TUITION ASSISTANCE FUND Catholic Schools An Investment Guaranteed to Grow
Mission of our Catholic Schools The Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington, rooted in Gospel values and the teaching mission of the Catholic Church, are learning communities of faith and service dedicated to educational equity and excellence for all students. A Catholic school education is priceless Yet increasingly out of reach for families YOU Help support a Catholic school education for
are the answer. children across the Archdiocese of Washington Give to an investment guaranteed to grow And share your faith in their future
Dear Friends, Catholic schools are important not just for the young people who attend them, but for the whole Church and the whole community. The students in our Catholic schools find their home away from home during their hours at school. The time spent in these surroundings is truly a blessing, providing young people with an opportunity not only for an academically excellent education, but a faith formation which will serve them the rest of their lives. To ensure that the blessings of Catholic education are available to as many boys and girls as possible across this archdiocese, the Archdiocesan Tuition Assistance Fund has been established. It is my hope that this fund will keep tuition payment levels affordable by helping families through direct tuition assistance. This fund will support families struggling to keep their children in our Catholic schools. Experience demonstrates that the most effective way financially to sustain our Catholic schools is to provide assistance to families who are committed to the schools and who work, within their limits, to make Catholic education possible for their children. With the recently implemented Policies for Catholic Schools, the Catholic identity of our schools is reaffirmed, their governing structures are defined and the commitment to academic excellence as central to the mission of all Catholic schools is renewed. To keep these schools affordable and within reach of families, the archdiocese is working to maximize the use of the limited resources available to strengthen our schools by providing a Tuition Assistance Fund that will provide direct support to as many families as possible. My hope is that we all can be encouraged by the implementation of the Policies for Catholic Schools and the Archdiocesan Tuition Assistance Fund. Both are intended to serve as a means of providing a future for all of our Catholic school students. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about this new initiative and I hope that you would consider joining me by supporting the Tuition Assistance Fund. Your support would be both a great help and a strong encouragement. I also ask that you join me in prayer for our archdiocese, our Catholic schools and our school families and children. With gratitude for your thoughtful consideration and with every good wish, I am Faithfully in Christ, Archbishop of Washington
Dear Friends in Christ, Archbishop Wuerl has established the Archdiocesan Tuition Assistance Fund to give as many children as possible a quality Catholic school education. He recognizes that the cost of running a school is increasing and, in some cases, forcing families to withdraw their children from Catholic schools or not register in the first place. Catholic education is facing unparalleled challenges as the cost to educate students is increasing and families are wrestling with tuition affordability issues while managing their household budget. The archbishop does not want to see families educational choices limited by their finances. Through this initiative, the archbishop hopes to help many families from all points of the archdiocese helping families in need and helping families who need just a little extra. Please join us and lend your support to this important program. Through the Tuition Assistance Fund, the Church of Washington will be able to respond to the concerns facing Catholic schools by embracing and helping families who are making sacrifices to provide for their children s education. I know how much a Catholic education meant to me and my family Please join me and invest in their future. B. Francis Saul, II Sincerely in Christ, Rev. Msgr. John J. Enzler B. Francis Saul, II
Vision It is our goal that all Catholic schools in the archdiocese will be excellent, accessible and affordable, providing a faith-filled community for all families who want their children to attend Catholic school. Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl Your support will give children an excellent education and instill Catholic values that will stay with them throughout their entire lives. This is what makes Catholic schools a lifelong investment and an investment guaranteed to grow. The goal of the Tuition Assistance Fund is to raise monetary resources to support the Archdiocese of Washington s annual tuition assistance program for students. The Tuition Assistance Fund, with your support, will help make up the difference between the cost of tuition and what an individual family can afford to pay. With increased tuition assistance, more families will be able to stay in our Catholic schools and more families will consider Catholic schools for their children. And, by increasing enrollment through tuition assistance, you will be helping to sustain our Catholic schools into the future. The Tuition Assistance Fund was established by Archbishop Wuerl in late 2009 to give as many boys and girls as possible a quality Catholic school education. The cost of running a school is ever increasing and, in some cases, tuition rates are forcing families to withdraw their children from Catholic schools or prohibiting families from considering a Catholic school education.
The Need Catholic education is the responsibility of the whole Church. We look to the future of Catholic education throughout our archdiocese with the hope to renew in the hearts of all the members of this Church a sense of ownership of all of the expressions of education, particularly our schools. Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, Catholic Education: Looking to the Future with Confidence (2008) resources for tuition assistance have grown, we are pleased that more families are coming forward. In the 2007-08 school year, your gifts assisted 1,536 boys and girls in receiving a Catholic education, and in 2010-11, you championed an estimated 3,828 children. While statistics are helpful in providing an overall picture, behind each number is a student equipped for success, capable of realizing a bright future and on track to make a positive contribution to our society because you contributed to his or her tuition at a Catholic school. Families choose our schools because they educate the whole child. We need your help to continue giving boys and girls an academically excellent and faith-filled education and to keep Catholic schools affordable for this and future generations of children. Since 2008, the archdiocese has quintupled the amount of tuition assistance it has to distribute from $800,000 to an estimated $5 million. While the need in prior years existed, the limited amount of aid that was available discouraged many families from applying for assistance. As our
After giving our first two children a Catholic school education, we wondered if we could do it for our younger two children and we thought about public school, but then, no. If we can do it for two, we can do it for the other two. God will take care of it. We are encouraged and thankful for the tuition assistance that enables us to give our children a Catholic school education. Mother of students in 5th, 8th, 11th grades and college Archdiocesan Tuition Assistance School Year Applicants Recipients Need Award % of Need Met 2010-11* 7,650 3,828 $24,219,798 $ 5,000,000 21% 2009-10 6,386 3,433 $20,324,940 $ 4,269,123 21% 2008-09 4,379 2,880 $19,113,605 $ 2,228,466 12% 2007-08 3,833 1,536 $18,074,238 $ 890,274 5% *estimates There are many more families who are struggling to keep their children in Catholic schools who could use our help. There also are families who would apply to our schools if they realized that there was a fund and a group of dedicated donors ready to help bridge the gap between what they can afford to pay and what the school needs to educate their children. send their children to Catholic schools. The Archdiocese of Washington wants to be there for all our families and to reduce the financial burden of a Catholic school education. Monies from the Tuition Assistance Fund are open to all families in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Washington. The need for the Tuition Assistance Fund is great. Many families in our schools earn below the poverty level. Yet, many more families are middle-income earners who struggle to find the thousands of dollars every year to
History No child should be denied his or her right to an education in faith, which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation. Pope Benedict XVI in his address to Catholic educators in Washington, DC (April 17, 2008) The Archdiocese of Washington is committed to keeping our schools affordable and to seeking creative new ways to help families in need. Families are facing higher costs across the board and making difficult financial decisions. Whether to keep their child in a Catholic school shouldn t be one of them. We want to ensure that as many families as possible can provide their children with a Catholic school education. Archbishop Wuerl sought, through the development of the new Policies for Catholic Schools, to find a more equitable way to distribute assistance to the schools. Consequently, tuition assistance scholarships were increased, the financial commitment at the archdiocesan level was increased and the educational assessment from the parishes was increased. In the summer of 2008, the archdiocese piloted a successful tuition assistance program. In years past, schools with significant operating deficits would seek grants at the end of the school year to cover their deficits. Archbishop Wuerl wanted to rethink how financial subsidies were given to schools. Instead of end-of-the-year monies to cover operating deficits, money was given to schools in the form of tuition assistance to help
families and to strengthen enrollment. This enabled schools to retain families who would have withdrawn their children due to financial reasons and helped to recruit families who would not otherwise have attended. This strategy increased the schools incomes and avoided end of the year deficits. As a result, money that had been designated for schools in need, now is used for tuition assistance. At the same time, the archdiocese has sought out significant new funds for tuition assistance resulting in a quintupling of assistance available to families in four years, from $800,000 in 2007-08 to an estimated $5 million in 2010-11. For years, parishes contributed a portion of offertory income for archdiocesan-wide support of Catholic schools. As of July 2010, parishes that formally support a Catholic elementary school shall contribute three percent of offertory to archdiocesan tuition assistance. Parishes that do not directly support a Catholic elementary school shall contribute nine percent. This variable rate helps ensure more equitable support for Catholic education across all parishes. Students win because they receive an excellent education and Catholic schools win as they experience stronger enrollment, additional tuition monies and the ability to offer more children a quality Catholic school education.
Catholic School Facts Catholic schools in the archdiocese have a long history and have brought hope to tens of thousands for generations. Since the earliest days, there has been a deep commitment by the Catholic Church to ensuring all children have access to a quality education. In 1799, the sisters at Georgetown Visitation offered a weekly Saturday school to any girl who wanted to learn, including slaves, even though it was illegal at the time to teach a slave to read. In 1813, Father William Matthews, the pastor of St. Patrick parish, not only supported Catholic education, but joined the board of trustees for the fledgling DC public schools. For 31 years, he worked tirelessly to raise money for and establish a public school system. In 1949, five years before the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case ended desegregation in public schools, Archbishop Patrick O Boyle integrated the Catholic schools in our nation s capital.
Today, Catholic schools in the archdiocese continue this legacy of faith, hope and learning for thousands of children. 99% of Catholic high school graduates are accepted to colleges and universities. Individual schools in the Archdiocese of Washington have been awarded the U.S. Department of Education s Blue Ribbon of Excellence 23 times. Teaching staff: over 2,000 Total student enrollment: over 28,000 Student breakdown: 75% are Catholic 4% are Asian 27% are Black 8% are Hispanic 5% are Multiethnic 55% are White Parents saved Washington DC and the five Maryland counties $382,684,828 in public school expenditures for school year 2009-10. Of those families who applied for tuition assistance for 2009-10, the archdiocese was able to meet just 21% of the need. Catholic school students are servant-leaders. All archdiocesan schools are accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Faith and values are infused into every part of the Catholic school experience. Schools are dedicated to educational equity and excellence for all students where teachers believe that every child can learn and every child can succeed. 96 early childhood, elementary, middle and high schools are in the archdiocese.
Methods of Giving The Tuition Assistance Fund offers the following methods of giving that may suit your personal and financial goals. Your gift may be given in one of the following ways: Outright gifts for immediate use to start making a difference today. Reserve gifts that provide support today and in the future. Gifts of Cash To make a gift of cash, checks should be made payable to the Tuition Assistance Fund and mailed to the Archdiocese of Washington. Gifts of Securities You can make a donation of stocks, bonds or mutual funds and take a charitable deduction for the current value of the security. By gifting appreciated securities, you will avoid paying capital gains tax on the appreciation. To do so, have your financial advisor contact the Tuition Assistance Fund Office for details. Dedicated and Named Endowments Giving to or creating an endowment provides a lasting way of supporting one s personal charitable interests or remembering a loved one. By investing in the educational endowment through the Tuition Assistance Fund, your gift will continue to support Catholic school students for generations to come. If you are interested in creating an endowment, please contact the Tuition Assistance Fund Office for further information. Charitable Gift Annuity Provides an opportunity for you to transfer cash or other assets to the Tuition Assistance Fund in exchange for its promise to pay you an annuity for life. Please contact the Tuition Assistance Fund Office for further information. For more information on all Methods of Giving, please contact: Archdiocesan Tuition Assistance Fund Archdiocese of Washington P.O. Box 29260 Washington, DC 20017-0260 www.adw.org 301-853-5344 taf@adw.org
Give to an investment guaranteed to grow And share your faith in their future
TUITION ASSISTANCE FUND Archdiocese of Washington P.O. Box 29260 Washington, DC 20017-0260 www.adw.org 301-853-5344 taf@adw.org