A Philosophy of Charitable Support

There are many traditions at West Nottingham Academy, and it is our philosophy that families, not just students, accept and become part of the West Nottingham culture when a student enrolls. Part of that culture and tradition is charitable support.

The very foundation of education in America is founded on charitable support, be it Harvard College in 1636 or thousands of pre-collegiate schools established since then. Operating without tax support or profit, the independent school is sustained by the good works and charitable resources of the community it serves. Charitable support is an integral part of the tradition and culture of an independent school.

Charitable support is also part of the American tradition and, according to Alexis de Tocqueville, it is almost a uniquely American tradition. Today it is current national policy to encourage charitable giving in order to sustain those organizations that seek to serve the good of society. Indeed, the federal government and many state governments encourage charitable support by surrendering part of their tax income by allowing such gifts to be “deductions” from taxable income.

We pride ourselves on the educational merit of the caring generosity we display, on the independence it ensures and the maintenance of affordability so vital to the mission of the school. Thus, charitable giving is an American tradition, an educational tradition, an independent school tradition, a West Nottingham tradition. It is part of our culture. It is part of how we are able to provide goods and services. It is part of who we are and, by our example, who we teach our children to be. At West Nottingham Academy, charitable support is not just what we need, or what we do; it is what we teach, because it is what we ought to do.