RSF Makes a New Loan to the Seattle Waldorf School

SAN FRANCISCO, June 27, 2013 /3BL Media/ - RSF Social Finance (RSF) is pleased to announce a new loan to the Seattle Waldorf School (SWS). RSF financing will help Seattle Waldorf School renovate and expand its facilities to better accommodate the school’s growth and support its educational mission in a newer, more fitting space.

With just 17 kindergarten students, the Seattle Waldorf School was founded in 1980 with a mission to educate students to be free human beings who impart purpose and meaning to their lives, who meet life with courage, and respond with initiative and creativity to the needs of the world and their fellow human beings.  Today, the school provides Waldorf education to 370 students. Since 2006, enrollment at SWS has grown significantly with the creation of preschool classes and the integration of Hazel Wolf High School into the Waldorf program. Additionally, SWS is the first early-childhood through grade 12 Waldorf school in the state of Washington.

RSF’s relationship with the Seattle Waldorf School dates back over 15 years – having provided four previous loans, all in support of the school’s growth.

“We believe that better educated youth will become the future leaders and drivers of the social and environmental change that RSF is dedicated to supporting,” says Mike Gabriel, RSF Lending Manager. “Seattle Waldorf School exhibits a commitment and integrity towards providing this type of education with a greater emphasis on the human spirit, creativity, and practical application.”

A renovated and expanded campus facility will support SWS’s extraordinary education program. RSF financing will be used to improve the existing 14,300 square feet of facilities including larger classrooms, a more expansive theater and performance space, an enlarged kitchen for student learning and community gatherings, and expanded garden areas and play structures.

The renovations include green building features such as a rain water catchment system, improved natural light, low-VOC paints, high-efficiency mechanical and electrical systems, sustainable, local and recycled materials, and solar panels. The school anticipates certifying the project using the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol (WSSP), which is modeled after the nationally recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.

“The SWS community is grateful to RSF for its continued support for our mission and work with children,” says Tracy Bennett, Head of Administration at Seattle Waldorf School. “This expansion and renovation of our grade school facility represents the most significant capital investment in the school’s history, and we look forward to the exciting learning opportunities it will offer for our students and families.”

About RSF Social Finance

Located in San Francisco, CA, RSF Social Finance (RSF) is a non-profit financial services organization dedicated to transforming the way the world works with money. Since 1984, the organization has made over $275 million in loans and $100 million in grants to non-profit and for-profit social enterprises working in the areas of Food & Agriculture, Education & the Arts, and Ecological Stewardship.

RSF's lending capital comes primarily from 1,300 individuals who have invested $1,000 or more in the organization's Social Investment Fund. Investors earn a competitive return on their money comparable to a certificate of deposit while their funds are deployed to leading social enterprises. www.rsfsocialfinance.org.

About Seattle Waldorf School

Founded in 1980, Seattle Waldorf School is a preschool through twelfth grade school enrolling nearly 370 students located on three campuses in Seattle, Washington. SWS cultivates academic knowledge, artistic capacities, and practical skills aimed at fostering the highest degree of personal and social development.

The Seattle Waldorf School is founded on the pedagogical work of Rudolf Steiner and the ongoing research of the Waldorf Movement in which it is an active participant. Working from the ideals of Waldorf education, SWS highly values beauty, integrity, the uniqueness of each individual and their contribution to the responsible development of society. www.seattlewaldorf.org