Imagine 30/30 Challenge
WHAT IF THE NEXT DIFFERENCE-MAKER, INNOVATOR, OR GLOBAL LEADER WAS OUT THERE, READY TO THRIVE AT SHAWNIGAN – BUT HELD BACK BY FINANCIAL MEANS?
Bright and motivated students deserve access to quality education, no matter their background. That belief has guided Shawnigan Lake School since founder C.W. Lonsdale welcomed the first students more than a century ago, and it remains a core value to this day.
But inflation, rising tuition, and socio-economic shifts are increasingly standing in their way.
While Shawnigan is a leader in offering scholarships and financial aid, demand from promising applicants consistently surpasses available funds.
To sustain and expand Shawnigan’s financial aid program, at least $30M is needed in new scholarship support by 2030, thereby strengthening Shawnigan’s endowment and ensuring permanent, long-term support for students who need it most.
Your support is needed to preserve life-changing educational opportunities for talented students and the ripple effects that they have on peers, families, communities, and society.
Ways to Give
You can have a life-changing impact on promising students needing financial support. Donations can be made via:
- One-time gifts of funds or securities to the Shawnigan Foundation
- Multi-year pledges, paid over as many as five years
- Legacy gifts, such as estate bequests, life insurance, annuities, or charitable trusts
Please contact us to discuss how we can help you maximize your impact through these giving opportunities. All gifts are tax-deductible and new named funds can be established for donations of $100,000 or more.
Carson's Story
Their support lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. I’ll never forget what they made possible for me. - Carson U. ’25 (Copeman’s)
In 2023, Carson U. ’25 (Copeman’s) tragically lost his father to cancer. Financial uncertainty threatened to cut short his Shawnigan Journey – until the Spirit of ’72 Scholarship, created by the 34 members of the Class of ’72 on the occasion of their 50th reunion, stepped in.
Carson graduated in 2025, carrying the Spirit of ‘72 forward into his next chapter, and a new scholar was announced in the fall of 2025.
Carson graduated in 2025, carrying the Spirit of ‘72 forward into his next chapter, and a new scholar was announced in the fall of 2025.
Donors Dedicated to Our Future
In May 2025, Nadya and Bob Murdoch ’60 matched the leadership donation of their good friends John McIntyre ’60 and Chris McIntyre ’98, which had established the Graham L. Anderson Legacy Scholarship in 2023 to honour their inspiring Shawnigan teacher.
In so doing, the Murdochs officially challenged the School to fully address the threat of rising tuition by raising an additional $30M for the Shawnigan endowment.
As a direct result of leadership from donors like the Murdochs and McIntyres, the Board of Governors unanimously established the Imagine 30/30 Challenge, and we are forever grateful for their generous commitment to and belief in Shawnigan’s future.
As a direct result of leadership from donors like the Murdochs and McIntyres, the Board of Governors unanimously established the Imagine 30/30 Challenge, and we are forever grateful for their generous commitment to and belief in Shawnigan’s future.
2030 represents the centenary of Scholarships AT SHAWNIGAN.
Join us as we secure the next 100 years and define the future of our School.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 12 –18 on Canada’s beautiful Pacific Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
