Building Community: the USN Annual Fund

The Annual Fund is a community-wide fundraising effort that draws support from alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, friends, and parents and helps to meet the demands of unexpected situations.
By Mimi Bliss, Annual Fund Chair, Trustee, and Parent of Will '22

Greetings, fellow USN parents. When I agreed to chair the Annual Fund for the 2020-2021 school year, I assumed we would follow a typical process. A nice mailing would be followed by a phone call from a volunteer, with an email reminder at the end of December. But, like everything else in 2020, we’ve had to reimagine our approach to raising these critical dollars for our beloved school. 

For the new parents reading this message, the Annual Fund contributes more than $1.6 million to USN’s operating budget, meeting the needs that tuition alone can’t cover. It touches every aspect of school life for our students and faculty. The Annual Fund is a community-wide fundraising effort that draws support from alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, friends, and parents and helps to meet the demands of unexpected situations.

As we all adapt in this constantly changing environment, I’m incredibly grateful for the leadership of USN Director Vince Durnan and our dedicated faculty. They’ve reinvented school in a pandemic, while renewing our focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion and building our school community.  

While Annual Fund dollars are needed this year, perhaps more than ever, we recognize that our families are having vastly different experiences in this difficult chapter for our country. Our focus for the Annual Fund is on personal outreach. Instead of a letter from me,  you can expect a call from a parent volunteer or member of the Development Office. Our goal is to check-in with families to see how you’re doing and whether a conversation around philanthropic support of USN is one you are ready to have. 

If your family has been waiting for the Annual Fund solicitation in the mail, and you are ready to support USN this year, you can make your gift online today or email Mimi Bliss, Annual Fund Director Claudia Huskey, or Director of Development Anne Westfall, and we will send you a form to mail your gift. Please reach out to one of us with questions about the Annual Fund or if you’d like to make a pledge for a donation you’ll make later in the year. 

Thank you for the grace and resiliency you’ve shown over the past eight months. We are grateful for you and look forward to connecting with you. I am confident our children, our school, and our community will be stronger in the future thanks to the hard work of so many in the present.
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More USN News

List of 3 news stories.

  • Henry Knowles ’26 delivers the Commencement address on Sunday, May 17 on the Back Lawn.

    USN graduates 98 plus 1 during Commencement

    Seniors turned their tassels and graduated from University School of Nashville on Sunday, May 17, on the Back Lawn. Visit usn.org/classof2026 for more highlights from their last year on Edgehill and to learn what they will do next.
    Read More

  • Spring sports season ends with podium finishes, trophies

    The girls lacrosse team ended its season in overtime to become state runner-up. Tennis players Carter Kojetin '29 finished as a state quarterfinalist, Sophie Oliver '26 and Mary Kate Adler '28 finished as state semifinalists, and Veer Kodali '29 and Max Parker '29 finished as state champions. Meanwhile, eight runners competed at the state track and field meet in Knoxville, where Griffin Davidson '27, Caleb Freifeld '28, Drew Zwerner '28, and Jack Fruin '27, sprinted to first in the 4x800m relay and Jack also placed first in the 800m dash.
    Read More
  • Interim Director Juliet Douglas roars with laughter as students hold photos of her on sticks during the High School Awards Assembly on Friday, May 8 in Durnan Auditorium.

    USN creates the Juliet Douglas Endowed Fund for Student Success

    For the entire USN community: an invitation to give in gratitude, in celebration, and in honor of the woman who has given so much to our school. Make a gift at usn.org/giving to support students with needs beyond tuition and honor Interim Director Juliet Douglas.
    Read More
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Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212

Phone:  615-321-8000
Fax:       615-321-0889 
Email:    info@usn.org

River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218

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USN Mission: 
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.