CATHOLIC EDUCATION FOUNDATION ENDOWMENT FUND HONORING ARCHBISHOP KURTZ HITS $2,000,000 GOAL   

Target Reached in Less than Two Years

LOUISVILLE, KY (September 26, 2019) – The Catholic Education Foundation of Louisville (the “Foundation”) announced that an endowment fund named in honor of the Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D. D., Archbishop of Louisville, has reached its $2,000,000 fundraising goal ahead of plan. Earnings from the new endowment will be used to fund the Foundation’s tuition assistance program for Catholic elementary school families across the Archdiocese of Louisville.

The fund was initially launched in September 2017 at the Foundation’s annual Salute to THE GAME luncheon event to honor Archbishop Kurtz on the tenth anniversary of his service to the Catholic community of central Kentucky.

Foundation President Richard A. Lechleiter remarked, “How excited we are to reach this aggressive fundraising goal in less than two years, less than half the time we thought we needed to fulfill our promise to Archbishop Kurtz! On behalf of everyone at the Foundation, I want to extend a huge ’Thank You’ to each of our donors who made it all happen!”

Mr. Lechleiter noted that the fund should generate at least $100,000 per year in tuition assistance funding. “This perpetual annual gift to our young Catholic school students and their families will change the trajectory of their lives forever. How truly blessed we are by our storied Catholic school tradition in the Archdiocese of Louisville!”

Archbishop Kurtz reflected on this recent success with gratitude, “The generosity of our community to the mission of the Foundation and Catholic education never ceases to amaze me! I am so honored by this new endowment fund and so thankful for the benefits it will bestow for years to come on our Catholic school families who need our help in educating their children. Indeed, we are blessed!”

The Foundation recently announced that for the fifth consecutive year, every student applicant with a demonstrated financial need earned a tuition assistance award.  Together with their funding partners, the Catholic Education Foundation provided tuition assistance to an all-time high 3,250 elementary students with a record $6.5 million in funding for the current school year.  Mr. Lechleiter exclaimed, “At the Catholic Education Foundation, ‘The Answer is YES!’”

About the Catholic Education Foundation:

For over 200 years, Catholic schools have contributed significantly to the social, spiritual and economic fabric of our entire community. The Catholic Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the growth and vitality of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Louisville. Since 1999, the Foundation has awarded over $37 million in support of Catholic education. Visit the Foundation at www.ceflou.org.