A record $8.6 million in tuition assistance has been provided to 3,700 students attending Catholic grade schools this fall through the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF), according to Richard A. Lechleiter, president of the foundation.

“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,” Lechleiter said in a press release. “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.”

Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre, vice chair of the foundation’s board, expressed his gratitude for the collective effort supporting families.

“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.”

The CEF has distributed scholarships for Catholic school tuition within the Archdiocese of Louisville since 1999. The foundation began with $110,000 awarded to 220 students in its first year and has increased those figures significantly over time.

This year’s total is an all-time high after last year's record-setting $8.3 million in scholarships.

Amy Nall, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Louisville, described CEF’s growth since its founding as transformative for both families and schools.

“How amazing!” she said. “As Archbishop (Fabre) said, we are truly blessed by the good works of the CEF and the very generous donors in the Archdiocese of Louisville who make this kind of success and impact possible. The impact is truly transformative for our families and our schools!”

Nall also emphasized how scholarship funds help strengthen school enrollment by allowing more children access to faith-based education: “The funding provided by CEF strengthens our school enrollment, thus allowing more children to be educated in our mission of fostering each student’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ through faith formation and education,” she said.

Although funding reached new heights this year, slightly fewer students have received assistance compared with last year—3,700 versus 3,750 at this point—though Lechleiter noted that awards continue throughout much of the academic year.

Lechleiter explained that inflation-driven tuition increases typically range from two to five percent at Archdiocese grade schools; when family incomes do not keep pace with these increases, additional aid becomes necessary: “Say tuition goes up five percent and your income doesn’t. There’s a wider gap, simply because of inflation. Who’s going to fill that gap? We need to fill that gap. You have to keep up with inflation. You have to support the kids.”

This year's scholarship funding comes from multiple sources: $4.7 million was provided directly by CEF; Catholic schools contributed $2.3 million; parishes within the archdiocese along with Community Catholic Center added another $1.6 million.

“We couldn’t be happier about it,” added Lechleiter. “It’s another record year in terms of funding. Our donors have been with us so consistently that this has been our 11th straight year that everyone who qualified got a reward.”

Supporters include individual donors as well as attendees at annual fundraising events such as spring's Salute to Catholic School Alumni Dinner and September's Salute to THE GAME Luncheon at Galt House Hotel. Last year these events raised $2.35 million while other donations brought an additional $2.5 million via mail or online contributions.

“We were able to answer the call again this year, and that’s exhilarating for all of us here,” said Lechleiter.

He stressed that providing access remains central: “We try to give people access to the experience of Catholic schools,” he said.“The partnerships we have developed over years with our Catholic schools office and the schools … means a lot to us.”

The foundation works closely with pastors, principals and other leaders so they know help is available if needed due changes in student circumstances:

“We are going to work together to work out the problem,” he said.“That student will not have to leave.That’s teamwork I’m talking about which is extremely valuable to our families.”