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A SPICE 2003 Program
CARE – Charitable and Responsible Endowments
Archdiocese of Indianapolis, Indiana
This program operates a foundation which receives and distributes money to urban Catholic elementary schools, and a trust which provides financial assistance to poor families.
The Catholic Community Foundation for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis has monies specifically directed from endowments to support the Urban Catholic Elementary Schools located in the center of the city. All of these schools have populations that qualify them for Title I services. Free or reduced-cost lunch students make up 35-90% of their enrollment. Three are consolidated schools serving nine parishes; one is a merger of two schools. Of the 32 Catholic elementary schools in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, 7 serve primarily students in poverty; and a total of 64% of the families are not Catholic; although in particular schools this percent is much higher.
The endowments have different names and have been initiated by various individuals and groups. Some were begun while a person was living and then added to by memorial contributions. The largest endowment is the "Making a Difference Fund" which was begun in 1997 from a bequest in a priest's will of $5,375.34. Subsequently $4,000,000 was added to the fund from pledges to the Legacy of Hope Campaigns made by Catholics through out the archdiocese. A formula is used to allocate about $1 million to these schools annually.
The Educational Choice Charitable Trust was begun in 1990 by J. Patrick Rooney, a businessman in the community, to give poor families the opportunity to send their children to nonpublic schools. If a family's income falls within the federal guidelines and it lives within the area served by Indianapolis Public Schools, it can receive $1,000 toward the child's tuition. The Catholic Urban Schools received 74% of these scholarship funds through 2000.
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National Catholic Educational Association
