The University announced in May a $20 million gift from Greg Mondre W’96 and his wife Alexandra to advance financial aid for middle-income students.
Building on the Quaker Commitment, which effectively made Penn tuition-free for families earning up to $200,000 (with home equity no longer included in financial aid calculations) beginning this past academic year [“Gazetteer,” May|June 2025], “this gift is an acceleration of a vision to make higher education accessible to all, and it will help us set a new national standard for supporting middle-income families,” Penn President J. Larry Jameson said in a statement.
The vast majority of the gift will establish the Mondre Family Initiative to sustain and advance a suite of middle-income financial aid policies that will increase affordability to more than 1,000 families each year.
In recognition of the gift, Penn will name the Mondre Family Student Service Center in the Franklin Building. Serving as a hub for student support, the center houses Financial Aid Counseling, the Registrar, and the Bursar’s offices, and is also home to Penn’s Financial Wellness program.
“Penn opened doors that shaped the course of my life, and I believe in expanding that opportunity for others,” said Greg Mondre, a managing partner and co-CEO of the technology investment firm Silver Lake and a founding member of Penn’s Undergraduate Financial Aid Leadership Council. “Too many middle-income students and their families face difficult trade-offs that limit how they approach, choose, and navigate a path through higher education. Alexandra and I are proud to support Penn’s leadership in addressing this challenge by working to ensure students can fully participate in everything the University has to offer.”
