Phillips Academy Announces Campaign Gift of $5M for Financial Aid

Alumna motivated by youth from every quarter

January 19, 2010 —Donna Brace Ogilvie, honorary cochair of The Campaign for Andover and Class of 1930 Abbot Academy alumna, has pledged $5 million to establish an endowed financial aid scholarship fund at Phillips Academy. Ogilvie’s legacy of support spans decades and includes previous gifts to financial aid, the Gelb Science Center, and the Brace Center for Gender Studies, which was established on campus in 1996.

“I believe highly in education, and I believe young children—from all circumstances—should have a chance to experience an outstanding education,” said Ogilvie, who also is an ardent supporter of Girls Inc.

“In many ways, Donna is a most remarkable lady,” said David M. Underwood '54, trustee emeritus and Ogilvie’s partner as honorary cochair of the campaign. “Few can rival her legacy of commitment to both Abbot and Andover.”

Head of School Barbara Landis Chase joined Underwood in thanking Ogilvie on behalf of current and future Andover students, who will benefit from her kind heart and her passionate belief that family finances should not be an obstacle for talented students to pursue the highest quality education. “Donna’s philanthropy has enriched many areas of the Andover program for years,” she said. “In this instance, we are profoundly grateful for her support of need-blind admission.”

With Ogilvie’s gift—and the generous support of other alumni, parents and friends who have chosen financial aid as a philanthropic priority—the Academy now stands at $39 million toward its goal of $65 million for financial aid. Such scholarship funding is part of the campaign’s overall goal of $300 million, which also includes support for the academic program and the faculty. To date, the Academy has raised more than $187 million toward the overall goal.