CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TUITION ASSISTANCE SOARS TO REACH ALL-TIME HIGH 3,250 STUDENTS
Aggregate Grants Hit All-Time High $6.5 Million
Foundation Slogan “The Answer is YES!” Fulfilled for Fifth Straight Year
Central Kentucky Community Celebrates Historic Five-Year Run of Unprecedented Impact
(Louisville, Ky.) – The Catholic Education Foundation of Louisville (the “Foundation”) and the Archdiocese of Louisville today jointly announced that tuition assistance for Catholic elementary school families across central Kentucky reached new heights as the fall school term begins. In addition, the Foundation, along with its partners and thousands of steadfast supporters, is celebrating a five-year stretch during which its impact has expanded dramatically.
Tuition Assistance Highlights
Tuition assistance awards reached an all-time high 3,250 students, roaring past last year’s record 3,100, while aggregate tuition assistance funding hit an all-time record $6.5 million.
Foundation President Richard A. Lechleiter remarked, “Thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors and the unwavering support of our funding partners, we provided tuition assistance awards to every single family who demonstrated a financial need – for the fifth year in a row! This astonishing result serves as a great testament to the power of Catholic education and our community’s recognition of its importance and its future. While we are early in our journey to provide solutions to Catholic school families, our entire community is truly embracing the excitement and opportunity behind our slogan, “The Answer is YES!”
The Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D. D., Archbishop of Louisville, reflected with gratitude on the significant progress to improve access to Catholic education. “The selfless generosity of the faithful of all 110 Catholic parishes and their pastors across central Kentucky to support the education of our young people is so meaningful to the future of Christ’s Church. These parish communities combine to provide over $1 million annually to ensure that a Catholic school is accessible to families who yearn for this gift but cannot afford it. I am deeply thankful that we can come together with our funding partners to create so much hope for so many families. What began five years ago as a ‘New Day’ in Catholic education continues to gain momentum, positively impacting the lives of more and more families each year!”
Under the Foundation’s leadership, a collaborative partnership among the schools, the Archdiocese of Louisville, School Choice Scholarships, Community Catholic Center and the Foundation itself combines resources and shares data to determine the best possible award for each family who qualifies for financial assistance. Mr. Lechleiter added, “Now in our fifth year, this creative and highly successful way of allocating funds ensures that each family receives a fair award and that more families are assisted than ever before. What could be better!”
The record-breaking $6.5 million of funding was provided by the Foundation ($3.0 million), parishes and schools ($2.0 million), the Archdiocese of Louisville ($1.3 million), and School Choice Scholarships and Community Catholic Center ($200,000).
Five-Year Impact Celebration
Having just completed its fiscal year on June 30, the Foundation, along with its partners and donors, is celebrating a historic five-year period during which its impact has expanded to unprecedented heights.
Mr. Lechleiter, who joined the organization as its President in 2014, remarked, “Who would have ever figured that five years later our general fundraising results would leap over six-fold from $247,000 in 2014 to over $1.6 million in 2019? Or that our two signature fundraising events would nearly double to over $1.5 million this year? And, most importantly, who would have ever dreamed that our tuition assistance program would rocket from 1,331 students awarded five years ago to an astounding 3,250 this fall? Only by Divine Providence have these results been achieved, and we could not be more excited – and thankful – for all that has accrued to the benefit of our Catholic school families who need us!”
Mr. Lechleiter continued, “I want to pay a special tribute to Archbishop Kurtz, Dr. Brian Reynolds, Superintendent Leisa Schulz, and all of our pastors across central Kentucky who have led the way in standing tall for families who want their children in a Catholic school but don’t have the funds. It is through their courage and commitment to the spiritual formation of our young children that this Foundation continues to thrive and grow.”
Foundation Board Chair D. Hank Robinson commented, “Our plan to expand the Catholic school experience to those who cannot afford its full cost is working better than we ever imagined! Through our message of growth, outreach and inclusion in Catholic schools, the Foundation and its funding partners are creating sustainable solutions for more families than ever before who strive to provide for this life-changing gift for their children. Indeed, “The Answer is YES!”
The Archdiocese of Louisville sponsors 40 elementary schools with 13,100 students and nine high schools with 5,900 students across central Kentucky.
About the Catholic Education Foundation
For over 200 years, Catholic schools have contributed significantly to the social, spiritual and economic fabric of our 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.
