NFA Foundation, Inc.

The NFA Foundation advances opportunities at Norwich Free Academy by soliciting, accepting, and prudently managing donated and endowed funds. The Foundation actively builds awareness, engages alumni, nurtures relationships, and develops partnerships to benefit the Academy’s students, faculty, and staff. 

In the spring of 1853, The Reverend Doctor John P. Gulliver outlined his plan to establish a privately endowed, independently governed secondary school in Norwich to ten of the “wealthiest and noblest men” in the community. Within one-half hour, he had received his first response in a pledge of $10,000 to support the project. The total number of benefactors reached thirty-five with individual pledges ranging from $500 to $10,000. This philanthropy brought Dr. Gulliver’s vision to a reality when Norwich Free Academy was incorporated in 1854.

The original incorporators supported the purchase of land, the construction of the first building, and the establishment of an endowment to support faculty. Throughout its history, alumni and community generosity and support have sustained and grown Norwich Free Academy.

Knowing that ongoing financial contributions were necessary to sustain the future of Gulliver’s vision, a group of alumni and friends of the Academy established the Norwich Free Academy Alumni Association in 1896 with the sole purpose of supporting NFA’s programs and students. For nearly 100 years, the Alumni Association has managed that charge by securing donations from fellow graduates. A board of dedicated volunteers leads today’s Alumni Association and provides outreach and programs to ensure alumni remain connected.

In 1986, the NFA Foundation, Inc., was formed and, in 1991, it assumed all fundraising responsibilities. The NFA Foundation, Inc. works to secure charitable contributions to support and sustain the vision and mission of the Academy’s incorporators -- today and into the future.