Our current building simply cannot keep pace with God’s blessing on our school. Enrollment growth over recent years has pushed us to near capacity, and we’re now facing hard choices: either limit the number of families we can serve or expand our facilities to meet the need. 

Building now allows us to continue welcoming the international families God is bringing to Vienna while providing the educational environment our students deserve. We’ve demonstrated faithful stewardship of our current resources, and we’re confident this expansion will enable us to serve even more families and advance Christ-centered education in Vienna for generations to come. 

The new building will include:

• A multipurpose basketball gymnasium and drama theatre (capacity: 680)

• A dining hall with a full kitchen/cafeteria

• A beautiful inner courtyard garden

• A rooftop football (soccer) field and athletic track 

• 34 modern classrooms with interactive touchscreen displays

• Four dedicated science laboratories (biology, chemistry, physics, and general science)

• Two art rooms and music program spaces with a recording studio

• Two libraries (elementary and secondary)

• Two makerspaces for hand-on learning

• A weight room and four changing rooms with showers

• Administrative offices with a welcoming reception area

• Multiple collaboration spaces throughout 

The new building will be a state-of-the-art, green facility carrying Austria’s gold “klimaaktiv” environmental label, designated to use clean energy through solar panels and geothermal heat pumps, with specially chosen materials to conserve energy. 

Security is another important feature of the new school building. 

The school is owned by the Hilfsverein der Internationalen Christlichen Schulen, which is registered as a non-profit association under Austrian law. It serves as the governing organization for ICSV with a board of directors responsible for the school’s direction and administration. ICSV has been registered as a private, independent school with Öffentlichkeitsrecht (public right of existence) since 2005 in Austria. Both the old and new properties, as well as the new building, are owned by the Hilfsverein der Internationalen Christlichen Schulen. 

The ICSV Board and Leadership developed the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, which includes a feasibility study and business plan that satisfied our financial partners as to our ability to be sustainable. In addition to improving our facilities and educational programs (by which we’ll seek to increase enrollment), we’ll also seek to use our current building to generate extra revenue streams through a future kindergarten and commercial office space.   

The current facility will become home to our Kindergarten program, allowing us to extend Christ-centered education to Vienna’s youngest learners. This strategic use of our existing space means we can grow ICSV from the ground up – literally building our school community from Kindergarten through graduation. It’s an exciting opportunity to expand our mission’s reach while making the most of the resources God has already provided. 

Our current building simply cannot keep pace with God’s blessing on our school. Enrollment growth over recent years has pushed us to near capacity, and we’re now facing hard choices: either limit the number of families we can serve or expand our facilities to meet the need. 

Building now allows us to continue welcoming the international families God is bringing to Vienna while providing the educational environment our students deserve. We’ve demonstrated faithful stewardship of our current resources, and we’re confident this expansion will enable us to serve even more families and advance Christ-centered education in Vienna for generations to come. 

Yes. Operational costs per square meter will be lower than those of our current building. The new school has been designed to meet Austria’s klimaaktiv Gold standard, which focuses on energy efficiency and long-term sustainability. The building will generate part of its own electricity through solar panels, and heating and cooling will be provided by geothermal heat pumps. In addition, carefully selected materials help reduce energy demand overall. Together, these measures significantly reduce energy consumption, resulting in lower and more predictable operating costs per square meter, while also benefiting the environment. 

The €10 million goal represents approximately 20% of the total construction costs, which aligns with capital campaign best practices for building projects. This level of donor equity significantly reduces the school’s long-term debt obligations, lowers annual debt service cost, and demonstrates strong community investment to our financial partners. Additionally, this philanthropic capital helps us bridge the gap during the multi-year enrollment growth phase as ICSV scales from 350 to 600 students – a transition that requires several years to achieve sustainably. By meeting the €10 million campaign goal, ICSV will preserve operational flexibility during this critical growth period and ensure financial sustainability well beyond the construction phase. 

The €10 million will mainly serve to equip the school with state-of-the-art instructional and audiovisual technology, science and sport equipment, musical instruments, furniture, and provide additional funding for operational demands during the transition from the existing building to the new one. These campaign funds transform construction into a fully equipped, vibrant learning environment ready to serve students from day one. 

The official groundbreaking ceremony took place on 21 November 2025, and completion of the building is scheduled for the summer 2027, in time for the 2027-2028 school year. We’re aiming to move in during the months of June/July 2027 so we can start the new school year (August 2027) in the building. 

ICSV will host a grand opening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the new facility, bringing together supporters, alumni, families, and the broader Vienna community. This milestone follows closely after the school’s 40th Anniversary celebration the previous school year, creating a powerful two-year period of honoring ICSV’s distinguished legacy, while launching an exciting new chapter in the school’s  history. 

There will be 600 students. 

The new facility enables significant program expansion across multiple areas: extending our IB program, broadening language offerings, enhancing performing and fine arts departments with dedicated studio and performance spaces, expanding science education with four dedicated laboratories, and growing elementary athletics and after-school programming. These additions will provide students with a more comprehensive education experience while strengthening ICSV’s competitive position as Austria’s only K-12 English-speaking Christian school offering both diploma programs.

Each classroom will be fully equipped with wi-fi capabilities and a large, interactive touchscreen display with audiovisual capabilities. We’ll continue to roll out 1:1 laptop use (iPads, Chromebooks, and BYOD).   

ICSV collaborated closely with architects and security consultants to create a comprehensive, multi-layered security system. The facility features a fully fenced perimeter with a single controlled access point during school hours, manned reception and drop-off supervision, programmable keycard entry with customizable access levels, CCTV surveillance throughout, and shatterproof windows and doors. This integrated approach balances a welcoming environment with best-practice school security standards, ensuring the safety of students, staff, and visitors.  

The new gymnasium is designed as a multi-purpose facility that will serve the entire ICSV community and beyond. It will host school athletics, performing arts events, parent gatherings, all-school Chapel services, graduation ceremonies, alumni reunions, church services, and community events. This versatile space strengthens ICSV’s role as a hub for the international community in Vienna, while maximizing the facility’s value and impact. 

ICSV accepts multiple giving options to accommodate donor preferences: 

• cash or check 

• online credit card donations 

• PayPal

• SEPA bank transfers (common in Europe) 

• Appreciated securities (common in the USA) 

• gifts-in-kind 

• Planned legacy gifts through bequests (will) or estate planning. 

Our advancement team can work with donors to structure gifts in the most tax-advantageous way based on individual circumstances and country of residence. 

Yes, ICSV fully accommodates anonymous giving for donors who prefer confidentiality. Donors may choose complete anonymity (known only to designated staff who record the gift) or public anonymity (where their gift is not disclosed to the broader community). Our donor management systems ensure privacy preferences are respected in all campaign materials, recognition displays, and public reporting (such as the Annual Report). 

Independent schools have far less supporters than universities or large charities do.  Because the number of donors is small, but the need is large, every gift counts. We encourage donors to give in a way that is meaningful to them, whether through a one-time gift, a pledge, or smaller contributions spread over time.  The collective generosity of our entire community is what will make the campaign successful. Your participation truly matters.

Yes! We understand that making a major gift to the Building Hope Project is a significant commitment. To make giving easier, we offer flexible payment plans. Donors can choose to fulfill their pledge over a period of time (e.g., one, two, or up to 5 years). Donors may choose to make annual, monthly, or quarterly payments.

ICSV welcomes multiple platforms of support that advance the Building Hope Project and our mission. Non-financial contributions include: 

• Prayer for the project’s success and the school’s continued ministry 

• Introducing ICSV to potential major donors in your network 

• Volunteering for campaign events and activities 

• Sharing ICSV’s story with alumni, churches, potential supporting organizations, and foundations 

• Providing professional expertise (legal, design, marketing) as in-kind services

Every form of engagement strengthens ICSV’s capacity to fulfill this vision. 

Yes. ICSV is officially registered on Austria’s BMF (Bundesministerium für Finanzen Spendenliste or Federal Ministry of Finance) list of qualified charitable organizations, making all donations – both monetary and gifts-in-kind – tax-deductible up to 10% of annual income for individuals or 10% of profit for businesses. Donations are automatically reported by ICSV to Austrian tax authorities using your name and date of birth, so deductions process automatically without requiring you to file manually. Our Advancement Team can assist with valuation and reporting requirements for significant non-cash contributions.

Yes. U.S.-based donors can make tax-deductible contributions to ICSV through our partner organization, Resources for Christian Education (RCE), a qualified 501(c)3 nonprofit. All gifts made through RCE are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by U.S. law. Donors receive official tax receipts from RCE for their records.  Our Advancement Team can provide instructions on how to designate your gift to ICSV’s Building Hope Project through RCE and answer questions about tax benefits for U.S. donors. You can also find directions on our website at www.icsv.at/give

Yes, ICSV is officially recognized in Austria as an NGO and registered charitable organization.