Foundations in Education
Transforming Lives Through Education
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Catholic education has been an option for families and a gift to children who otherwise may have limited education opportunities. We believe children should have options and their future should not be dictated by the zip code they are born into, thus relegated to a local underperforming public school. Foundations in Education seeks to address the following challenges: (1) Affordability – through tuition assistance, Foundations in Education aids families in need financial assistance, so their children can choose to attend a Catholic school within the Diocese of Bridgeport; 2) Innovation - Foundatins in Education promotes innovation in the classroom through a competitive grants program for teachers; (3) Leadership Development- Foundations in Education supports teachers and administrators through leadership and professional development grants and students through our Leaders of Tomorrow scholarships.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Bishop's Scholarship Fund
Bishop's Scholarship Fund awards $2,500,000 in tuition assistance to more than 1,300 students from low income families so that they may choose a values based Catholic education to help form, inform and transform students as life long learners and future leaders.
Leaders of Tomorrow
A program of the Bishop's Scholarship Fund. Leaders of Tomorrow are eligible students selected by their principal as students of strong academic, exemplary character and who demonstrate leadership potential.
Innovation and Leadership Grants
Innovation and Leadership Grants promote innovation in Catholic schools within the Diocese of Bridgeport through a competitive grant process. These grants for teachers and administrators are intended to encourage new and creative projects or initiatives in the classroom and to provide best in class programs for students. Projects may be piloted and are intended to be scaled for broader impact in subsequent years.
Where we work
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Bishop's Scholarship Fund
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We support students in Kindergarten through 8th grade, so they may benefit from a vlues based and excellent education.
Amount of funds awarded for tuition assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Bishop's Scholarship Fund
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2020, we received a donoation of $1,000,000 in COVID emergency tuition assistance for families impacted by the pandemic.
Number of Innovation and Leadership projects funded by grants
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Innovation and Leadership Grants
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2020, all teachers and staff in the Dioceseof Bridgeport Catholic Schools received recongition awards for their leadership and sacrifices throughout the pandemic, in addition to our annual grants.
Amount of funds awarded through Innovation and Leadership Grants
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Innovation and Leadership Grants
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Foundations in Education’s commitment to education is two-fold: (1) To provide tuition assistance, ensuring that all families who wish to send their children to Diocese of Bridgeport-sponsored Catholic elementary schools of their choice are able to do so regardless of their financial situation; and (2) To provide grant funds to encourage innovation in the classroom and professional leadership development among teachers and administrators to help guarantee an even brighter, more stable future for our Catholic schools.
Measurements of success for these two programs include the following:
Bishop’s Scholarship Fund desired outcome:
• Provide tuition assistance grants to students with a defined calculated need, providing them access to an excellent academic experience.
• Retain 80% of the student recipients in the school system through graduation from elementary school.
• Achieve 97% advancement to the next grade level at the successful completion of the school year for all students benefitting from tuition assistance.
Innovation and Leadership Grants program desired outcome:
• Provide a minimum of $125,000 each year to fund grant awards
• Ninety percent of projects will continue beyond the awarded year
• A minimum of 50% of grant applicants will be awarded
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Fundraising efforts are ongoing, with individual contributions and proceeds from the Annual Gala raising the majority of the funds for the Bishop’s Scholarship Fund and the Innovation and Leadership Grants program. The Diocese contributes annually to the Bishop's Scholarship Fund as well.
In the winter of each year, the Bishop’s Scholarship Fund program invites applications from families in need of tuition assistance. Foundations in Education as well as school principals communicate with families about the Fund and tuition assistance to build awareness and support families during the application process. Awards are made based on need and with respect to the Feeral Poverty Level measures.
The educational demands of today must be addressed in a new and comprehensive way. In order to accomplish this, educators are challenged to engage this next generation of learners in a more personalized and targeted manner. Our extraordinary teachers are encouraged to implement creative projects and initiatives that will benefit students at multiple grade levels. Their lessons, done well, will have a long-term impact on students’ learning.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Foundations in Education is led by an exceptional Board of Trustees. Our programs and efforts, including tuition assistance and grant awards, fundraising,and communications activities are managed by a team of four employees headed by an award-winning Executive Director.
In February and March each year, families in need of tuition assistance fill out and submit an application through FACTS Management Company, providing all necessary financial documentation. All applications are vetted and considered by the Scholarship Committee of the Board of Trustees, which assigns awards to each qualifying family and pays the school on the family’s behalf.
Each September, Foundations in Education invites the teachers and administrators of Diocesan-sponsored Catholic schools to submit grant requests for projects aimed at innovation in the classroom or professional development opportunities focused on expanding instruction for students and encouraging leadership stability in the system. The Innovation and Leadership Grants Committee of the Board of Trustees considers each application and decides which projects will be granted awards. The award implementation period is from July 1 to June 30 each year.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since our inception, the Bishop’s Scholarship Fund program has provided needed tuition assistance to students through the issuance of more than 8,200 awards:
• $2,111,052 was awarded to 1,573 elementary and high school students in 2015-2016.
• $2,240,793 was awarded to 1,255 elementary school students in 2016-2017.
• $2,582,000 was awarded to 1,302 elementary school students in 2017-2018.
• $2,540,250 was awarded to 1,380 elementary school students in 2018-2019.
• $2,798,800 was awarded to 1,456 elementary school students in 2019-2020.
• $3,705,053 was awarded to 1,276 elementary school students in 22020-2021.
• $2,422,700 was awarded to 1,200 elementary school students in 2021-2022.
The Innovation and Leadership Grants program awarded nearly $600,000 in 104 grants since our inception. These grants are intended for innovative projects or initiatives that benefit students and that will have a long term impact on student learning. Many of the projects were adapted to distance learning during the 2019-2020 school year. With the ongoing flexibility in instruction required to accommodate different learning styles and environments, the need for creative instruction solutions is greater now than ever before.
During the 2020-2021 academic year, all faculty and staff (800+) in Diocese of Bridgeport Catholic Schools were recognized with a monetary gift in recognition of their selfless and heroic care for their students throughout the COVID upheaval.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Foundations in Education
Board of directorsas of 06/28/2022
Thomas MCInereny
Bluff Point Associates
Term: 2019 - 2023
Thomas E McInerney
Bluff Point Associates
David Cappiello
Capitol Hill Group
George Coleman
Early Childhood Sysstem Development Specialis
Lisa Ferraro Martino
Timothy FitzPatrick
Parsons & Whittemore
Michael Hanlon
Diocese of Bridgeport
Leslie Lopez
Consultant
Andrea Maldon
Retired, Lone Pine Capital
Anne McCrory
Diocese of Bridgeport
Thomas McDevitt
Edgewood Capital Advisors
Dr. Julia McNamara
President Emerita, Albertus Magnus College
Mcihele Mitola
Children's Scholarship Fund
Joseph Purcell
Morgan Stanley
Geoffrey Raker
Tailwind Capital
Bernard Reidy
US Trust, Bank of America
Barbara Ripp
Henry Rondon
Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference
Michael Shea
Retired, Global Imaging Systems
Jennifer St. Victor-de Pinho
Sr. Mary Grace Walsh, ASCJ
President, Cor Jesu Academy, St Louis, MO
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data