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W. P. CAREY FOUNDATION’S HISTORY

The Carey family has been a leader in education and philanthropy since the 19th century. In 1990, Wm. Polk Carey established the W. P. Carey Foundation to continue the tradition of transformative giving and ensure the Carey family’s impact for generations to come.

  • 1884

    Martha Carey Thomas co-founded Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore. A decade later, she becomes president of Bryn Mawr College

  • 1885

    John S. Armstrong (grandfather of Wm. Polk Carey) introduced Arizona House Bill 164, establishing Arizona State University

  • 1886

    Anne Galbraith Carey founded Gilman School in Baltimore

  • 1980

    William Polk Carey Prize for Outstanding Economics Dissertation created at the University of Pennsylvania

  • 1982

    Launch of Lawrence R. Klein Award for Bluechip Forecast Accuracy

  • 1990

    W. P. Carey Foundation founded by Wm. Polk Carey

  • 1994

    Penn Institute for Economic Research (PIER) established at the University of Pennsylvania. Wm. Polk Carey serves as advisory board chair

  • 1997

    W. P. Carey Program in Entrepreneurship and Management launched at Johns Hopkins University

  • 1999

    Wm. Polk Carey serves as Executive-in-Residence at Harvard Business School

  • 2003

    W. P. Carey School of Business established at Arizona State University

  • 2006

    Carey Business School established at The Johns Hopkins University

    W. P. Carey Foundation pledges $1 million to the Philadelphia Zoo

  • 2007

    Wm. Polk Carey Pre-Business Program launched at Sewanee: The University of the South

  • 2009

    Carey Stadium named at Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania

    W. P. Carey Emergency Unit opens at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

  • 2011

    Francis King Carey School of Law established at University of Maryland

  • 2012

    W. P. Carey Foundation mourns the loss of its founder, Wm. Polk Carey, who passes away at the age of 81

    W. P. Carey Foundation honored as Maryland Outstanding Philanthropic Foundation of the Year by AFP

  • 2013

    Dedication of the W. P. Carey Emergency Unit at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

  • 2015

    Francis J. and Wm. Polk Carey JD/MBA Program at the Law School and Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania endowed

  • 2017

    W. P. Carey Foundation Mobile Stroke Treatment Units launched with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

  • 2018

    W. P. Carey Lower School Building named at Calvert School in Baltimore

  • 2019

    University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School named in recognition of $125 million gift to expand interdisciplinary education and to support access, faculty recruitment and pro bono programming

    Francis J. Carey Lectures and W. P. Carey College Counseling Center established at Gilman School

  • 2024

    W. P. Carey Center for Real Estate and Finance created, and undergraduate real estate degree program launched at W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University