campaign priority
accessibility From the first day we opened our doors in 1748, Wilmington Friends has welcomed children of all religions and socio-economic backgrounds, helping to guide a deeply divided society toward equality and integration. The resulting diversity of our community’s thought, identity, and experience remains essential to academic excellence and the pursuit of truth at Wilmington Friends to this day. To support the socioeconomic diversity of our community, we currently provide nearly $6 million total in financial aid to 61 percent of our students, with an average award of $14,960. Yet living out our Quaker commitment to honor that of God in everyone—like the achievement of any ideal—is evolutionary and complex. To make a complete Friends’ education more accessible to families from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds requires an agile response to shifting economic realities and a greater investment of resources. Similarly, ensuring an environment in which each individual feels respected, heard, and included requires ongoing reflection, evaluation, and adjustment. At Wilmington Friends, we relentlessly pursue a culture where every individual has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential, learning and growing alongside others with diverse perspectives in an inclusive and equitable community. We aim to: Slow the rate of tuition increases to address the challenges all families face in affording an independent school education. Move Friends toward our goal of becoming truly need-blind with regards to both tuition and the additional resources that contribute to the complete Friends’ experience. Significantly increase non-tuition grants for students to cover expenses such as textbooks, school trips, tutoring, testing, and participation fees for athletics, the arts, and clubs — thus enabling them to enjoy all that Friends offers.
Empowering Generations Strategic Vision for Wilmington Friends School