Yes, it will! Your participation helps make outstanding programs and services available to students. Higher donor participation rates enhance Principia’s reputation and demonstrate to others the value of a Principia education. If each of our 14,000-plus alumni donated $75, Principia would have over a million dollars to spend on financial aid, student life, and facility improvements. Principia would have to raise the endowment by more than $20 million to have the same impact! Your gift really does make a difference.
Like nearly all educational institutions, Principia faces a gap between tuition income and expenses. Tuition, room, and board only cover less than 25% of the full cost of a Principia education. Additionally, large increases in tuition would make the cost of attending Principia prohibitive for many students. Through your tax-deductible contribution to the Annual Fund, we can keep tuition costs more affordable and provide financial aid and scholarships to deserving students.
No. In order to maintain our independence and uphold our requirements for admission and hiring, Principia does not accept any state or federal financial aid or funding.
Principia’s mission, outlined in our guiding policies, is to “serve the Cause of Christian Science through appropriate channels open to it as an educational institution.” But this same policy makes it clear that “The Principia is a private philanthropy and not an official activity of the Christian Science Church.” We do not receive any funding from The Mother Church, although many branch churches contribute financially.
In comparison to some educational institutions of our size, you may consider our endowment ample. But we depend far more on this endowment to fund our budget than many other institutions depend on theirs. Because of the size of Principia's enrollment and the significant dependence of our student body on student aid and scholarships funded by Principia, tuition provides only a small percentage of the money needed to pay for the cost of education. In other words, we are an endowment-dependent institution with less than 25% of budget funding coming from tuition, room, and board.
There are many worthy causes deserving philanthropic support, and we hope you agree that there is opportunity to support each one. We do not suggest that one is more worthy than another, but we do hope you agree that Principia is an institution critically important to the future of society and the Christian Science movement.
Many corporations, charitable foundations, and high-capacity supporters review the voluntary support provided by Principia’s community before deciding the level at which they will support our institution. A high participation rate—that is, the percentage of alumni who give to Principia each year—is considered a critical indicator of our worthiness of support. Every gift makes a difference, no matter the amount.
Alumni giving (i.e. the “participation rate”) stands at approximately 20%. College rating services, such as U.S. News & World Report, use this statistic as a measure of alumni satisfaction when ranking colleges and universities nationwide. Alumni participation is one indication of the value our alumni place on their Principia education and the significant role it has played in their lives. Prospective faculty, students, donors, and the media view participation as a vote of confidence in an institution. A high participation rate helps to attract the best faculty and students and the most generous philanthropic supporters.
Gifts of any size make a significant impact and show current students and faculty how much alumni value their Principia education.
Principia conducts its financial affairs on a fiscal year beginning July 1 and ending June 30. Donors are credited as being active during this time period, and qualifications for gift societies must fall within this twelve-month period as well.
Many companies and foundations will double or even triple the value of charitable gifts made by employees and their spouses, board members, and retirees. To find out if a particular organization will match your gift, click here.
Yes! Unrestricted gifts to the Annual Fund are vital for meeting Principia’s most pressing needs. The Annual Fund supports the elements most unique to a Principia education:
Early Principia benefactors Clarence and Minnie Morey Howard understood the value of Principia’s unique mission and recognized the impact their financial support could have on the lives of students and on the institution’s future. Through their generous contributions, they set an inspiring example of leadership-level giving. Named after these two steadfast contributors, the Howard Society welcomes donors providing leadership support of $1000 or more annually.
Educating the next generation of spiritual thinkers and doers is invigorating, inspiring work. We hope you will join the Howard Society and partner with us in providing the best possible education for today’s young Christian Scientists. Learn more about the Howard Society.
Along with the satisfaction of belonging to a community of alumni and friends helping Principia reach its fullest potential for generations to come, Howard Society members enjoy annual benefits that forge stronger connections with Principia, including regular updates and insights from Principia administrators, faculty, and students.
The honor roll, published in the Annual Giving Report, is a list of donors who have provided contributions received by Principia from July 1 through June 30 of the most recently completed fiscal year. It includes alumni contributors, members of the 1898 Legacy Society (anyone who has established a planned gift with Principia), members of the Howard Society (alumni and friends who have shown support at the $1,000 or more giving level), and Friends of Principia (individuals, churches, companies who have matched employee contributions, estates, foundations, and other companies or organizations) who made a gift in support of Principia during the last fiscal year.
