Why Give?
More than three centuries ago, William
Penn envisioned a school available to all students, regardless of
economic means. To accomplish this goal, Penn asked his wealthy
contemporaries to support students for whom the price of an education
would have been out of reach. Penn Charter continues to rely upon the
generosity of our alumni, parents and friends to keep tuition at a
reasonable level and encourage the socioeconomic diversity that is
central to the mission of the school.
For generations, current
Penn Charter students have benefited from the generosity of alumni who
came before them. Why give back to Penn Charter? To show appreciation
for the education you, or your child, grandchild or friend has
received, and to make a powerful statement about our community’s belief
in Penn Charter.
Giving to Penn Charter is a way of showing
loyalty to the school. Both alumni and parent participation are a
powerful statement about our community's commitment to Penn Charter.
Thank you for your support and trust in our school.
Jack Rogers
Chief Development Officer
Penn Charter's ongoing fund-raising initiatives consist of five distinct programs:
Annual Fund:
The school's number one fund-raising priority, the Annual Fund provides
significant and immediate annual revenue to fund our highest
priorities. The Annual Fund allows for a flexible response to the
school's needs; it builds up the school's "checking account" of
expendable monies and allows the school to preserve its endowment or
"savings account" for sustainability of Penn Charter for generations to
come.
Capital Gifts:
Following the enormous success of the Frameworks for the Future
campaign, Penn Charter will continue to encourage large, one-time
capital gifts toward major building or endowment projects at the
school. We are currently accepting gifts toward the completion of our
David L. Kurtz Center for the Performing Arts.
EITC
(Educational Improvement Tax Credit): EITC provides a tax credit to
businesses that pay Pennsylvania's corporate income tax for
contributions to organizations that give private-school scholarships to
eligible children. A Pennsylvania business may direct up to $300,000 of
its Pennsylvania state tax dollars directly to Penn Charter's
scholarship program for tax credit.
Endowed Funds:
Penn Charter manages its endowment, which totaled $53 million in fall
2007, as a private individual might manage a savings account: The
principal is invested, and the money realized by those investments is
available for spending or for further savings.
Each year, Penn
Charter uses endowment earnings to pay for more than 7 percent of the
school's operating budget, thus significantly reducing the amount of
tuition the school would need to charge to pay for the cost of the
program. The remaining return on investment is added to the principal
so it can continue to grow.
A considerable portion of Penn Charter's
endowment is comprised of about 250 separate and distinct endowed
funds. Of these funds, half are designated specifically to support
financial aid or faculty salaries. For a complete list of all the named
endowment funds, please click here.
Planned Giving: These gifts provide general and endowment support to Penn Charter through bequests, annuities and charitable remainder trusts.
