CATHOLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TUITION ASSISTANCE SOARS TO RECORD $8.6 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS
All-Time High Grants to Impact the Lives of 3,700 Students
Foundation Slogan “The Answer is Yes!” Fulfilled for Eleventh Straight Year
Over 50,000 Scholarships Awarded Since 1999
(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 for the 2025/2026 school year.
Tuition assistance awards reached an all-time $8.6 million in funding, rocketing past last year’s previous record of $8.3 million, while impacting the lives of an amazing 3,700 students across 39 Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
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 eleventh 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. It is so inspiring to see our entire community rally together and embrace the excitement and opportunity behind our slogan, “The Answer is YES!”
The Most Reverend Shelton J. Fabre, Archbishop of Louisville and Foundation Board Vice Chair, reflected with gratitude on the continued progress to improve access to Catholic education. “I am deeply thankful that we can come together to create so much hope for so many families. God has blessed our families, our schools and this community. Please join me in giving thanks to the Lord that over 2,500 families can have access to the life-changing experience of Catholic education.”
Under the Foundation’s leadership, a collaborative partnership among the schools, the Archdiocese of Louisville, 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. Foundation Vice President Julie E. Baum added, “Now in our eleventh year, this creative and highly successful way of allocating funds ensures that each family receives a fair award and that no family is left behind. What could be better!”
The record $8.6 million of funding was provided by the Foundation ($4.7 million), the schools ($2.3 million), and the 107 parishes of the Archdiocese of Louisville, along with Community Catholic Center ($1.6 million).
Foundation Board Chair Joseph L. Landenwich commented, “While we are elated that the Foundation and our partners are supporting so many families, our work is never done. Each day, families are reaching out to us in search of a better educational pathway for their children. Indeed, our message of growth, outreach and inclusion in Catholic schools is working like never before. To every family who yearns for the great gift of a Catholic education, “The Answer is YES!”
This year’s scholarship grants pushed the Foundation over the 50,000 mark since it awarded its first scholarships in 1999. Mr. Lechleiter reflected, “In 1999, we awarded $110,000 in scholarships to 220 students. Who would have ever dreamed that our donors would elevate our mission to such heights? Thanks be to God for each and every one of them! We are indeed humbled to have played a role in the formation and transformation of thousands of young hearts and minds through the unique gift of a Catholic education.”
Mr. Lechleiter concluded, “I couldn’t be more proud of our 39 Catholic primary schools and nine secondary schools across central Kentucky! What a huge debt of gratitude we owe to our pastors, administrators, teachers, counselors, coaches and staff! Their work each day to transform the lives of young students through the Gospel message will empower each of them for the rest of their lives.”
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 $68 million in support of Catholic education. Visit the Foundation at www.ceflou.org.