Institute for Advanced Study to Donate $500,000 Over Five Years to Princeton Public Schools

The Institute for Advanced Study and the Princeton Public School District today announced that the Institute will make a $500,000 donation to the Princeton Public Schools to support the work of the District. The donation will be made in equal installments over the next five years beginning with the 2018–19 school year.

This gift represents an important component of the Institute’s financial support of the Princeton community. In addition to these contributions to the School District, the Institute annually makes a $250,000 Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) to the municipality of Princeton and also is Princeton’s ninth largest tax payer, paying $568,000 in property taxes in 2017.

“The Institute for Advanced Study is proud to be an engaged partner in the Princeton community and greatly values its superb public schools,” said Robbert Dijkgraaf, Director of the Institute and Leon Levy Professor. “The Institute and the Princeton Public School District share a common commitment to education and pursuit of knowledge. Our gift will support the Princeton Public Schools as they educate our children to lead lives of joy and purpose in a global society.”

“We are extraordinarily grateful for this contribution,” stated Superintendent of Schools, Steve Cochrane. “It comes at a crucial time in the life of the district as we plan for rising enrollments, and it will truly make a difference for our students and staff.”

“The children of the faculty at the Institute for Advanced Study have been an important part of our schools for many years,” Cochrane continued. “This gift underscores the long-time partnership between the Institute and the District. It is a partnership based on the shared values of caring for our community and promoting a passion for learning. It is partnership on which we all hope to build.”

In addition to monetary contributions, the Institute also enriches the community through a variety of free public programming for audiences of all ages such as academic lectures, musical concerts, and science initiatives for children. The Institute is invested in the enhancement of the municipality through the preservation of the Institute Woods, which is open to the public and encompasses 589 acres of land that can be enjoyed year-round by bird watchers, walkers, runners, and cross-country skiers.

About the Institute
The Institute for Advanced Study is one of the world’s leading centers for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. The Institute exists to encourage and support curiosity-driven research in the sciences and humanities—the original, often speculative thinking that produces advances in knowledge that change the way we understand the world. Work at the Institute takes place in four Schools: Historical Studies, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Social Science. It provides for the mentoring of scholars by a permanent Faculty, and it ensures the freedom to undertake research that will make significant contributions in any of the broad range of fields in the sciences and humanities studied at the Institute.

The Institute, founded in 1930, is a private, independent academic institution located in Princeton, New Jersey. Its more than 8,000 former Members have held positions of intellectual and scientific leadership throughout the academic world. Thirty-three Nobel Laureates and 41 out of 56 Fields Medalists, as well as many winners of the Wolf and MacArthur prizes, have been affiliated with the Institute.

About the Princeton Public Schools
Serving more than 3800 students, the Princeton Public School District is comprised of four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Its population is highly diverse both economically and culturally. Students come from around the world with 22% having a first language other than English and with more than 50 different languages spoken by students in their homes. Princeton Public Schools values its diversity and is committed to educating globally aware and active citizens who will contribute to the creation of a more just world.

Ranked the #1 public school district in New Jersey by Niche.com, the district is known for its arts, its athletics, its model World Language program, and its range of offerings in science, math, and in the humanities. More than 72% of Princeton Public Schools teachers have advanced degrees beyond a bachelor's degree. Staff are deeply caring, value innovation, and work collaboratively with colleagues and families to support the highest levels of teaching and learning.