At Westtown School, our commitment to financial aid goes beyond the spirit of giving and the desire to support others on their journey. Our work to become a need-blind institution as outlined in our Strategic Vision may seem a bold aspiration, but it is an intentional step toward creating the community we know we should be.
Our school continues to widen access to our education and community. However, we cannot fairly claim to increase access without also ensuring that Westtown is as accessible as it can be to all families regardless of their means. This is urgent, critical, foundational work for the Quaker calling at the heart of the Westtown mission.
“Currently, requests for financial aid far exceed the funds available, and we are faced with the difficult task of choosing among many talented and deserving applicants,” said Jenni Biehn, Dean of Enrollment Management. “Endowed scholarships for full tuition provide access to more children for whom Westtown will have a truly transformational impact and endowed funds which support partial scholarships ensure that children from a range of socio-economic backgrounds can benefit from and contribute to Westtown’s richly diverse student body.”
An endowed fund is a sustainable source of funding for Westtown School. It is our current policy to distribute 4.5% annually (based on the twelve-quarter trailing average market value of the endowment). The principal of the endowment is not distributed. Additional earnings are reinvested in the endowment.
Westtown seeks to provide a minimum of $10 million in endowed financial aid resources to take the first steps toward becoming need blind and working to ensure every student who could benefit from a Westtown education has that opportunity.
“All of the reasons I wanted Westtown for my own children are the reasons I want it for all children,” said a current parent, who wished to remain anonymous, and has established an endowed, full scholarship. “The Westtown community is helping us shape who our children will be, and this gift is our recognition of the value we place in that experience for every child.”
Donors who choose to invest in or create a scholarship personally ensure that students can take part in a Westtown education today, regardless of their family’s financial resources. A gift of $100,000 establishes an endowed scholarship, which covers partial tuition for one student. A gift of $1,600,000 provides financial aid of $72,000 per year, approximately the cost of an upper school boarding tuition.
“We are grateful that we had the opportunity to give this gift, and grateful for the Westtown faculty, staff and board of trustees for the education and community they work hard to provide to the students,” said the anonymous donor. “Our hope for this gift is that it will, alongside other gifts to financial aid, open up many more opportunities for others to benefit in the way our kids have from a Westtown education.”
Significant philanthropy is required at Westtown to reduce our dependence on tuition revenue and to strengthen our ability to maximize access to Westtown. It will take the full support of our community to reach our goals in perpetuity. This year, alums and current parents helped us meet that challenge in a resounding way, underscoring our collective commitment to making Westtown accessible to all. We thank you—and so do our students.
Originally published in the 2021-2022 Annual Report
For general inquiries, please contact Dean of Advancement Ellen Urbanski at ellen.urbanski@westtown.edu