The Grace Fund
The Grace Fund is a full-access fund designed to pay the cost of items and activities not covered by tuition, and therefore not covered by financial aid awards—items such as field trips, calculators, textbooks, musical instruments, soccer cleats and much more.
For some families these expenditures are minor or manageable; for others they can sideline students from access to the full Penn Charter experience.
Established in 2008, the Grace Fund is named for the late Grace Russell Wheeler, a Penn Charter Overseer, parent and grandparent. Wheeler guided the board as clerk from 1973 through 1988 and was a strong voice for enrolling girls in the discussions that led to the Overseers’ decision in 1980 to become coeducational.
Many faculty and staff choose to direct their Annual Fund gifts to the Grace Fund, helping to ensure the students they care for so deeply can enjoy the full Penn Charter experience.
To make a gift to The Grace Fund, select Grace Fund from the dropdown at penncharter.com/give.
More about the Grace Fund
![The melchiorre family poses together at their daughter's graduation]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1673021894/penn/aexgxgjvi1xwt6sk4rpp/AlexisMelchiorrewFamilyatGraduation_2022.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1673021894/penn/aexgxgjvi1xwt6sk4rpp/AlexisMelchiorrewFamilyatGraduation_2022.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1673021894/penn/aexgxgjvi1xwt6sk4rpp/AlexisMelchiorrewFamilyatGraduation_2022.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1673021894/penn/aexgxgjvi1xwt6sk4rpp/AlexisMelchiorrewFamilyatGraduation_2022.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1673021894/penn/aexgxgjvi1xwt6sk4rpp/AlexisMelchiorrewFamilyatGraduation_2022.jpg","width":1403}])
The Melchiorre family takes the lead to endow the Grace Fund.
The Grace Fund is named for the late Grace Russell Wheeler, a Penn Charter Overseer, parent and grandparent; her daughter, Grace Sharples Cooke, now a PC overseer, reflects on her mother's legacy.
The PC Parent Community hosted a “Return to Prom” to celebrate the good work of, and to raise money for, the Grace Fund.