New College receives $2.5M gift for contemplation, education center

A charitable foundation that traces some of its money back to the Mellon banking family fortune has donated $2.5 million to New College of Florida in Sarasota.

The money, which the school calls a “transformative” gift, will fund the design, construction and long-term preservation of the school’s Contemplation and Education Center, New College officials say in a statement. The gift comes from the DSF Charitable Foundation, which is led by Co-Executive Directors David and Sara Scaife; David Scaife’s later father was Richard Mellon Scaife, a grandnephew of businessman and philanthropist Andrew Mellon. 

David and Sara Scaife, husband and wife, the release states, and have a deep appreciation for the “region’s cultural and educational landscape” and live on the east coast of Florida,

“If approved by the Board of Trustees, this gift from the DSF Charitable Foundation allows us to create a space that embodies the values of reflection, learning, and community,” New College President Richard Corcoran says in the statement. “The Contemplation and Education Center will serve as a sanctuary for students, faculty, and the broader Sarasota community.”

The center, which is planned to be built directly on Sarasota Bay, will “be a light-filled, open structure designed in harmony with its natural surroundings and support a range of academic, spiritual and civic functions,” the school says. It will host interfaith ceremonies, meditation and reflections, academic lectures, Socratic dialogue and community gatherings such as weddings and memorials. It will also serve as a revenue-generating venue aligned with the college’s mission — offering opportunities for meaningful connection and support for the Honors College. 

Construction of the center, the release states, is subject to New College of Florida Board of Trustees approval.