The Catholic Education Foundation annually awards grants in support of the following three initiatives:

• Need-based tuition
• Education technology
• Professional development

Tuition Vouchers
The Catholic Education Foundation gives financial aid assistance not directly to schools but rather to families in the form of tuition vouchers based upon financial need. An impartial third-party financial aid service computes and ranks the needs of all applicant families so that all requesting aid have an equal opportunity of receiving assistance, and funds available are directed to the greatest need. The CEF tuition voucher is portable, so that the aid will be used at a school in the Archdiocese of Louisville where an individual family envisions that their children will have the greatest opportunity to learn. By the very nature of this system of financial aid, the family’s choice will challenge schools to excel in the curriculum and programs they offer. 

Education Technology
The high cost of updating technology is often too great to be funded by tuition alone. For a CEF technology grant, a school must prepare a grant application setting forth the educational value of the proposed new technology, how it will be applied within the school, and what value the new technology might have for other schools. All CEF technology grants require some level of matching spending by the school, ranging from as low as $2 for every $1 granted, to as high as $7 for every $1 granted. The range of matching depends upon the school’s financial situation, but in all cases the Foundation believes that schools make better decisions about technology purchases when they make some investment in it.

Professional Development
Highly skilled teachers are essential in maintaining the quality of a Catholic education. Although this is a relatively minor portion of the grants awarded by the Catholic Education Foundation, it is very important to the overall education assistance program. To participate in this process, a school must submit a compelling case for the assistance, and reimbursement of professional development cost is available only upon completion of the program.

History of Grants Awarded
Since its formation in 1997, the Catholic Education Foundation has awarded more than $10 million in grants for tuition assistance, technology and professional development – $1,150,000 of it in FY 2010-2011 alone. The Foundation does NOT grant aid for capital construction projects, nor does it award grants for post-secondary education. Further, all CEF financial aid grants are need-based; there are NO academic or athletic grants.

Click here for a list of schools and parishes benefiting from CEF grants in FY 2010-2011.

Annually the Catholic Education Foundation also sponsors the Salute to Catholic School Alumni Dinner which celebrates the success of our schools and demonstrates the importance of the schools to the community by recognizing distinguished alumni. This event, held in the spring of each year, attracts approximately 1,800 patrons. Proceeds aid the mission of the Catholic Education Foundation. Click here to learn more about the Salute to Catholic School Alumni.