Tuition Assistance

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Many families want to send their children to a Catholic school, but cannot do so without financial assistance. In order to help make Catholic school education more affordable, there are several tuition assistance programs offered by the Archdiocese through local Catholic schools.

Parish Tuition Assistance
Catholic Schools with parish affiliations often have access to special funds awarded by the parish to the school for disbursement. Application for these funds is made directly through each local parish school.

Archbishop's Annual Appeal
When you give to the Archbishop's Annual Appeal, your generosity enables families in need to procure a Catholic education for their children and also helps Youth and Young Adult Ministries to continue on-going educational programs. Over $1 million of each year's total appeal goes towards these efforts. Tuition assistance that helps disadvantaged students afford a Catholic education is our biggest priority. More than $600,000 in scholarships, aid, grants, and other assistance is disbursed. Over $200,000 helps parishes develop religious education programs and expand youth ministry. Catholic high schools are able to share in $150,000 designated for capital repairs.

Extra funding is also available for children with learning disabilities through the PRIDE (Pupils Receiving Inclusive Diversified Education) Program and Harambee, a special program for African-American youth. These programs receive nearly $100,000 thanks to the Cardinal's Lenten Appeal.

If you would like more information about how you can donate to the Archbishop's Lenten Appeal, please write, call or send an email to:

The Archbishop's Annual Appeal
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: 410-547-5365
Email
Website

Application for tuition assistance funds from the Archbishop's Annual Appeal is made directly through each local Catholic school.

Partners in Excellence
In response to the many challenges facing Baltimore's inner-city Catholic schools, the Partners in Excellence initiative was formed to seek out corporate leaders or foundations who share the belief in the value of providing a quality education for at-risk youth. The program seeks to build corporate partnerships for inner-city Catholic schools that broadens their base of financial support, particularly in the form of scholarship assistance grants.

The Archdiocese has operated Catholic schools in the city of Baltimore for over 135 years, graduating over 400,000 students to date. Today there are 7 Catholic schools in the inner-city participating in this program. They are:

Archbishop Borders School
St. Casimir School (formerly Fr. Kolbe School)
St. Frances Academy, East Baltimore (high school)
St. Francis of Assisi, Northeast Baltimore
SS. James & John Campus, East Baltimore
Mother Seton Academy, Fells Point (middle school)
St. Thomas Aquinas School

More than 5,000 students are educated each year in Archdiocesan inner-city schools. Eighty percent of students are minority, most are not Catholic, and over 63% of students are from families below the poverty level. Large pools of applicants are on waiting lists for tuition assistance. In addition, more than half of the students come from single parent households.

These schools employ a dedicated, experienced team of approximately 475 teachers and administrators. Fifty-six percent of teachers hold Master's degrees and/or have 10+ years of experience. The schools boast an enviable student-teacher ratio. Elementary schools have a 24:1 or smaller student-teacher ratio and in high schools it's 19:1 or smaller.

If you are a parent of a student and want information about this program, please contact the schools directly. If you would like to join our impressive list of corporate and foundation donors, please contact the Department of Development at 410-547-5356.

For more information about Partners in Excellence, visit their website.

Lawrence Cardinal Shehan Scholarship
Lawrence Cardinal Shehan had the great foresight in 1974 to realize that rising education costs might preclude financially disadvantaged inner-city youngsters from receiving a quality education in Baltimore City Catholic elementary schools. The Lawrence Cardinal Shehan Scholarship Fund was created from this concern.

While costs have steadily increased, populations within the city have decreased resulting in lower income and fewer students. Parishes find it impossible to meet the necessary financial requirements. The Cardinal Shehan Scholarship makes a difference in a school's future and gives a child an educational opportunity that otherwise may not be within reach. Since 1984 the Scholarship Fund has exceeded $9,000,000 in scholarships to families.

The Knott Scholarship Fund
The Knott Scholarship Funds awards scholarships to academically talented Catholic students who wish to continue their education in a Catholic school within certain areas of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

On the elementary level, these scholarships are awarded for FULL tuition in grades five through eight at a Catholic elementary school. Secondary scholarships pay FULL tuition at a Catholic high school, and college scholarships are available to the three Catholic colleges in Maryland. On their site, www.knottscholar.org, you can read the history of their scholarships, review requirements for each level of scholarship, learn about their current scholars, and pour over the latest edition of their newsletter, Knott Scholar News. To apply for a Knott Scholarship, the student must meet all of the criteria described using the links below.

Elementary Scholarships
Secondary Scholarships

Carolyn D. Bradley Scholarship
Awarded through the Institute for Educational Advancement, the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship is awarded to exceptionally gifted middle school students who have demonstrated academic and personal excellence. The application process takes place when the student is in 7th grade.

Contact the Institute for Educational Advancement
625 Fair Oaks Avenue, Suite 285
South Pasadena, CA 91030
(626) 403-8900
www.educationaladvancement.org