The Governor’s Academy Receives Largest Gift in School’s History

On Thursday, October 14, before a large audience of alumni, parents, employees, and friends, Head of School Dr. Peter H. Quimby and Board President Jim Pierce made several exciting announcements about With True Courage: The Campaign for Governor’s, the Academy’s comprehensive fundraising campaign launched in 2017.

To open the live virtual event, Quimby announced a historic $15 million gift from Robert M., a member of the class of 1967, and Anne T. Bass. The gift, the largest in the school’s 258-year history, establishes the Bass Institute, which will serve as the intellectual center of environmental science teaching and research initiatives at the Academy, and The Bass Challenge, a generous $10 million matching gift challenge that allows Governor’s to surpass its original campaign goal of $75 million and set a bold new goal of $100 million by the end of 2023. The Bass Institute will work in partnership with the Alfond Environmental Studies Center, a state-of-the-art, sustainable research facility that Governor’s plans to build on the banks of the Parker River and the Great Salt Marsh within the next couple of years. Bill, also a member of the class of 1967, and Joan Alfond led the way for this important capital project with a lead gift of $5 million in 2017.

The event celebrated the extraordinary generosity of over 4,000 members of the Governor’s community who, with gifts of all sizes, have made With True Courage: The Campaign for Governor’s the most successful campaign in the Academy’s history. The campaign’s new goal reflects the investment needed to realize all of the priorities set forth in the campaign: bringing the Alfond Center and the Bass Institute to life, expanding Governor’s commitment to student aid and faculty excellence, and cultivating growing support for The Governor’s Fund, the school’s annual fund.

The impact of With True Courage can already be seen throughout the Academy’s campus. Faculty members have moved into three new homes on Old Road, history faculty are teaching in new classrooms, students are forming lifelong friendships in the renovated and expanded Peter Marshall French Student Center, and athletic teams are practicing and competing on the new Bennett H. Beach ‘67 Track and Alfond Turf Field. And the campaign’s support for the essential priorities of endowment for financial aid and faculty excellence are evident through everyday life on campus where bright, talented students learn alongside committed, innovative teachers, coaches, and directors.

Of the campaign, Quimby said “The Govs community continually inspires me with its energy, its imagination, and its dedication. I’m proud of how far we’ve come in this campaign — and I know that together we can redefine what is possible for the Academy.”

To learn more about Our Next Bold Moment and view a recording of the event, click here.