Since 2015, donor support has allowed Mainspring Academy to give families peace of mind – knowing their child is learning in a safe, nurturing environment with compassionate staff dedicated to their progress. As our student population grows, your support is more vital than ever.
For many families, finding a school that truly understands their child’s needs can feel impossible. Parents think not only about the present – whether their child is learning, happy, and understood – but about the future: Will they build the skills to live with confidence, communicate their needs, and find some level of independence?
Mainspring Academy helps answer those questions with hope and action. Every day, students grow through individualized instruction, life skills training, and a compassionate approach that values progress in every form. Families find comfort in knowing their children are learning the tools to build a meaningful future, surrounded by professionals who believe in their potential.
Supporting Mainspring means helping families find that peace of mind. Your gift directly supports a place where children are gaining the confidence and skills to thrive – right where they belong.
By giving to Mainspring Academy, you’re making connections to real, passionate staff, families, and volunteers; contributing to measurable organizational progress and growth; and supporting a small community nonprofit with big dreams for the future.
The cost of raising and educating a child with special needs can place tremendous strain on families. While Mainspring Academy accepts multiple state-funded scholarships, they often do not cover the full cost of tuition.
We believe every child – regardless of background or financial situation – deserves access to quality, individualized education. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Education Data Initiative show deep inequities in private school access for students of color nationwide. At Mainspring, 43% of our 2024–2025 student body reflected underrepresented groups, one of the most diverse populations among Jacksonville’s private special education schools.
Our Financial Hardship Scholarship Fund, supported entirely by corporate and private donors, provides full and partial assistance for qualifying families. Each year, this fund helps more than 30% of Mainspring families secure the education their children deserve. Your gift to this program provides real relief and lasting opportunity.
Every day, our staff works tirelessly to provide quality, individualized instruction in an environment where students can grow academically, socially, and emotionally.
Your contributions help supply essential classroom and program resources- from teaching materials, technology, and adaptive equipment to enrichment programs like art, music, fitness, vocational training, and Special Olympics.
By supporting this fund, you’re directly impacting the daily learning experiences that help students thrive.
Our teachers are the heart of Mainspring Academy. Many are pursuing advanced degrees in special education while dedicating themselves fully to our students’ success.
The Teacher Advancement and Education Fund provides tuition assistance, professional development opportunities, and continuing education through workshops and conferences. Your support ensures our educators remain inspired, knowledgeable, and equipped to provide exceptional care and instruction.
This fund also supports the development of natural workplace training and social learning programs – including plans for a vocational lab that will help students build soft skills, job readiness, and social-emotional competence. With your help, students will gain the confidence and preparation needed for greater community integration and independence.
Between 2019 and 2024, our student population grew by 44% – and continues to rise. As we expand, so do our operational and facility needs.
Your contributions to this fund help sustain and enhance our growing campus through building repairs, beautification projects, classroom technology upgrades, sensory and playground equipment, vocational van maintenance, and new classroom spaces.
With continued support, Mainspring Academy can maintain an engaging, adaptive, and inspiring environment that meets the evolving needs of our unique learners.
If you’d like to make a donation today, please scroll to the top of this page to complete our secure Donation Form. If you’d like to pledge your support toward one of the giving programs below, click the button under your chosen program. A gift pledge is a commitment to give a specific amount – either once or over time – toward a designated project or fund. After submitting your form, a Mainspring Director will contact you to confirm details and next steps. If you’d like more information before pledging, please call (904) 503-0344 or fill out our contact form to connect with a Director.
Donations from Giving Tuesday and other social media campaigns play an important role in our annual operating budget. Every contribution – large or small – helps us maintain and enhance the programs that drive our mission to provide each student a quality, individualized education.
All funds raised through social media directly support the classroom and enrichment experiences that help our students grow academically, socially, and emotionally.
Giving Tuesday takes place each year on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, but you can support Mainspring Academy anytime. Facebook allows you to create a fundraiser on your birthday – or for any reason – and donates 100% of all contributions to nonprofit organizations like ours. All donations are fully tax-deductible.
Program Partners are annual donors whose commitments directly advance our mission of providing quality, individualized education to students with intellectual and developmental differences.
Program Partners support:
Financial hardship scholarships
Classroom stipends, materials, and equipment
Research-based curricula
Staff professional development
Adaptive art, fitness, music, and other enrichment programs
Vocational program resources
Mainspring Academy is proud to partner with companies that share our values and our mission to empower students with intellectual and developmental differences.
Corporate Gifts and Sponsorships
Matching employee donations
Sponsorships for annual events and fundraisers
In-store promotions or donation programs
Annual Program Partnership
Capital Campaign and facility improvement funding
In-kind or wish-list donations (supplies, furniture, technology, or adaptive equipment)
Corporate Engagement and Social Responsibility
Internal office fundraisers or Giving Tuesday drives
Employee volunteering for school events
Mentorship, training, internship, or employment opportunities for students with special needs
Staff education opportunities in inclusivity, advocacy, and disability awareness
Internal corporate grants that support our programs
Make a pledge today! For more information about becoming Corporate Partner, please contact Director of Student and Community Affairs, Sabrena Snow, at (904)503-0344, or [email protected].
Mainspring Academy’s Capital Campaign helps build the foundation for long-term growth. As our student population continues to increase each year, so does our need for more classrooms, improved facilities, and enhanced learning environments that support individualized education and student independence.
Tuition and state scholarships sustain our day-to-day operations, but they do not cover the costs of expansion. Capital Campaign gifts allow us to plan for the future—creating spaces and resources that will serve students for years to come.
Your support makes it possible to:
Expand classroom space to meet growing enrollment
Build or upgrade sensory rooms, vocational labs, and adaptive learning environments
Renovate existing classrooms, offices, and common areas for improved accessibility and safety
Update school technology, security systems, and learning equipment
Invest in long-term campus improvements, furniture, and adaptive playground spaces
Strengthen sustainability through endowment and deferred giving
Your investment ensures Mainspring Academy can continue providing a safe, nurturing, and inclusive environment for students with intellectual and developmental differences – today and for generations to come.
View our Case for Support.
Make a pledge today! For more information about these areas of need, please contact Director of Student and Community Affairs, Sabrena Snow, at (904)503-0344, or [email protected].
Your support helps pave the way for Mainspring students to reach their fullest potential. By becoming a founding member of the Mainspring Legacy Circle and including Mainspring Academy in your long-term giving plans, you create a lasting impact on the lives of students with intellectual and developmental differences. A legacy gift ensures that your commitment to quality, individualized education continues for generations to come.
Speak with your financial advisor about making a legacy gift. When you’re ready, make your pledge and submit any necessary documents. For more information about making a legacy gift, please contact Head of School, Dina Parisi, at (904)503-0344, or [email protected].
Opportunities for growth, expansion, and leadership within the special education community have never been greater. Mainspring Academy’s Board of Directors plays a vital role in shaping the future of our school and advancing our mission.
You may be an ideal candidate to serve if you are willing to:
Participate on at least one committee
Attend board and committee meetings
Support and attend school events
Make Mainspring Academy a primary philanthropic priority through meaningful financial contributions
To learn more about board service opportunities, please contact Head of School Dina Parisi at [email protected].
If you’d like to make a gift pledge for any of our giving programs listed above, please contact our Director of Student and Community Affairs, Sabrena Snow, [email protected], prior to completing the form below.
Donations to Mainspring Academy can be made via check, cash, ACH, or our online donation form. Please make checks payable to “Mainspring Academy”.
ATTN: Community Affairs
Mainspring Academy
6700 Southpoint Pkwy, Suite 400
Jacksonville, FL, 32216
If you have questions or would like to speak directly to an administrator, please call (904)503-0344 or email Director of Student and Community Affairs, Sabrena Snow, at [email protected].
There’s heart, dedication, and purpose behind everything we do at Mainspring Academy. Our team is made up of passionate professionals who love their work, and that passion shines through in the quality of care and instruction our students receive. We don’t measure success by numbers – we measure it by progress, joy, and growth.
Whether a student is learning to put on socks for the first time or writing their first résumé, every milestone matters. Each step forward brings hope for the future and reminds families that their child is capable of amazing things. Your support helps make that possible. When you give to Mainspring Academy, you’re not only helping children thrive – you’re giving parents the comfort and peace of knowing their child is right where they belong.
CLASSROOM PARTNER (Annual Gift: $1,000)
An annual gift of $1,000 will assist in funding the material and supply needs that help each classroom at Mainspring Academy run on a daily basis. Classroom Partners receive special recognition via:
EDUCATION PARTNER (Annual Gift: $5,000)
An annual gift of $5,000 will assist in funding needs such as our:
Education Partners receive special recognition via:
ENRICHMENT PARTNER (Annual Gift: $10,000)
An annual gift of $10,000 will support programmatic funding needs such as:
Enrichment Partners receive special recognition via:
Bequests are suitable for donors of any age or income level and through wills or revocable trusts.
Bequests can offer several benefits including:
In as little as one sentence, you can complete your gift. This type of donation to Mainspring Academy in your will or living trust makes a meaningful impact in ensuring that we continue our mission for years to come.
Retirement plan assets are a great way to support the work at Mainspring Academy because they not only help support the mission, but they also can provide tax relief for your loved ones.
Money in an employee retirement plan, IRA or tax-sheltered annuity has yet to be taxed. When a distribution is made from your retirement plan account to a beneficiary, that person will owe federal income tax.
Consider leaving your loved ones less heavily taxed assets and leaving your retirement plan assets to Mainspring Academy to support our work. As a nonprofit organization, we are tax-exempt and will receive the full amount of what you designate to us from your plan. You can take advantage of this gift opportunity in the following ways:
When the original purpose for a life insurance policy no longer applies — such as educating children now grown or providing financial security for a spouse — your policy can become a powerful and simple way to support our work. There are three ways to give with life insurance to Mainspring Academy: