The Robinson Trust is a charitable trust for the benefit of the Town of Exeter whose citizens elect its seven trustees. The funds were given in trust to Exeter in 1853 by the Will of William Robinson, a native of Exeter, who attended Phillips Exeter Academy and for whose sister there existed no similar educational facility in the area. The Will specified that the funds be for “the only and sole instruction of females … all other things being equal, always to give preference to the poor and the orphan”. In September of 1869 the Robinson Seminary opened its doors to the female population of Exeter and its environs.
From 1869 until 1955 Robinson Female Seminary was the only public school in Exeter to serve its post-elementary females. (Male students attended the Tuck High School.) In 1954 the townspeople passed a bond issue to build an addition to the High School. The class of 1956 was the first coeducational class to graduate from the Exeter public schools, and Robinson Female Seminary closed its doors.
A fire in 1961 destroyed the empty Seminary building. The Lincoln Street Elementary School and its playgrounds now occupy the site.
Three of the current Trustees of the Robinson Fund attended the Seminary, two are graduates and the third a graduate of the then new coeducational Exeter High School.
In the beginning the Trustees of the Robinson Fund managed both the Seminary and the Trust funds. By the 1940’s the income from the trust proved inadequate and the Town started assuming the deficit. In 1949 the Exeter School District formally assumed control of the building, equipment, land, curriculum and teachers. Only the Robinson Fund remained under the control of the Trustees.
In order to institute a coeducational system, the Town had to get permission of the Legislature who turned the matter over to retired Judge Elwin Page. In 1947 Judge Page issued his Master’s Report in which, in his legal opinion, Robinson’s wishes could be met by using the trust income to pay the pro-rated salaries of those teaching coeducational classes or for those classes exclusively for girls.
In 1955, in order to avoid discrimination on the basis of gender, the Trustees went to the Probate Court. In 1966 the Court issued a new decree that discontinued the existing income distribution and established a new Trust purpose: “to create a fund to provide opportunities that will enrich and enhance the educational experience of post-elementary age individuals within the area served by the Exeter Region Cooperative School District” through the development of programs, scholarships and grants.
The Robinson Trust Grant Program In keeping with the court decree of June 1996 the Robinson Trust will award grants which enrich and enhance the educational experience of post-elementary individuals served by the Exeter Region Cooperative School District.
In September of 1998 the Trustees of the Robinson Fund developed a purpose statement for the Robinson Trust grant program:
“The Robinson Trust Grant Program provides grants to encourage and support innovative programs and activities for students that better prepare them to compete in today’s world.”
The Robinson Trust will consider projects which:
Only teachers and administrators employed in the Exeter Region Cooperative School District may apply. Applications may be made by individuals or in collaboration with parent groups, community organizations and others. Grants will be for programs that target individuals at the middle school and secondary school level or individuals that are enrolled in the GED program.
Grants up to $10,000 may be awarded. Grants over $10,000 will be considered for exemplary projects with broad impact. Funds may be distributed in installments. Final decisions on grant size will be at the sole discretion of the Trustees.
Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
Please present information on your program as outlined below. Use this outline as a checklist in preparing your proposal and number your responses accordingly. Incomplete applications may be returned to you for additional information.
(1) Complete Application Cover Sheet and Project Budget.
(2) Describe the problem or need the project will address. Include in-house data, information from other service providers, regional or national statistics and published or public data. If applicable, identify other organizations that address the need and explain how your proposal will supplement or augment services already available in the community.
(3) Describe the program you propose to offer. Identify specific methods, planned activities, outreach methods, service goals, expected outcomes and schedule for implementation. If the program will involve more than one organization or group, explain how the groups will work together, including who will be responsible for which activities and how activities will be coordinated.
(4) Explain how the proposed program relates to the Robinson Trust priorities.
(5) Explain how you will evaluate the success of the proposed program (i.e. use of participant evaluations, pre and post attitude surveys) Include measurable outcomes and success indicators if applicable.
(6) Identify other sources of support for the project, including financial support, in-kind contributions and volunteers. If the project is intended to be continued beyond the period of this grant, explain how it will be funded in the future.
Submit your written proposal, on or before December 31st, to the Trustees of the Robinson Fund, c/o The Cambridge Trust, Tattersall House, 237 Water Street, Exeter, NH 03833. Decisions will be made no later than June 1st of each year, and funds will be made available as required.