The Wheeler Fund

When you are a student spellbound by your learning, the day that matters most is today.

That’s why the Wheeler Fund ensures that today, our teachers can illuminate the educational journey with a brilliant array of learning opportunities that will captivate and challenge each student as a unique learner.

Gifts to the Wheeler Fund are put to use on campus immediately: Today’s gifts enrich today’s students.

Today your gift to the Wheeler Fund might:

  • Allow our librarians to go deeper into their “wish lists” when adding to the library holdings.
  • Convert a series of challenging academic texts to audio format to serve different styles of learning.
  • Provide for additional travel out to the Farm during the school day
  • Offer an evidence-based stress management workshop for Upper Schoolers led by an expert practitioner
  • Supply the paint for the next Thayer Street mural

The Wheeler Fund FAQs

Tuition alone does not cover the total costs of educating each student. By setting tuition at a level below what would be required to fully fund the operating budget, a Wheeler education can be more accessible to a wider range of families, leading to a more inclusive school community.

Because tuition only covers only a portion of the cost of educating each student, it creates a “gap” between tuition income and actual costs. The resources raised through the Wheeler Fund help to bridge this differential. Each year, the Wheeler Fund and income from the endowment together contribute approximately 8 percent of all operating revenues to the School.

You may choose to designate your gift to the Wheeler Fund to one of several broad mission-central priorities, or you may direct Wheeler to put it to work in an area of greatest opportunity:
  • Greatest Need – Flexible resources that allow the school leadership to target the most immediate opportunities
  • Scholarship Aid  – Generous financial aid for tuition and enrichment programs for students of all backgrounds
  • Faculty Excellence – Professional development, support for faculty-driven curricular innovation, and competitive salaries and benefits
  • Athletics – Equipment, training, and transport for student-athletes and teams as well as support for a broad physical education program that serves all students
  • The Arts – Materials, technology, and other resources to instill a passion for the performing and visual arts
  • Rigor and Health – Support for Wheeler’s commitment to maintaining academic excellence while equipping students with strategies for healthy, balanced lives

Gifts range in size from $5 to over $25,000. We strive to earn the support of 100 percent of current families every year, and to continue to grow support from our alumni and past-parent communities. Each gift brings us closer to our goal.

Last year, the Wheeler Fund raised $825,000 from the generosity of 1,260 current and past parents and grandparents, loyal alumni, and dedicated faculty and staff. Their high participation rates combine to make a significant impact on our students.

We seek to inspire all parents, while their children are immersed in the Wheeler experience, to place the School among their top philanthropic priorities, and we ask the families of graduating seniors to recognize the graduation milestone with a special capstone gift in accordance with their individual means.

The community of dedicated benefactors whose yearly giving to all philanthropic priorities at Wheeler totals $1,000 or more. Most Founder’s Society donors choose to include leadership-level support of the Wheeler Fund in their giving each year. More information about the Founder’s Society can be found here.

If you or your spouse work for a company that matches gifts, you may be able to double your impact for Wheeler students. You will be recognized for the total amount contributed by you and your employer. The match also counts toward your eligibility for membership in our Founder’s Society leadership group.

Click here to learn if your company matches gifts. Consult with your human resources department for further information.

Yes, Wheeler is a 501(c)(3) organization under the Federal IRS code. All contributions to the Wheeler Fund are tax-deductible. All donors receive an acknowledgment letter stating their gift amount, date of the gift, and a statement that no goods or services were provided in exchange for the donation.