CHARLOTTE — Seven Catholic schools are receiving a total $130,000 to use for tuition assistance this fall, thanks to the Diocese of Charlotte’s “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign.
The $65 million FFHL campaign is funding capital projects, endowments and other needs across the growing diocese. Included in the campaign is a tuition assistance endowment available to 20 schools in the diocese. The endowment has more than $3.9 million in assets.
The $130,000 will go to seven diocesan schools that applied for the 2022-’23 school year. The funds are expected to help dozens of participating Catholic families who have the greatest financial need.
Tuition assistance funds were awarded to: Asheville Catholic School, $47,700; Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville, $31,000; Immaculata School in Hendersonville, $7,100; Immaculate Heart of Mary School in High Point, $10,500; Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro, $8,200; Sacred Heart School in Salisbury, $19,500; and St. Michael School in Gastonia, $6,000.
“We are so grateful to FFHL for the opportunity it provides our families,” said Erin Brinkley, principal of Sacred Heart School in Salisbury, where 20 students are receiving tuition assistance from these funds. “FFHL helps fulfill the mission that Catholic education can be possible for anyone.”
The FFHL tuition assistance endowment is administered by a committee consisting of the diocese’s schools superintendent, chief financial officer and members of the diocesan school board. Available income from the endowment is distributed to qualifying diocesan schools that apply each year for student financial aid.
An endowment is a permanent fund, the principal of which is never touched, but the income from which can be used according to the wishes of the donor organization or person. Endowments provide a way to generate income and help sustain the long-term strength and viability of the recipient parish, school or ministry.
To date, a total of $730,230 has been awarded to the diocese’s schools. In its first year in 2017, FFHL tuition assistance totaling $49,372 was given out to four diocesan schools. In 2021, $173,400 was awarded to eight schools.
“The tuition assistance endowment is one of seven endowments funded through the FFHL campaign. The FFHL campaign continues to have a significant impact on the work being done in parishes and in ministries across the diocese that provide services to parishioners. It is significant that over $730,000 has been given out in tuition assistance that helps students receive an education that will literally change their lives,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development.
To qualify for the tuition assistance money, the school must receive local parish support of at least $500 per participating Catholic student and must have awarded all of its tuition assistance funds it already has for that school year. Schools that do not receive $500 per student in parish support may be considered if there are extenuating financial circumstances that preclude this level of support. Qualifying schools may request funds from the FFHL endowment for participating Catholic students with a financial need (determined to be 75 percent or more of the family’s full tuition and fees, as determined by a third-party company).
The tuition assistance endowment is one of seven endowments funded through the FFHL campaign.
— SueAnn Howell