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Creating Our Future Capital Campaign

In September 2019, we announced Creating Our Future: The Campaign for Battle Ground Academy, a $25 million comprehensive capital campaign to build the Center for Arts and Entrepreneurship, enhance the Lower School, renovate spaces on the Middle and Upper School campus, and increase the school’s endowment.  

Center for Arts and Entrepreneurship: Now Open

The $14.5 million, 43,500-square foot Sondra Morris & Robert N. Moore, Jr. ’52 Center for Arts & Entrepreneurship is now open. The Center for Arts and Entrepreneurship houses the school’s performing arts program and features a 550-seat, state-of-the-art theatre. The previous performing arts classrooms are connected to the new building and have been fully renovated to include makeup and dressing rooms, as well as a black box theatre.

The CAE also serves as the home for BGA’s innovative Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. The Yarbrough Family Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership includes four entrepreneurship-focused classrooms, five breakout spaces – including one with audio/video equipment for recording presentations and vocal performances – and a makerspace with a 3D printer, laser cutters, and a host of other technologically advanced prototyping tools.

Lower School Enhancements: First Phase Complete

Just as the Center for Arts and Entrepreneurship brings together two disciplines that teach and develop essential skills, enhancements to our Lower School merge the character and history of the Harpeth Campus with modern spaces that help foster a love of learning in our youngest students. Since creating a Lower School division through acquisition of Harpeth Academy, BGA's leaders have discussed plans to build a Lower School closer to the Glen Echo campus. Today, our Lower School serves as the northern gateway to Downtown Franklin, and the campus will remain a valuable component of our educational program for years to come.

In the first phase of the Lower School enhancements, which were completed in November 2022, the hallways were widened, classrooms were brightened with natural lighting, and new spaces were created. The new spaces include an updated dining hall and a state-of-the-art STEM lab, which has new equipment and furniture, 3D printers, and robotic sets.

BGA CAE Theatre Auditorium
BGA Lower School Construction

Increasing The Endowment

As part of the campaign, Battle Ground Academy seeks to raise $5 million for its endowment.  The endowment provides a consistent income for the school and is used for academic programs, faculty salaries, and financial aid. Increasing our endowment over the next several years will have an exponential impact on the educational experience of our students and the school’s finances.

As part of Creating Our Future, donors may establish new named funds or contribute to existing funds. In certain cases, there is a minimum gift required to establish a new fund. Gifts may be in the form of an outright gift or multi-year pledge. Additionally, some donors may decide to make a gift through a planned gift. 

Student Center Renovations

In addition to the impact the Center for Arts and Entrepreneurship will have on the performing arts and Entrepreneurial Leadership programs, the new facility will significantly affect the daily life of students and teachers on the Glen Echo Campus. Moving the theatre from the Harlin Student Center will allow for renovations to the kitchen and eating areas, increasing space and enhancing the dining experience for all Middle and Upper school students. Spaces currently occupied by the EL Program in the Middle School Academic Building will be returned to the Middle School program and allow the school to use the Middle School Academic and Administration buildings more effectively.

Naming Opportunities

Leadership gifts to capital campaigns provide individuals and families the opportunity to transform an institution. Gifts to Creating Our Future will help elevate the learning environment for Battle Ground Academy students for years to come. We encourage our donors to consider the following opportunities when making a gift to the Campaign. Donors may make outright gifts to Creating Our Future or spread their giving out over a period of agreed upon years. In addition to the opportunities listed in the document linked below, donors may also decide to create a named endowed fund in support of faculty salaries or professional development, financial aid, or other programs at the school.