History of the Tuition Assitance Fund

The Archdiocese of Washington is committed to keeping our schools affordable and to seeking creative ways to help families in need. Archbishop Wuerl sought, through the development of the new Policies for Catholic Schools, to find a more equitable way to distribute assistance to the schools.

In the summer of 2008, the archdiocese piloted a successful tuition assistance program. Archbishop Wuerl wanted to rethink how subsidies were given to support our schools. Instead of continuing to provide year-end subsidies to cover operating deficits, money would be provided to schools in the form of tuition assistance to help families and to strengthen enrollment. This approach proved effective because schools retained families who would have withdrawn due to financial reasons and recruited families who would not otherwise have enrolled. This strategy increased the schools’ income and avoided year-end deficits.

For years, parishes contributed for archdiocesan-wide support of Catholic schools. As of July 2010, the archdiocese revamped the policy ensuring a more equitable support for Catholic education across all parishes. The new policy provides schools with additional tuition monies and the ability to offer more children a quality Catholic school education.

The Archdiocese of Washington has also sought out significant new funds for tuition assistance. Established in 2009, the Archdiocesan Tuition Assistance Fund is integral to the success of the tuition assistance program.