South Side Christian Academy Endowment

In November 2025, Chris and Shelly Arvin launched the South Side Christian Academy Endowment Fund to create a lasting source of support for South Side Christian Academy (SSCA). Their vision was to establish a permanent fund that allows SSCA to meet its annual operational needs without relying solely on fluctuating annual appeal cycles. The endowment model ensures that the core gift is preserved and that each year’s distribution can be counted on to help sustain teacher development, facility enhancements, student supports, and program enrichment. Now that the fund has been established, more donors are invited to join in the vision and help grow the fund.

About South Side Christian Academy

Located on Peoria’s south side at 3523 W Hill St., South Side Christian Academy is a privately supported Christian school grounded in the truth of Christ and committed to academic excellence. The school serves a community that values learning and faith integration, providing a strong foundation for children whose families partner with the school to raise up the next generation of Christian leaders. The student-teacher ratio reflects SSCA’s intimate learning environment, and the school’s track record underscores its dedication to holistic development of the whole child. 

Why the Endowment Matters

Christian education of the kind SSCA delivers doesn’t just prepare students for good jobs—it equips them for purposeful lives. That mission demands reliable support. By creating this endowment, donors give the school a permanent source of financial stability needed to plan for the future rather than simply meeting the needs of the present. The endowment fund acts as a guardrail—ensuring that when economic or school-funding headwinds arise, SSCA can continue to serve families, deepen its programs, and maintain high-quality Christ-centered instruction.

How the Endowment Works

When you give to the South Side Christian Academy Endowment Fund, your donation is pooled with other contributions and invested through the Morton Community Foundation. The principal is preserved, and each year a portion of the investment returns is distributed to SSCA, under terms that allow the school to determine how best to apply the funds. Over time, the fund’s capacity to produce meaningful annual grants grows with the investment. In this way, your gift today helps students now—and it builds a legacy gift that honors tomorrow. Because it is managed by the Foundation, donors also benefit from professional oversight and favorable charitable-deduction treatment.

Join Us in Building for Tomorrow

This is more than a donation—it’s an investment in futures. When children at South Side Christian Academy walk through classrooms that are vibrant, equipped, and supported, they are stepping into opportunities rooted in faith, learning, and community. By contributing to the Endowment Fund now, you become part of a movement of sustainers—those who understand that to see strong outcomes, we must build enduring foundations. We invite you to join in this vision and to help anchor the mission of South Side Christian Academy for years to come.