Chicagoland

Big Shoulders, Schools office announce new scholarships

By Michelle Martin | Staff Writer
Sunday, July 21, 2013

Families who have not been able to send their children to Catholic schools because they could not afford to will have new options for scholarships this year.

The Big Shoulders Fund, an independent organization that provides scholarships and other resources for inner-city Catholic schools, announced June 18 that it will provide $6.5 million in new three-year Access Scholarships.

Under the program, Big Shoulders will pay $150 a month for 10 months for each student, and the students’ families will match that amount. Each school will absorb any tuition cost beyond the $3,000 provided by Big Shoulders and the families.

Meanwhile, the Office for Catholic Schools is piloting its own Caritas Scholars, a program that is among the first fruits of the “To Teach Who Christ Is” capital campaign. Next year, $2 million will be allocated to need-based scholarships at 54 schools. The initial group includes some that also receive help from the Big Shoulders Fund, and some that do not, said Sister Mary Paul McCaughey, the superintendent of Catholic schools.

Recipients’ families will pay half the cost of tuition, with the rest covered by the three-year scholarships, which, like Big Shoulders’ are available to new students only.

The goal, McCaughey said, is not only to expand access to Catholic schools in middle- and lower-income communities, but also to strengthen the financial viability of schools by increasing their enrollments.

Big Shoulders already provides scholarships to more than 5,000 students at the 93 schools it helps support with annual funding of $12 million to $14 million. In addition to scholarships, Big Shoulders provides marketing and enrollment support, professional development, curriculum, technology and other investments.

“The Access Scholarship program will create opportunities for even more children to have the opportunity of a quality education in neighborhoods across the city, which is at the core of our mission,” said Joshua Hale, president and CEO of the Big Shoulders Fund. “We are incredibly mindful of and grateful to the significant number of donors that remain committed to helping children and families by expanding their investment in Big Shoulders and the students we serve.”

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