The Nido Fund

What is the Nido Fund?

The Nido Fund is an annual giving program providing the greater Nido community with the opportunity to make contributions to the school in support of priority projects that enrich the student experience.

Founded as a non-profit educational foundation, since 1934, Nido has relied on the generosity of its community — founders, teachers, staff, parents, alumni, and friends — to create the dynamic and innovative school that it is today. Nido’s core values — engagement, ingenuity, adaptability, generosity, and happiness — reflect our history and our future as we educate students to be compassionate contributors to their communities and the world.

The Nido Fund gives parents, alumni, friends, and companies the opportunity to support Nido with charitable contributions that are tax-deductible and to make a real difference for current Nido students. Donations of all sizes support Nido’s growth, and donors will receive an official donation certificate (“certificado de donacion”), in in accordance with Chilean law.

Featured here are the projects that this year’s Nido Fund will support. Annual giving touches every student, in every grade, every year. We hope that you will consider investing in Nido students today and help us grow together for the future.

2019—2020 Projects

Nido Fund 2019-2020 (without restrictions)

Nido Family First Fund

What is the Nido Family First Fund?

The Nido Family First Fund was launched to support Nido families and external providers who are suffering financial difficulties due to COVID-19. The Fund provides financial aid to enable current Nido families to continue at the School, despite financial shocks. It also supports external Nido providers like transportation companies, ASA instructors, and external team coaches, who are otherwise not receiving a salary as their activities have been suspended.

How much is in the Fund so far, and where has the money come from?

In approximate numbers, 80% of the School’s costs are in labor, another 10% are in contracted services, and another 10% is needed to operate the campus. Of that last 10%, we will likely save 1,500 UF from our operating budget. One alternative was to pass along these marginal savings to each family via a discount in monthly tuition but the Board and Administration decided to concentrate these savings for further investment in our online learning program and to support the Family First Fund.

The Fund currently contains around USD$100,000 in donations and these savings. We are fundraising to raise USD$115,000 before June 30th and the fund will continue to raise money in the following school year (2020/21). Roughly 185 employees of the School have chosen to reduce their salaries, many for over a year, in order to support Nido families and providers in need. They have already raised US$44,265 for the 2019/20 school year.

Many have also committed to continue donating on a monthly basis throughout the 2020/21 school year, and these pledges will put US$184,135 towards the Nido Family First Fund next year. We have also received initial donations from current Nido families as well.

How many families are in need of emergency financial aid because of financial shocks from COVID-19?

How much will external providers receive?

What are the requirements for receiving emergency COVID-19 financial aid?

COVID-19 Emergency Financial Aid is funded by the Nido Family First Fund. It supports current Nido families that are experiencing an immediate financial need arising from the extraordinary circumstances of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic.

The Program is available for families for the last three months of the 2019-2020 school year (April - June 2020) and the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year and can cover up to a maximum of 30% of the monthly tuition.

To apply to COVID-19 Emergency Financial Aid, families must complete the application form, submit required documents and cannot have more than two months of tuition fees in arrears. Email financialaid@nido.cl to request an application form,

Applications will be evaluated on an individual basis and the amount of assistance granted shall be dependent upon need, the number of qualifying applicants and availability of funds.

What is the difference between emergency COVID-19 financial aid and normal financial aid? Is there also a regular financial aid program at the moment?

Nido launched its financial aid program in 2015 to support families unable to pay the full cost of tuition. Normal financial aid is granted for a year and reviewed annually in case a family’s situation changes. The emergency COVID-19 financial aid is a new, additional program specifically for families suffering financial shocks at this time. It is seperate from the normal financial aid application process and aid is granted for a shorter period of time and will be continually reviewed as the situation in Chile for COVID-19 progresses. For the 2020-2021 school year, the financial aid budget was increased 300% in order to offer longer term support to families in need, many of whose situation has been made worse by the COVID-19 situation.

I’ve already donated to the Nido Fund this year. What is the difference and where should I donate?

We are very grateful for all donations to the School, either as part of the Nido Fund or this special new fund - thank you. The Nido Fund is the School’s annual donation program geared around providing improvements to the curriculum, the arts, and athletics, as well as supporting the general financial aid program. The Nido Family First Fund is a specific need at this present moment, focused on those families who are in immediate financial difficulty because of COVID. It is up to every member of the community to decide where to make their donation and we thank you for your support. At this time, we hope you seriously consider supporting the Nido Family First Fund because of the immediacy of this need. If you’d like to find out more about other Nido Fund areas of need, please contact Peter (pfrerichs@nido.cl) or Emma (eshires@nido.cl) in the advancement office.

Can I specify what part of the Nido Family Fund my donation supports?

How can I make a donation?

There are many ways to make a donation.

On the campaign page with an international credit card by clicking the Donate button in this link.
With a Chilean credit or debit card by selecting “Nido Family First Fund” in this link.
Local Bank Transfer:

NAME: FUNDACION EDUCACIONAL NIDO DE AGUILAS
RUT: 81.623.500-6
BANCO DE CHILE
E-MAIL: giving@nido.cl

Add the amount to your tuition bill by emailing eshires@nido.cl
Donate to our US account and receive the corresponding tax benefits.
Click here and then select the first option, “Nido Family First.”

Can I promise to donate now, and actually make my donation at a later today or in various installments?

Can’t faculty and staff salaries be reduced to cover the families in need?

All faculty and staff have contracts that can not be amended unilaterally by the School. The new emergency labor laws that have been recently approved do not apply to schools, which are considered essential and as such may not cease in their activities at a national level, regardless of being public or privately owned. Therefore, pursuant to local labor law, any further change to our faculty and staff contracts for the remainder of this school year or next need to be made on a mutually-agreed basis. All faculty and staff have been asked to consider reducing their salary in order to support Nido families in need.

Roughly 185 employees of the School have chosen to reduce their salaries, many for over a year, in order to support Nido families and providers in need. They have raised US$44,265 for the 2019/20 school year, and US$184,135 for the 2020/21 school year.

Why is the school not willing to go 5 or 10% in a deficit right now to support these families?

It has taken Nido several years of great effort to have a balanced budget and the School considers it fiscally prudent to finish the 2019-2020 school year (ending this June) with a break-even budget because they foresee great challenges ahead driven by likely enrollment and exchange rate volatility.

Nido has made a decision to consolidate all savings that could be obtained and significantly expand financial aid to support our families most in need at this time. For the 2020-2021 school year starting this July, Nido is taking considerable steps to reduce its cost structure without jeopardizing its signature academic program and through the budgeting process has considered any and all actions necessary to sustain the school through next year’s cycle.

Notwithstanding, this crisis will create an operational deficit and the School will make prudent use of its reserves to support the operation and do all that we can to minimize such deficit. An across-the-board tuition cut as proposed by some parents would create long-term financial problems for the School, and upon our return to campus and in the following years, the quality of the education would not be the same.

Why does the school not reduce the cost of tuition for everyone (and not just those applying for aid) as the product that is being delivered in distance learning lacks the facilities of Nido and other benefits of on-campus classes?

Nido has indeed stopped charging for services no longer being provided. However, the value of a Nido education is immutable and not impacted by a temporary disruption in campus and facilities usage. The School has also indicated that it intends to come out of this in a strong way so that the generations of students now enrolled and to be enrolled at Nido will forever be proud of their alma mater. This philosophy is consistent with schools around the world. Families who have their children in university may receive a discount for room and board, for example, but there is no discount in tuition even though the students do not have access to the laboratories, the library, the gymnasiums, the playing field, the theaters, the music rooms, etc. Further, many local private schools in Chile have discounted their tuition by eliminating services they are no longer providing, which are built into their tuition, like a required school lunch and, furthermore, they are not providing the extensive online program and services that we are at Nido. Finally, the School favors a community response to the challenge where we will concentrate our savings derived from all sources to support those most in need.

Financial Aid

Financial Aid

Our financial aid program is used to support exceptional students whose parents need some assistance paying their tuition fees. Nido offers financial aid packages covering up to a maximum of 50% of the annual tuition on a means-tested basis. This year, we are supporting 60 students on financial aid. This is more than ever before, thanks to generous donations to this fund.

Covid-19 Financial Aid

Due to the situation we are currently facing as a result of Covid-19, Nido de Aguilas has created the Covid-19 Fund for families temporarily affected. The Covid-19 Fund will be available for the last three months of the 2019-2020 school year and the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year and can cover up to a maximum of 30% of the monthly tuition. In order to apply, families must complete the application form, submit required documents and cannot have more than two months of tuition fees in arrears. Applications shall be evaluated on an individual basis and the amount of assistance granted is dependent upon need, eligibility and availability of funds. To apply, email financialaid@nido.cl

Nido Neighbors Endowment Fund
The Neighbors of Nido Endowment Fund will provide full scholarships for students who would not otherwise have been able to attend Nido. Preference will be given to children of the Nido support staff who live in close proximity to the school. Lo Barnechea, once a rural village, now home to Nido, is shared between residents from extremely diverse social and economic backgrounds. The scholarship's purpose is to bridge these gaps and facilitate the sharing of one of Lo Barnechea's biggest resources––the International School Nido de Aguilas. The endowment will grow until the cost of one student's tuition can be covered, at which time, the School will define in details the application and award process.

You can find more information here

Alumni Scholarship Fund
Founded by the Class of 1992 to honor the memory of their classmate Julian Carcamo, this fund supports children of alumni in financial need. Contributions to this fund will ensure that alumni can send their own children to Nido, regardless of the financial situation. Thanks to this fund, this year seven alumni children are receiving financial aid.

Nido Arts Program

Here at Nido our students have access to a fantastic range of creative activities including art, music, drama, and dance. Each year, Nido puts on a range of musicals, plays, concerts and much more, all in our state-of-the-art theater. In order to ensure that students continue to enjoy the Nido arts program, we need your support to fund these productions and to invest in new musical instruments and art supplies.

Nido Athletics Program

Sports have always been an integral part of a Nido education; in fact Waldo Stevenson chose the school’s location because it would allow students’ education to take place both in the classroom and in the green hills surrounding us. At Nido, sports covers so much more than just PE class. Donations to our athletics program will enable us to invest in improvements to our facilities.

Community Engagement

Nido has a long history of community engagement, ever since our very early days in Peñalolén. Nido students “learn by doing” and regular interaction with their immediate environment, neighbors and relevant stakeholders is a practice that has been ingrained in the school for 85 plus years.

Two years ago Nido implemented a training program, hosting public school teachers from underperforming schools to come to campus over the summer break and be trained (free of charge) by Nido teachers. The program is called “Summer Town” and is aimed at equipping public school English teachers with project based learning tools to in turn implement in their own classrooms upon their return. The program is a massive hit, so much so that the demand exceeds the supply and resources of the School. It has also spawned similar community engagement ideas and proposals that hold tremendous potential, but of course require investments that the school does not always count on.

Curriculum Enhancements

Nido is unwavering in its stance to provide the best liberal arts education possible, and community support for cutting-edge curriculum and innovative classroom practices that show promise are indispensable. While the school spends considerable resources in this area, more are needed.

Over the past decade technology has made rapid inroads into the tools portion of teaching. Technology not only introduces students to new ways of absorbing and processing information, but also how to in turn use said technology (a vital component prior to entering into the working world) and communicate the same information to others.

Technological tools such as 3D printers or interactive Smart Boards are fundamental in today’s learning context. Items like these are sometimes tricky to forecast and budget three or two years prior due to how rapidly the technology evolves. Community support for technological curriculum enhancements equips the best teachers in the world with the best tools in the world.

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