Abbot Academy Fund
Preamble In 1829, a group of far-sighted people created Abbot Academy, the first boarding school in the United States dedicated to the academic education of high-school-aged women. At the time, creating such a school was an unprecedented act of boldness and innovation.
Over the next century and a half, Abbot inspired tens of thousands of young women to explore every aspect of human knowledge and endeavor with passion, caring, and understanding.
In 1973, Abbot and Phillips Academies joined forces, and the student body became coed. Today Phillips Academy is a true merger of the two schools, offering the best of both traditions to new generations.
Purpose of the Abbot Academy Fund
The Abbot Academy Association (AAA), now called the Abbot Academy Fund (AAF), was created in 1973, at the time of the merger, to continue Abbot’s tradition of boldness, innovation, and caring through large and small grants to Phillips Academy students and members of the administration, faculty and staff.
The Fund seeks proposals that will expand grantees’ experiences in meaningful ways beyond the school’s ongoing academic, athletic, and extracurricular activities; and/or heighten the impact and reputation of Phillips Academy across the nation and around the world.
Abbot Grant proposals may be for small—even tiny—projects that improve the quality of life of a group of students on campus, or they may be for large projects that incubate and help launch new academic or entrepreneurial ideas and initiatives on or off campus. Abbot Grants should have a measurable impact on their recipients. Abbot Grants should embody Abbot’s innovative and ground-breaking spirit by enhancing the value of the on-campus experience, and by spreading the intellectual wealth and diverse experiences of today’s Phillips Academy beyond 01810 to people all over the world. Abbot Grants are only available to current members of the Phillips Academy Community.
Apply for an Abbot Grant
The Abbot Academy Fund (AAF) seeks proposals that will expand grantees' experiences in meaningful ways beyond the school's ongoing academic, athletic, and extracurricular activities; and/or heighten the impact and reputation of Phillips Academy across the nation and around the world. 6 The deadline for the Fall 2026 grant submissions is October 26 at 5:00 p.m.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN YOUR AAF GRANT APPLICATION:
- Visit the Abbot Academy Fund space on PAnet and look over the Preview of the Abbot Grant Application and Grant Guiding Statement.
- Consult with Ms. Christina Landolt (clandolt@andover.edu) AAF Community Liaison to review your proposal.
- Address questions about the application, schedule or process should be sent to Ms. Belinda Traub (btraub@andover.edu), AAF Coordinator.
- Applicants are required to meet with Ms. Landolt during conference period or by appointment.
All applicants are required to present their proposals to the AAF board on Thursday, November 12 during a dinner in Davis Hall on the Abbot Campus beginning at 5:30 p.m.
1) Projects should benefit the Andover community.
The projects funded must be relevant and beneficial to some aspect of the Andover community. The Andover community should be defined broadly: it includes all who study or work on campus, as well as alumni, students, and teachers all over the world who can benefit from the experience and wisdom generated by almost 400 years of learning and teaching at Abbot and Phillips Academies.
2) Projects should create opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
Grants should provide Andover students, faculty, and staff opportunities and experiences beyond those possible through the school’s core academic, athletic, or extracurricular activities.
3) Projects should encourage collaboration.
The AAF encourages collaboration between and among students, faculty, and staff, and across academic, athletic, and extracurricular disciplines.
4) Projects may be large or small, as long as they make an impact.
A small, imaginative grant proposal designed to relieve stress or explore a new area of interest on campus will be taken as seriously as a large grant proposal designed to enhance Andover's role in the world as a private school with a public purpose. Proposals should be innovative and relevant, and designed to have a lasting and measurable impact on the groups or issues they are designed to benefit.
5) Projects should be able to sustain themselves long-term.
The AAF does not provide operating support for activities on an ongoing basis; it will, however, consider start-up and multi-year projects (maximum duration: three years). For example: a grant for an ongoing extracurricular club should focus on a new initiative, not on current operational needs.
6) Projects cannot create new non-profit organizations.
Projects proposing the creation of a new non-profit 501(c)3 entity will not be approved. Phillips Academy is a 501(c)3 with a Board of Trustees, and no separate non-profit entity can be created within the Academy or using Academy funds.
7) Projects cannot fund individual experiences.
Experiences may take place on or off campus, but Abbot Grants do not fund individual efforts on or off campus. Summer vacation travel or stipends, for example, no matter how intriguing, falls outside the AAF guidelines. A proposal involving student travel must adhere to Academy guidelines, including adult chaperones.