CM Receives $2.5 Million Grant from the Yawkey Foundations - Largest Gift in School History
Dear Catholic Memorial School Community,

We are pleased to announce that Catholic Memorial has received a $2.5 million grant from the Yawkey Foundations, which is the largest gift received in the school’s history. This gift will be used to create the Center for Integrated and Applied Learning where the administrative wing is located currently.
The Center for Integrated and Applied Learning will become the focal point of our current 12-acre campus. It will offer cutting-edge studio classrooms and open, modern workspaces which encourage problem-solving, collaboration, adaptability, and the capacities necessary to succeed in college and thrive in today’s workplace. The forward-thinking and flexible design will provide a better space for our faculty whose instruction challenges and inspires students to test concepts, engage in scientific discovery and artistic expression while utilizing 3D printers, laser cutters, and the newest technology. The design will promote strong student-teacher relationships, enhance the close-knit community, and offer a progressive approach to learning.
"The Center for Integrated and Applied Learning will become the focal point of our current 12-acre campus. It will offer cutting-edge studio classrooms and open, modern workspaces which encourage problem-solving, collaboration, adaptability, and the capacities necessary to succeed in college and thrive in today’s workplace." 
Research demonstrates that boys thrive in hands-on, real-world relevant, and interdisciplinary educational settings. The Center is designed to enhance the education of young men through project-based and applied learning, which fosters the skills necessary to succeed in the tech-heavy Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

We are extremely grateful to the Yawkey Foundations for this generous gift. The Yawkey Foundations are the philanthropic legacy of Tom and Jean Yawkey. As a result of the Yawkeys’ generosity, the Yawkey Foundations have awarded more than $450 million in grants to nonprofit organizations serving the people of New England and Georgetown, South Carolina since 1977.
The Yawkey Foundations have been consistent supporters of CM providing scholarships for students from diverse backgrounds for the past 14 years. They have also been supportive in CM's facility improvements and campus expansion. The Yawkey Foundations support of our mission has had a profound effect on the lives of countless students and families, for which we are deeply grateful. This gift builds upon this legacy and supports our mission.

Over the past four years, CM has raised over $13.3 million in gifts and pledges to support our Edmund Rice mission. This philanthropic support has underwritten key initiatives at CM including increasing financial aid, attracting the most talented faculty, and providing an outstanding student experience. In 2016 and 2017, Catholic Memorial had the two most successful fundraising years in the 60-year history of CM.

This grant is a transformational gift and will enable the school to continue forward on its educational and campus master plan. The cost to renovate our existing administrative wing into a nucleus of 21 st century education and teaching is $8.5 million. With the gift from the Yawkey Foundations, Catholic Memorial has now raised $5.3 million from generous donors towards this project. 
We are confident that the CM community will help us to raise additional financial support in the months ahead. We are excited for the work ahead and are grateful for this generous gift. We know that it will have an immediate and lasting impact on our community. Most importantly, this will enhance teaching and learning and have a significant impact on all CM’s boys.

If you would like to know more about this transformative project and are interested in supporting this effort, please feel free to contact Jack Moynihan, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, at 617-469-8017 or [email protected].

S  incerely, 
Dr. Peter F. Folan
President