Brooklyn's Progress
April/May 2005

Children’s Scholarship Fund (CSF), a national scholarship organization funded exclusively with private dollars, has partnered with the Futures in Education Foundation which provides scholarships to low-income children in parochial schools in Brooklyn and Queens.
 
Spurred by the financial crisis facing many Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens, CSF is providing a one to two matching grant opportunity.  Futures must raise $600,000 a year for four years, which CSF will match with a grant of $300,000 each year. If the full amount is raised, the grant will provide partial scholarships for more than 600 families. Every dollar will help send a child to a Catholic school in Brooklyn or Queens. Because of CSF’s challenge grant, a donation of $100 to Futures would be worth $150 and a $10,000 contribution becomes $15,000 of scholarship money.
 
If Futures does do not raise the necessary funds, the matching grant opportunity is lost as is the chance to help hundreds of children who want to attend Catholic school in September but are prohibited by the cost. With the help of generous individuals, corporations and organization in Brooklyn and Queens, Futures can help make the dream of a sound, value-centered education a reality for many struggling families of varied backgrounds.
 
Many parents who want to send their children to Catholic schools simply cannot afford to pay the average annual tuition of $3,100. This economic squeeze on parents is forcing 26 schools too be closed or consolidated in June.
Jean O’Shea, Executive Director of Futures in Education  is thrilled by the opportunity and believes the timing could not be more perfect, “With this $300,000 matching grant from the Children's Scholarship Fund, we have the opportunity to send more than 600 new children to our schools next year. With the help of the local and business community, we can reach our goal of $600,000 and meet the demands of hundreds of low-income families in Brooklyn and Queens who desperately want their children to go to a these schools. If there was ever a time to show how much you believe in the Brooklyn and Queens Catholic schools, that time has come.”

To help, call or visit Futures in Education's Web site at  http://www.futuresineducation.org/ Parents can apply for a scholarships on the CSF Web site at http://www.scholarshipfund.org/.