Support for the Brafferton Project
Thanks to the substantial support of private and public funders, William & Mary has fully funded the renewal and renovation of the Brafferton (1723). A generous grant from The Lettie Pate Evans Foundation jumpstarted the university's fundraising effort, and was followed by a special challenge grant from The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation and support from The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation. The Parsons challenge was met by members of the William & Mary Class of 1961 and Class of 1962.
Lettie Pate Evans Foundation
An extraordinary grant of $1 million from The Lettie Pate Evans Foundation allowed the university to begin working on the Brafferton renewal and preservation project ahead of schedule. This gift also helped fund the 2011 archaeological field school, giving William & Mary students an opportunity to be involved with the excavation of the site. The field school is an annual research collaborative between the university and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans, the first female Coca-Cola board member, established the Foundation in 1945. Foundation grants are limited to specific public charities in Georgia and Virginia, with a focus on private secondary and higher education, arts and culture, and museums and historic preservation. Learn more about The Lettie Pate Evans Foundation.
Mary Morton Parsons Foundation
The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation issued a challenge to William & Mary to raise an additional $900,000 for the Brafferton renewal and preservation project by December 31, 2011. The university was successful in raising the challenge amount, and the foundation provided a $300,000 grant.
The Parsons Foundation, which provides financial support to tax-exempt organizations in Virginia for capital projects, also provided generous grant funding for the Wren Building renewal project that was completed in 2000. Learn more about The Mary Morton Parsons Foundation.
Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation
The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation provided a $25,000 grant to support student involvement with the Brafferton. This generous gift helped to ensure the building's role as an irreplaceable educational resource on campus, enabling students to utilize the project as fieldwork in their study of archaeology, and to gain experience in the historical interpretation of the site.
The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation supports community-based, non-profit organizations in the United States, and supported William & Mary's renovation of the Lake Matoaka Amphitheater in 2006. Learn more about The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation.
W&M Class of 1961
William & Mary's Class of 1961 helped build momentum for the renewal and renovation of the Brafferton by making the project its 50th Reunion Class Gift project. Members of the class, who celebrated their reunion on April 29–May 1, 2011, raised $550,000 for the project.
Co-chairs
Ronald J. Monark
Barbara Berkeley Ukrop
G. Wayne Woolwine
W&M Class of 1962
Picking up on the momentum established by the Class of 1961 for its 50th Reunion, the Class of 1962 identified the Brafferton renewal and renovation as a fundraising priority for its own 50th Reunion gift. Members of the class, who celebrated their reunion on April 27–29, 2012, raised more than $1,036,000 for the project.
Co-chairs
Marshall Acuff, Jr.
Anne Haynes Barr
Stuart Richardson Dopp
James W. McGlothlin, Esq.
Harold C. Thaxton, Jr.
