FUTURES IN EDUCATION

The mission of Futures in Education (Futures) is to ensure that an excellent Catholic education continues to be a viable option for current and future generations of deserving students in Brooklyn and Queens through tuition assistance and program support to some of the most under-served schools and academies. Many students receive the exciting news that they have been accepted to a Catholic school only to realize that their families simply cannot afford it. It is Futures’ vision to ensure that a Catholic school education is not solely for children of those with financial means, but rather open to all who desire it.

Futures in Education's strategic process involves identifying ways in which we can best advance our mission to fund the education of low-income deserving students in Brooklyn and Queens who attend Catholic elementary schools in the Brooklyn Diocese. With the guidance of our Executive Director and board, our staff engages in a variety of fundraising efforts, including requesting contributions from individuals, companies, foundations and special events. We are fully committed to meeting our fundraising goals and committed to revisiting strategies on an ongoing basis as our internal and external environments change. Through this process, we are able to determine our staff's capacity to accomplish goals and we also look ahead and plan for the future on a continuous basis.

Futures has a proven track record in successfully fundraising for students. We have provided over $100 million of these scholarships for over 28,000 children since inception in 1989. Futures in Education is governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of 21 individuals in high-level leadership positions in finance, business, higher education, law, and religious sectors. The Board of Trustees may include up to three members designated by the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and up to 30 total members who are elected. The Board’s elected officers are the Chairman, Vice Chairman, Executive Director, Secretary, and Treasurer. Futures’ staff, led by Executive Director John Notaro, currently has 20 full-time employees with years of experience in fundraising, program management, business management, event planning, marketing, communications and a variety of administrative skills and educational requirements to fulfill their roles. Created in 2018, the Future Leaders Next Generation Board, made up of several young professionals who support the mission of Futures through advocacy, volunteerism, and fundraising, supplements the Board of Trustees.

Futures’ is pleased to report the following fundraising accomplishments in the past year:

-The 2018 Round for Kids Golf Outing, held in June at the North Hills Country Club, raised $200,000 for scholarships
-The 2018 Annual Scholarship Dinner, Futures’ major fundraising event held in October at Cipriani Wall Street, raised more than $2 million in support of Futures’ programs
-Since our launch in 1989, Futures has awarded over $100 million in scholarships to more than 28,000 students, and $50 million of that tuition assistance has been in just the past seven years

Furthermore, Futures achieved several academic accomplishments that directly speaks to the value, quality and success of Futures’ programs:

-1,664 students (71% of 8th grade graduates) went on to attend Catholic or other specialized high schools
-503 students were offered $4.3 million in merit-based scholarships to attend these high schools
-46 students were accepted into specialized schools
-In 2017, 99% of students in Catholic secondary schools graduated within four years compared to 74.3% for all NYC high schools, and 74.4% and 77.8% of Brooklyn and Queens public schools, respectively
-98% of Catholic secondary school graduates went on to college while only 63.5% of NYC high school graduates were considered college-ready
-ELA and Math test results consistently outpaced NYS and NYC schools
Per pupil spending averaged $7,500 compared to $20,729 per pupil in NYC public schools, saving NYC taxpayers over $700 million annually