Since 2015, with the support of our donors, we have given our families the peace of mind in knowing their child is in a quality, individualized, and safe learning environment with compassionate staff who work hard for their progress. As our population of students increases, we need your help more than ever.
Parents understand they won’t always be around for their children. That’s why when children struggle in school, parents can’t help but wonder if they’ll be okay in the future. Many children with intellectual and developmental differences are currently enrolled in a program that can’t provide them with the care they need while preparing them for what’s next. This often leaves their families feeling lost and discouraged. At Mainspring Academy, we believe in providing tailored learning for the best success of students with unique needs. We believe in acceptance, dignity, and transparency. We not only partner with families in their child’s education but we ensure them the joy and peace of mind of knowing their child is right where they’re supposed to be.
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 special needs child is a tremendous strain on many families. While we accept various state-funded scholarships, they often do not cover the entire cost of tuition at our school. We believe in the value of a diverse student body and the opportunity for all students to have access to the best possible educational experience. Data findings from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the United States Census Bureau, and Education Data Initiative (EDI) regarding private school enrollment, household income, and Florida tuition costs indicate disproportionality in national overall minority private school enrollment. With 43% enrollment in the 2024-2025 school year, Mainspring has one of the highest numbers of minority students compared to other private special education schools in Jacksonville. We provide full and partial scholarships, depending on the family’s income and circumstances. This program is entirely funded by corporate and private donors. Each school year, Mainspring Academy provides internal hardship scholarship funding to over 30% of families. Your donation to this fund will provide relief which will enable qualifying families in need to enroll their special needs child at Mainspring Academy.
Every day, our staff works diligently to drive our mission to provide quality, individualized education in a safe learning environment where our students can thrive. We are committed to fostering a rich educational experience for our students that includes academics, life skills, and various enrichment opportunities. Your contributions to this fund help to provide resources such as teaching materials, equipment, curricula, and support for related program costs. From our classrooms to our vocational, art, music, fitness, and Special Olympics programs, there are numerous opportunities to make an impact on our students’ overall learning experiences.
Our vision includes enhancing our current natural workplace training and social opportunities for our unique population of students, supporting the ultimate goal of community integration. A vocational lab would include training in soft skills and job skills including, but not limited to inventory management, goods production, sorting, organization, and clerical services. Research-based social skills curricula would also help students develop important social-emotional skills like relationship-building, environmental awareness, emotional regulation, problem-solving, and goal-setting.
We work hard to promote excellence within our teaching staff. The majority of our teachers are currently pursuing their graduate degrees in special education. In support of our teachers, our goal is to offer them education and advancement opportunities that include tuition reimbursement and continuing education through conference attendance and workshops. We understand that our teachers are the key to our quality education. By giving to this fund, you’re enabling us to maintain a highly trained and enthusiastic faculty.
From 2019-2024, our student population has increased by 44% and continues to grow. As our school grows, our needs for campus expansions grow, too. We’re on a trajectory to become an even more vital and significant provider of quality education for those with special needs and learning challenges.
Beautification, building repairs, vocational van maintenance classroom technology, sensory and social skills equipment, playground equipment, and school furniture are consistent operational needs. Our increasing student population provides opportunities to add office spaces and two to four additional classrooms and related equipment to our current space. Your contribution to this fund will help us maintain and enhance an engaging school environment for our unique learners.
If you’re ready to make a pledge to any of our giving programs listed below, please click the button and review the indicated submission instructions. If you are interested in making a pledge but would like more information, please call us at (904)503-0344 or fill out our contact form to communicate with a Director. If you’d like to make a general donation, please scroll to the top of this page and complete our online donation form
Donations from Giving Tuesday and other social media campaigns are an essential part of our annual operating budget and an easy way to support Mainspring Academy. All social media campaign donations, large and small, enable us to both maintain and enhance the programs which drive our mission to provide each student a quality, individualized education. All funds raised through your social media campaigns will provide opportunities for every aspect of our students’ overall learning experiences.
Giving Tuesday takes place on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving each year and Facebook also provides the opportunity for you to create a fundraiser for a chosen nonprofit on your birthday. However, you can start your own personal fundraiser for Mainspring Academy for any reason and at any time. Facebook provides 100% of all donations to nonprofit organizations like ours and all donations are 100% tax-deductible.
Program Partners are annual donors who directly impact the mission to provide quality, individualized education to our students with intellectual and developmental differences in a variety of ways through their commitments to supporting:
We align ourselves with companies that support and value our mission at Mainspring Academy.
Opportunities to engage your company in enhancing the educational experiences of our special education students include:
Make a pledge today! If have more questions about becoming Corporate Partner, please contact Director of Student and Community Affairs, Sabrena Snow, at (904)503-0344, or [email protected].
Our donors play a crucial role in helping us to provide quality, individualized education to our special education students. The majority of our revenue comes from student tuition and state-funded scholarships, which do not fully cover our ongoing expenses. We rely on the commitment of mission-driven donors to make up the difference. As our population of students increases each year, we need your help more than ever. In order to make an even bigger impact for children with intellectual and developmental delays in the Jacksonville community, we’re looking ahead. You can help us create new, even better ways for more students to engage in quality, tailored learning experiences here at Mainspring Academy, through additional adaptive programming. With your help, we can maintain our momentum, grow our services, and expand our reach for children in need of quality, individualized special education. You can make a fundamental impact by helping us give families hope for a better future. Your donations to this giving opportunity can partially or fully support projects in multiple areas. Current capital funding needs include:
View our Case for Support.
Make a pledge today! If you have more questions about making a difference in any of these program areas or would like to determine areas of greatest need, please contact Director of Student and Community Affairs, Sabrena Snow, at (904)503-0344, or [email protected] to discuss detailed project costs and any additional information.
Your support paves the way for our students to reach their fullest potential. By becoming a founding member of our Legacy Society and including Mainspring Academy in your giving plans, you not only invest in the future of our students with intellectual and developmental differences, but you also ensure your legacy lives on in our mission to provide quality, individualized education in a safe learning environment for generations to come.
Speak with your financial advisor about making a legacy gift. Then, when you’re ready, make a pledge and be sure to submit any necessary supplemental documents. If have more questions about making a legacy gift, please contact Head of School, Dina Parisi, at (904)503-0344, or [email protected].
Opportunities for growing our school, expanding our programs, serving our students and families, and offering real leadership within the special needs community have never been greater. Board service is a vital key to our aspirations and for our success. You may be a good candidate to serve on Mainspring Academy’s Board of Directors if you are willing and able to:
Please call us at (904)503-0344 to speak to Head of School Dina Parisi for more information, fill out our contact form, or email her directly at [email protected].
If you’d like to make a gift pledge for any of our giving programs listed above, please complete the form fields below*. A Director will contact you promptly. If you’d like to make the pledge online, but send your gift by mail or in-person instead, please indicate this below. Address details are located at the bottom of this page.
Donations to Mainspring Academy can be made via check, cash, or our online donation form. Please make checks payable to “Mainspring Academy”.
After completing your online pledge form, or printable .PDF pledge form (fillable via web by laptops/Desktops only), you may donate directly to the school in-person or by mail at:
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]. If not mailing or handing in, you may also email .PDF Pledge Forms to Sabrena.
There’s a lot of heart and soul that goes into what we do. Our school employs passionate people who do what they love and our students benefit from the quality care and learning that is a reflection of that passion. Instead of focusing on numbers, we focus on our mission to help students with intellectual and developmental differences thrive. Whether a student at Mainspring is learning how to put on their socks for the first time or learning how to write their first resume, you share in the pride of watching these small steps become catalysts for the future. You share in the fulfillment in seeing their parents finally breathe a sigh of relief. You can feel good knowing you play an important role in making great things happen for the children as well as their families.
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:
