Supporting Our Future Through Catholic Schools

News From CCF-LA | August 20, 2021

When you think back on your elementary and high-school years, what comes to mind? If you are like us, you probably think about the excitement of the first day of school, your classmates who became lifelong friends, special school traditions that you enjoyed, and teachers who taught you just as much about life as they did about academics. Why? Because like us, your classmates, teachers, and school community shaped who you are today.

Since 1987, the Catholic Education Foundation has helped shape the lives of hundreds of thousands of students who attended a Catholic school in the three counties of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Over the last 35 years, and more importantly during these unprecedented times, our CEF team and Board of Trustees have never lost focus of its vital mission to provide tuition assistance to the most financially deserving students to attend a Catholic elementary and high school.

In addition to laying the foundation for academic achievement, it is our Catholic-school communities that will continue to nurture and enrich the lives of the over 10,000 students currently receiving a tuition award this school year.

We both agree that the greatest blessings in our lives have been our Catholic-school education. We are grateful to serve the mission of CEF and the thousands of families in our Archdiocese to make a Catholic-school education accessible and affordable to the students who represent the future of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Doug J. Cooper

Executive Director

Theresa Fragoso

Director of Operations, Programs & Chief of Staff

School Days,

School Days...

As our Catholic schools open this month to welcome returning and new students, they are emerging from more than a year of Covid-19 restrictions and closures. Throughout these months, faculty and staff never forgot their sacred duty to educate while they adapted to new operating requirements.

By any objective measure, Catholic schools provide an important choice for an effective, affordable, and quality pre-K through high-school education. Catholic schools are nimble, effective, and innovative. With their independence, academic track record, affordability, inclusiveness, and deep roots in local communities, they are ideally positioned to help students rebound from the disruptions and impacts of the pandemic.

Catholic schools provide a well-rounded education in science, reading and writing, critical thinking, math, fine and performing arts, and the social-justice teaching of our faith. These are the essentials necessary to achieving a successful and fulfilling life. Just as important as academic success, Catholic principles and traditions remain at the core of the educational mission to inform students about making ethical and moral choices throughout their lifetimes.

It begins with a safe and nurturing environment. In recent years, Catholic-school supporters have invested tens of millions of dollars to upgrade learning tools, facilities for classrooms and playgrounds, and in development of our teachers. These recent capital projects, which include new STEM labs, renovated athletic facilities, and upgraded technology and building infrastructure, have increased enrollment at several schools and now serve as a template for future projects already in the planning stages.

Ask me or any other Catholic-school graduate about the importance of a Catholic-school education in the formation of their careers, work ethic, and success in life. If our schools were free, every desk would be filled. But they are not free. In my mind, every child deserves the choice and the opportunity to attend a Catholic school. Financial help is available at each school site for academic scholarships and for tuition assistance through the Catholic Education Foundation of Los Angeles, which recently launched a new five-year, $50 million tuition-support initiative funded entirely by private donations.

Making an investment in a Catholic-school education for children, especially the marginalized and poor, is an investment for life in those students, their families, their neighborhoods, and our world.

— Kathleen H. Anderson

President and Executive Director

From the Desk of Our CFO

The financial markets remained strong in July, with stocks once again hitting record highs during the month despite concerns over the surging Covid-19 Delta variant. In addition, inflation continued to climb but the Federal Reserve remained steadfast that the U.S. economic recovery remains on-track. They also noted at this time the job market still has “some ground to cover” before it would be appropriate for the Fed to withdraw some economic support.

For the month of July, the Balanced Pool portfolio experienced a 0.94% gain; the positive performance can be attributed to fixed income and domestic equity (with the exception of small cap value orientated strategies). Performance through July 31 was 9.76%. The Intermediate Fund returned 0.79% for the month, and 5.29% year to date.

— Andrew O'Boyle

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Featured Fund:

Catholic Education Foundation

Now more than ever, a Catholic education is a lifeline for students and families in Los Angeles, providing safety, support, and faith in a time of uncertainty and anxiety. The Catholic Education Foundation ensures that Catholic education is within reach for the neediest families in our Archdiocese.

CEF supports students at 209 schools across the Archdiocese and gave 10,022 tuition grants for the 2020–2021 school year. Since its founding 35 years ago, CEF has awarded $225 million in tuition assistance. The impact is extraordinary: 98 percent of CEF students graduate with the qualifications to begin at a four-year university compared to 50 percent of those in public schools.

By giving to the Catholic Education Foundation Fund, you can support these students and their families on their path to success.

A Thank-You to Our Teachers

‘A Homeroom Angel in Green Bay’

This headline, from a June 10 article in the Wall Street Journal, caught the eye of a longtime CCF-LA client. The piece reported that an anonymous donor in the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin, had given $1,000 each to Catholic-school teachers in the Green Bay Area Catholic Education network, more popularly and aptly known as “Grace.”

This so inspired our client and his family that they followed in kind, making the same gift to two local schools through their funds at CCF-LA. In their case, their gift provided an end-of-school bonus that acknowledged the achievement of teachers fulfilling their calling during this period of remote learning.

We shared this story with our clients and more joined the effort to gift Catholic-school teachers with a welcome-back bonus as they prepare to instruct again on-site and thank them for the monumental task they have performed in the last year and a half, giving our students an advantage for life through a Catholic education.

Here is what a couple of the teachers had to say:

“I am so thankful and feel extremely blessed to receive this gift! After such a trying year, it feels great to be recognized.”

“Your generosity will help my family take a camping trip this summer. There are not enough words to express my gratitude; you have put a smile in our hearts during these difficult times.”

The momentum CCF-LA has achieved is due in large part to stories like these, allowing our granting to exceed $241 million in just six short years. It is also a testament to the power of one gift that becomes the power of many.

Voices of CCF-LA

From Our Intern Program: Understanding the True Work of Philanthropy

Seminarian Intern Paul Collins reflected on his time at CCF-LA, learning both the nitty gritty of our business, as well as the role philanthropy plays in the everyday work of the church.