SOUTH HADLEY — A letter from Mount Holyoke College’s president to the town of South Hadley breaks down how the $3 million donation announced on Wednesday will be distributed to the public school system and Fire District 2 over the next 10 years.
In the announcement, the college said its pledge would include $2.2 million in direct financial contributions to the South Hadley schools, scholarships for qualified South Hadley students admitted to the college and an annual financial and in-kind contribution to the Michael E. Smith Middle School’s Washington, D.C. trip.
The remaining $800,000 would go toward equipment for Fire District 2, which covers the campus.
Asked for a specific breakdown of the $2.2 million for a story published on Thursday, Mount Holyoke officials and Town Administrator Lisa Wong both said these details would be decided at a later date.
But a letter from President Danielle R. Holley to Wong dated April 7, obtained by the Gazette on Thursday, lays out the specific amounts earmarked for each item. The district will receive $60,000 yearly in direct aid ($600,000 over the decade), $10,000 a year for the field trip (totaling $100,000) and $150,000 per year ($1.5 million) in Mount Holyoke scholarships and tuition reduction.
On Thursday, neither Mount Holyoke College nor Wong had any additional comments on the letter or the donations.
Additional in-kind donations, such as South Hadley student access to faculty and staff, will be determined in a future discussion.
“It is our belief that that the continued success of South Hadley and Mount Holyoke College go hand in hand and this commitment reflects that shared future,” the letter reads.
The $3 million contribution was created and initiated entirely by the Mount Holyoke, Wong previously said. This is independent of any future payment in leu of taxes agreements.
It is in addition to the college’s existing fiscal involvement as South Hadley’s largest employer and third-largest taxpayer. The college spends over $1 million annually through taxes, cash and in-kind donations and other forms of support. In 2023–2024, the college paid $382,557 in property taxes and sewer fees.
Mount Holyoke also has supported local infrastructure and public safety investments, including a $400,000 contribution toward a new ladder truck and ambulance for both South Hadley Fire District 1 and 2 respectively, and $35,000 toward the River to Range Trail Loop near the Community Boat House.
