# Charles Wright Academy

Charles Wright Academy is an Endowment / Foundation based in West Tacoma, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** West Tacoma, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 7723 Chambers Creek Road West, Tacoma, WA 98467, United States
- **Founded:** 1957
- **Assets under management:** $31 million (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** www.charleswright.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/school/charles-wright-academy/

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Charles Wright Academy was founded in 1957, when Sam and Nathalie Brown purchased 127 acres to establish an independent college-preparatory school. The endowment emerged as a permanent vehicle to help fund operations. Today, the investment function sits with the school's Endowment Committee, where Investment Manager Adam Blakney oversees the portfolio under a board that includes Chair Toby Murray III of Murray Pacific Corp. and Director Sarah Weyerhaeuser of the Weyerhaeuser family. The endowment deploys capital across a deliberately broad private-markets mix. The strategy spans buyout, growth equity, and venture, layered with fund-of-funds commitments that diversify the $31-million pool across multiple general partners. The committee has confirmed positions in private equity and venture vehicles, though specific fund names and direct co-investments remain undisclosed. The geographic focus centers on North American managers, consistent with the school's West Tacoma base and its trustee network. The board manages the endowment alongside the school's physical assets — including its Chambers Creek Road campus and adjacent forested trail acreage — without spinning out a separate foundation vehicle. Philanthropic giving flows through The Fund for CWA, an in-school annual fund. The Academy is accredited by the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS) and holds membership in the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). The endowment's structural differentiator is its trustee-led investment model. Unlike independent schools that outsource investment management entirely to an OCIO, Charles Wright Academy retains internal control via an investment-manager staff role and an endowment committee staffed by alumni and regional business figures. That architecture concentrates sourcing and decision rights in a small group with deep ties to Pacific Northwest industry, creating a governance blend closer to a family-office investment committee than to a conventional school board.

## Sectors

- Buyout
- Fund of Funds
- Growth
- Venture (General)

## People

- Toby Murray III — Board Chair
- Sarah Weyerhaeuser — Board Member
- Drew Bamford — Board Member
- Adam Blakney — Investment Manager, Endowment Committee

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Charles Wright Academy?

The Endowment Committee governs the portfolio, with Adam Blakney serving as Investment Manager. The committee reports to a board chaired by Toby Murray III and includes directors Sarah Weyerhaeuser and Drew Bamford.

### How is the endowment structured — is it a separate foundation?

No. The endowment operates as an internal pool within the school, not as a legally separate foundation. Philanthropic fundraising runs through The Fund for CWA, an annual giving vehicle, but investment assets sit on the school's balance sheet under trustee oversight.

### What asset classes does the endowment invest in?

The portfolio spans buyout, growth equity, venture capital, and fund-of-funds commitments, per the investment strategy. The school has not publicly disclosed its current asset-allocation targets.

### Who sits on the endowment committee?

Only Adam Blakney is explicitly identified as an Endowment Committee member. Broader board membership includes Toby Murray III (Chair), Sarah Weyerhaeuser, and Drew Bamford, but the school has not published a full committee roster.

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- [Darwin College, Cambridge University](https://altss.com/profile/darwin-college-cambridge-university)
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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/charles-wright-academy

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