learning spaces, from Kindergarten to graduate school, establishing spaces that inspire student development, promote collaboration and strengthen connections within the classroom and to the broader community.
We anticipate the building will be completed in fall 2025 and opened in January 2026. Join us to prepare our students for the workplaces of tomorrow so they can lead the way, their way. Please MAKE WAY now.
LEARN HOW YOU CAN HELP MAKE WAY
*The Land Acknowledgement may evolve as we honour our commitment to Truth and Reconciliation in partnership with Indigenous communities.
Setting the new standard for girls' education everywhere takes collective action. From all of us.
