McNeice Foundation — The Summit Academy Capital Campaign

McNeice Foundation Declined

· Foundation · Priority: High · Capacity: $1,500,000

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Notes

Major funder of Catholic causes based out of MA. Occasional large grants to major Catholic projects. More info on website: https://mcneicefoundation.org/administration.htm

Decision Notice - June 2026

Dear Mr. Marr,

Thank you for your grant submission to the John McNeice Jr. Foundation (the “Foundation”). The Trustees received many interesting and exciting proposals, and carefully studied and evaluated each proposal's conceptual alignment with the Foundation's mission. Unfortunately, this year's budget did not allow Trustees to fund all proposals, and so I am writing to inform you that the Foundation is unable to fund your proposal at this time. However, the Trustees encourage you to participate in a future grant application-cycle.

Best,

Dorian

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Email records from invitation to apply –

Hi Nick,

You are exactly correct, the preliminary application is due by the end of April. In some instance the trustees will reach out for a chance to meet with the organization to better understand and go through the application. Thank you.

Best,

Dorian

Dorian Tolis

Trust Advisor

Two International Place | Boston, MA 02110 | 617-248-5007
www.choatewealth.com

From: Nicholas Marr <nmarr@thesummitva.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 2, 2026 2:59 PM
To: McNeice Foundation <McNeiceFoundation@choate.com>
Cc: Molly Herman <mherman@thesummitva.org>
Subject: Re: Grant Inquiry – Summit Academy Campus Campaign [IMAN-WEALTHMGMT.FID431020]

Dorian,

Thank you for providing this link. Based on the instructions provided here (https://mcneicefoundation.org/instructions.htm), it looks like the pre-app is due by the end of April. Can you confirm the deadline?

Given our location outside Massachusetts, if our pre-app is accepted, I would welcome the chance to meet with you and/or any interested trustees so that you can begin developing a relationship with the school and I can gain a better sense of how the Foundation might align with our project.

Best,

Nick

On Thu, Apr 2, 2026 at 11:32 AM McNeice Foundation <McNeiceFoundation@choate.com> wrote:

Hi Nick,

Below is the link to the preliminary application:

https://www.summitas.com/formapp/100459782397

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Dorian

Dorian Tolis

Trust Advisor

Two International Place | Boston, MA 02110 | 617-248-5007
www.choatewealth.com

From: Nick Marr <nmarr@thesummitva.org>
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2025 10:37 AM
To: McNeice Foundation <McNeiceFoundation@choate.com>
Cc: Molly Herman <mherman@thesummitva.org>
Subject: Grant Inquiry – Summit Academy Campus Campaign

Dear Ms. Portanova,

I am the executive director of The Summit Academy, an independent classical Catholic school within the Diocese of Arlington. We're the only classical Catholic high school in our region, and we have just launched a capital campaign to build a campus that will ensure increased access to high-quality, faithful education for generations to come.

We've spent the last few years acquiring the necessary land and permits, securing foundational funding, and finalizing a stewardship-focused plan for phased construction. We are confident that, given the right support, we can execute this project in a timely manner. The campaign brochure is attached.

I understand that your foundation prioritizes support for organizations within Massachusetts, as well as significant, one-time grants that make long-term impact on the Church. While our project is in Virginia, it is a unique opportunity to make a huge difference for Catholic education. In fact, we are attempting to build on the great success of St. Benedict Classical Academy in Natick, Mass., with whom we share the same lead architect, Nicolas Charbonneau. (You can watch Nic's presentation about our campus here.)

If you think your foundation might entertain a proposal to support this campaign, I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you further on the phone or visit with you next time I am in Massachusetts.

Many thanks,

Nick

Open Next Actions

Due	Action
2026-07-10	check in with Dorian re: MA trip

Activity History + Log

Date	Type	Method	Notes
2026-04-23	Next Action Complete	—	Completed: Submit preapplication
2026-04-20	Next Action Complete	—	Completed: first draft - pre-application
2026-04-13	Next Action Complete	—	Completed: confirming pre-app with Dorian; begin research to gauge funding request

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