UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has named the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation its 2024 Foundation Partner of the Year. This award recognizes a foundation that has demonstrated extraordinary generosity in promotion and support of Penn State. Recipients are chosen on the basis of consistency of giving, support to areas of greatest need and impact across the University. The Newcombe Foundation has supported student scholarships at multiple Penn State campuses for over 40 years.
“The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation’s decades-long support has made them an extraordinary partner in our mission to provide equitable access to the transformative power of higher education,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “The foundation’s tremendous generosity has helped to create an affordable pathway to a Penn State degree for thousands of students, whose lives are forever enriched by their experiences here, and by the lifelong opportunities a Penn State degree helps make possible. I thank the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation for their incredible support, and I look forward to continued partnership for the benefit of our students for years to come.”
The Newcombe Foundation has created multiple scholarships for students with financial need at University Park; Penn State Abington; Penn State Harrisburg; Penn State Erie, The Behrend College; and the Pennsylvania College of Technology. Many of these scholarships have reflected the foundation’s three main giving priorities:
- Scholarships for mature students — those over the age of 25, who often face different responsibilities from traditional college students, such as families; or personal challenges that make it more difficult to balance life, work and schooling.
- Scholarships for students with disabilities, whose financial burden may include classroom accommodations, additional transportation costs to and from campus, and higher and more frequent medical bills than the average student.
- Special scholarship endowments, several of which have been created as matching funds that have spurred the generosity of other donors.
“During my time as chancellor of Penn State Abington and in my current role, I have been acutely aware of the many financial and life challenges our students face, and I can see firsthand the powerful impact that the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation is having through their remarkable scholarship support,” said Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses and Executive Chancellor Margo DelliCarpini. “The foundation’s gifts have made a real difference in the lives of the students it has supported, helping them to realize the dreams of success that brought them to Penn State. The foundation’s emphasis on mature students and students with disabilities also connects directly with the values of accessibility, diversity and equity that drive so much of what we do.”
Tatiana Pousa, a third-year student at Penn State Abington, said, “The Newcombe Foundation’s investment in my education goes beyond financial aid; it serves as a vote of confidence in my potential. I am unwavering in my commitment to make the most of this opportunity by working hard and excelling in my studies, and I am genuinely grateful for the foundation’s support. It has also inspired me to give back to others — I envision a future where I can not only support students in the classroom as a dedicated teacher but also potentially establish a scholarship to help them financially.”
The Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation, based in Princeton, New Jersey, is an independent foundation dedicated to supporting students in their pursuit of higher education. It was established in 1979 as the result of a bequest from the estate of Charlotte W. Newcombe, a Philadelphia philanthropist. Charlotte’s father, Dr. Matthew J. Wilson, was a physician and a pharmacist who maintained an interest in pharmaceuticals and, beginning in the 1890s, invested in Philadelphia drug company Smith Kline, creating the wealth that would eventually fund the Newcombe Foundation.
Although her older sister and younger brother were college graduates, Charlotte never attended college because her vision was impaired from childhood, and she could not read for long enough periods to make serious study possible. But she greatly valued higher education: during her lifetime she sent the children of several friends to college, and in her will, she established her namesake foundation to continue her scholarship gifts. The Newcombe Foundation has since distributed more than $70 million to 120 partner institutions, funding more than 48,000 Newcombe Scholarships, and an additional $28 million supporting over 1,400 Newcombe Fellowships.
“The Newcombe Trustees take seriously the foundation’s work and mission, and we strive to honor the memory of the woman whose bequest made this foundation possible,” said Newcombe Foundation Executive Director Gianna Durso-Finley. “Our long-standing partnership with Penn State has been integral in fulfilling our mission of supporting students in their pursuit of higher education, and we are honored to be selected as Penn State’s 2024 Foundation Partner of the Year.”
Past recipients of the Foundation Partner of the Year Award include the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation and the John E. Morgan Foundation.
Partners like the Charlotte W. Newcombe Foundation advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.