Grants for Catholic Schools 2026: 5,042 Funders

Catholic school source review, Grantsights, November 6, 2026: Grantsights checked the private school sections of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) at 20 U.S.C. 6320 (opens in a new tab) and 20 U.S.C. 7881 (opens in a new tab), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) rule at 34 CFR 300.133 (opens in a new tab), the E-Rate eligibility rule at 47 CFR 54.501 (opens in a new tab) and the IRS page on the 2027 federal scholarship tax credit (opens in a new tab) against foundation filings that name Catholic schools. Where official sources stop: no federal page says which family foundation in your diocese pays for a gym floor, which bank foundation buys Chromebooks for a parish school, or how much to ask for. The filings below answer those questions.

Grants for Catholic Schools: What 990-PF Filings Show

Grantsights analysis of 990-PF education grants pulled November 5, 2026 found 5,042 foundations that made 15,422 grants to 2,908 Catholic schools and school funds, worth $572,762,735. According to IRS guidance on Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab), private foundations use that return to report their charitable distributions and to figure the tax on investment income, so each grant here can be traced to a filed return.

The average grant is about $37,000, and almost no school should plan around it. According to the same pull, the median was $9,350, a quarter of the grants came in at $2,000 or less, a quarter reached $25,000 or more, and 6,763 of the 15,422 (44%) were $5,000 or under. A parish school asking a local foundation for $5,000 to $15,000 is asking for what most of these funders already give.

The money at the top is concentrated. According to the same filings, the 150 largest grants, about 1% of the count, add up to $173.3 million, or 30% of the national total, and the 72 grants of $1 million or more account for 21%. Here are 6 of the biggest:

One funder shows how repeat giving builds a total. The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation filed 11 grants of $550,000 or more to the Catholic Schools Center of Excellence in Minneapolis across tax years 2023 and 2024, worth $11,078,000 together. Gifts like those are a big part of why Minnesota, with only 180 funders, totals $41.1 million in the pull, second only to California, according to the state counts.

Many of the largest donors are family foundations that give to one school year after year: The Day Foundation's 2 operating grants, the Hofmann Family Foundation's $1,100,000 to De La Salle Academy in Concord, California in both 2023 and 2024, and the Goizueta Foundation's $1,250,000 to Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami in both years. Gifts like that often follow a long relationship with alumni, parents or board members. The filings record the purpose, not the tie, so a school without those families should start here, with the many smaller funders below.

5 Kinds of Catholic School Grants in the Filings

Recipients in the November 5, 2026 filings fall into 5 broad uses. Grantsights sorted them into the groups in the left column, and each example beside a group is an actual filed gift.

Tuition money is the most common named purpose. The Daniels Fund also gave Our Lady of Lourdes School in Denver $10,000 in 2024 for tuition assistance, the Koch Foundation gave St. Paul Catholic School in New Bern, North Carolina $10,000 in 2024 for the same purpose, and the Dwyer Charitable Trust gave Valley Catholic School in Beaverton, Oregon $5,000 in 2023 for student tuition assistance. At the large end, the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation gave Futures in Education in Brooklyn $1,000,000 in 2024 for tuition help to students from low-income families.

Bank and utility foundations pay for small purchases. The Thomaston Savings Bank Foundation in Connecticut paid for 13 security cameras at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Waterbury ($5,000, 2023), 2 basketball backboards at Holy Cross High School ($7,964, 2024) and an interactive whiteboard at Holy Disciples Catholic School in Watertown ($3,500, 2025). The Mississippi Power Foundation gave $6,000 each to the robotics teams at Our Lady Academy and St. Patrick Catholic High School in 2023.

Student mental health has become its own category. The Joseph J. Laurencelle Memorial Foundation gave $7,500 apiece in 2023 to 4 Detroit-area Catholic high schools, including Catholic Central in Novi and Loyola High School in Detroit, filed as mental health support. The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation gave the Diocese of Brooklyn's education department $559,455 in 2023 for mental health counseling in its schools.

Diocesan offices can ask for system-wide programs. For example, the Archdiocese of Denver received $1,200,000 from the Daniels Fund in 2024 for a Catholic school teacher pipeline, and the Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation gave the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Department of Catholic Schools $350,000 in 2023 for elementary school repairs and deferred maintenance.

Catholic School Grants by State

California's 531 funders lead the November 5, 2026 pull, and 51 jurisdictions (every state plus the District of Columbia) have at least 3. This table counts grants by the state where the school or fund sits.

Across every cause tag, the same match reaches 5,214 foundations and 16,086 grants worth $604,099,057, with a $10,000 median, according to the November 5, 2026 pull. The extra gifts carried no education tag on the return; they don't change which states lead.

California's Catholic school funders

California's 531 foundations made 1,547 grants worth $61,685,947 to Catholic schools, according to the November 5, 2026 pull. The free preview for California opens with the Odell RS & HP Fund, whose filings say it takes requests and list what to send, deadlines, limits and a contact. It gave 28 Catholic schools $2,190,000 in all, filed as general operating support: Immaculate Conception Academy in San Francisco $100,000 (2023), Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward $100,000 (2024), Salesian High School in Richmond $75,000 (2025) and Cristo Rey San José $60,000 (2024). That's a Bay Area high school funder, so a parish elementary school in Fresno should read further down the list.

Two more California funders in the preview, the Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation and the Joseph and Mercedes McMicking Foundation, also say they take requests. Larger California gifts include the Del Corazon foundation's $490,000 to Nativity Prep Academy in San Diego in 2024 for programs serving low-income children, and the Barbara and Gerson Bakar Foundation's tuition expense reimbursement grants to Notre Dame High School in Belmont ($494,427, 2023) and Holy Names High School in Oakland ($385,035, 2023).

Other state samples in the free preview

Several state samples are worth a look on the Grantsights education funder list. Ohio opens with the Wm. M. and A. Cafaro Family Foundation, which takes requests; it gave St. Rose Catholic School in Girard $117,000 in 2023 and JFK Catholic High School in Warren $100,000 in 2025. Texas opens with the Westerman Foundation, which lists deadlines and limits and gave Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and Saint Cecilia Catholic School in Dallas $50,000 each in 2024. Wisconsin's sample, the Green Bay Packers Foundation, gave Chilton Area Catholic School $6,000 in 2024 for gym equipment and Corpus Christi Parish School in Waukesha $3,000 in 2024 to replace an aging math curriculum.

Pennsylvania's sample is a poor fit. The Cigna Group Foundation's listed gifts are small general operating grants to schools in Ohio, Illinois and other states, all filed under a Philadelphia address, so they say little about who funds Pennsylvania's Catholic schools. Read past the first name there.

Why the Education List for Catholic Schools

Every one of the 15,422 Catholic school grants in this guide carried the education tag, which is why the education funder list is the right place to start. The statewide numbers below show how much education giving sits in the 6 states where Catholic school funders cluster, according to Grantsights analysis of 990-PF education filings pulled October 29, 2026.

Catholic schools are a slice of those rows, which cover public, private and higher education alike. The share of education funders saying they accept requests runs from 23% in California to 36% in Wisconsin, and a first request belongs with those open funders rather than with a family foundation that only gives to its own alumni. The education funder list covers all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and a school that finds it isn't worth the money can get a full refund within 30 days.

Federal Money for Catholic Schools: 5 Routes and Their Limits

Five federal routes reach Catholic schools, and only 3 of them involve the school applying for anything itself. Grantsights checked each against the statute or regulation on November 6, 2026.

1. ESSA equitable services through the district. Under 20 U.S.C. 6320 (opens in a new tab), the local school district must provide Title I services to eligible children enrolled in private schools after timely and meaningful consultation with private school officials, and the services must be secular, neutral and nonideological. The district's spending on them is tied to the number of children from low-income families who attend private schools. 20 U.S.C. 7881 (opens in a new tab) applies the same consultation rule to Title II-A (teacher training), Title III-A (English learners), Title IV-A (student support and enrichment), Title IV-B (21st Century Community Learning Centers) and Title I-C (migrant education). The Title I guide and the Title IV-A guide cover how those formulas work in public schools.

2. IDEA proportionate share. According to 34 CFR 300.133 (opens in a new tab), each district must spend a proportionate share of its IDEA money on special education for children with disabilities whose parents enrolled them in private, including religious, schools located in that district. 34 CFR 300.137 (opens in a new tab) adds that no such child has an individual right to the services they'd get in a public school, so the consultation meeting is where a Catholic school's students win or lose those services.

3. E-Rate discounts. E-Rate is a discount on internet and network services, not a grant. Under 47 CFR 54.501 (opens in a new tab), a school qualifies if it meets the statutory definition of an elementary or secondary school, isn't run as a for-profit business and doesn't have an endowment above $50 million. According to 47 CFR 54.505 (opens in a new tab), discounts on internet access run from 20% to 90% depending on the share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and whether the school is urban or rural, and a private school figures one rate for all students under its central administration.

4. School meals. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) runs the federal school lunch program. According to USDA, the National School Lunch Program (opens in a new tab) operates in public and nonprofit private schools, and 7 CFR 210.2 (opens in a new tab) defines a school as one of high school grade or under under public or nonprofit private ownership. A Catholic school signs up through its state agency, which pays the federal reimbursement for each qualifying meal.

5. FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program. Under 6 U.S.C. 609a (opens in a new tab), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) makes grants through the state to 501(c)(3) organizations at risk of terrorist attacks or other threats, for target hardening and other security work. According to FEMA's program page (opens in a new tab), last updated September 28, 2026, the FY 2026 program had $300 million, and FEMA announced those awards on September 28, 2026. As of November 6, 2026, no new round was posted there. The Nonprofit Security Grant Program guide covers timing and the state application.

What the ESSA Statute Doesn't Tell You About Catholic School Money

20 U.S.C. 7881(d) says control of the money, and title to any materials, equipment and property bought with it, stays with a public agency. Read that next to the filings and 4 practical lessons come out.

1. Equitable services won't show up in your budget. A tutor the district sends to your building is real help, but it's district staff or a district contractor, and the laptops it buys belong to the district. Don't count it as revenue when a foundation asks how the school is funded.
2. The consultation meeting is the whole game. Both sections require the district to consult private school officials before it decides anything, and 20 U.S.C. 6320 requires a signed written affirmation that consultation happened, with room for the school to say it didn't. A principal who skips that meeting, or signs without reading the allocation, gives away the school's share for a year.
3. The ombudsman exists for a reason. Each state education agency must designate an ombudsman to monitor and enforce equitable services under 20 U.S.C. 6320. If the district's allocation looks wrong, that's the office to call before a funder hears about the gap.
4. Diocesan offices carry more weight than a single school. Districts consult with "appropriate private school officials," and a diocesan schools office representing 20 schools is harder to overlook than one principal. Several of the largest foundation grants in the filings went to diocesan school offices for the same reason: one request covers many buildings.

Tuition Help: Scholarship Funds and the 2027 Federal Credit

Tuition aid is a large share of Catholic school giving, and from January 1, 2027 a new federal credit will change how some of it is raised. According to IRS guidance on participating states (opens in a new tab), individuals may be able to claim a federal scholarship tax credit (FSTC) of up to $1,700 ($3,400 for joint filers) for cash gifts to a scholarship granting organization (SGO), but only in a state that has opted in and given the IRS a list of qualifying SGOs. The credit doesn't exist for gifts made before 2027.

As of October 22, 2026, the IRS listed 30 participating states for 2027. Texas, Ohio, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, Indiana and Iowa are on it; California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Minnesota, which hold many of the Catholic school funders in this guide, are not. That list can change, so check it again before planning a 2027 campaign around the credit.

Many states also run their own tax-credit scholarship programs through certified scholarship organizations. Those rules differ by state; ask your diocese's schools office or your state education or revenue department which organizations are certified. Foundations already give heavily to these funds: the Robert L. McCarthy Charitable Trust gave Loyola Academy in St. Louis $750,000 in both 2024 and 2025 for academic scholarships, and the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities gave a Newark, Delaware parish $11,000 in 2024 toward helping families in need afford a Catholic education.

Common Mistakes in Catholic School Grant Requests

Grantsights checked 40 recipients by hand for this guide, and the 3 misses point to the first of 6 mistakes below.

• Sending a ministry pitch to an education funder. A common mistake is leading with faith formation when the funder's filings show tuition, reading or facilities grants. The Helen V. Brach Foundation's 2024 gifts to Chicago Catholic schools were each filed for a specific classroom need, such as literacy or classroom accessibility, not for the school's mission in general.
• Applying as the wrong legal entity. Many parish schools don't hold their own tax exemption letter and sit under the parish or diocese. A red flag for a funder is a request from a school whose name doesn't match the 501(c)(3) on the check, so confirm which entity applies before you submit.
• Underestimating the small funders. Schools underestimate how much comes from $2,000 to $10,000 gifts. The Westerman Foundation gave Sacred Heart Catholic School in Gallup, New Mexico $20,000 in 2024, and the Lee and Mary Volkmer Family Foundation gave St. Teresa's Catholic School in Lincoln, Nebraska $15,000 in 2023.
• Chasing the eight-figure campaign gifts. Gifts like the ALSAM Foundation's $7,500,000 to Judge Memorial in Salt Lake City are rare and usually come from families with deep ties to the school. Don't build a plan around them; the honest planning number is the $9,350 median.
• Skipping the school foundation. Several of the biggest gifts went to a school's own foundation or a regional fund, such as the Jesuit High School of New Orleans Foundation ($3,000,000 from the Robert and Lynn Murphy Foundation in 2025). See grants for school foundations for how those are set up.
• Not reading the funder's return. Check a funder's past Catholic school gifts with how to read a 990-PF first. A foundation whose Catholic school gifts all went to one high school's alumni fund won't answer a cold letter from a parish school across the state.

Cristo Rey, Nativity and Mission Schools

Cristo Rey and Nativity schools serve low-income students, and they draw some of the largest gifts in the count: 3 of the 10 biggest grants in the November 5, 2026 pull went to Cristo Rey schools. The WEM Foundation's $5,150,000 to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis (2023) and the Sarofim Foundation's $5,000,000 to Jesuit Cristo Rey High School of Houston (2024) lead that group.

Nativity middle schools get steady mid-size support. One organization in Massachusetts, the Nativity School of Worcester, received $600,000 from the Kenrose Kitchen Table Foundation in both 2023 and 2024 for a campaign, and Moccasin Lake Foundation gave Seattle Nativity School $600,000 in 2023, filed as a fund for 2 classes. Smaller gifts reach these schools too: the Green Bay Packers Foundation gave Nativity Jesuit Academy in Milwaukee $3,600 in 2024 for a camp program. Schools that serve mostly low-income students should say so in the first line of every request, since these funders are paying for access, not for the brand.

Related Guides for Catholic School Leaders

The federal rules that apply to every nonprofit private school, Catholic or not, are laid out in grants for private schools; this guide is about who funds Catholic schools in particular. Protestant, Lutheran, Adventist and nondenominational day schools have their own funders, covered in grants for Christian schools, and parish support that isn't tied to the school fits grants for churches.

For specific projects, see grants for school technology, grants for school athletics and the best grants for K-12 schools in 2026. A school that keeps student records and tuition payments online can price its security work with grants for cybersecurity, and a principal planning class outings can compare trip funders in grants for field trips. Open federal and state notices are listed by state in the Grantsights grant database.

FAQ: Common Questions

Are there grants for Catholic schools? Yes. 5,042 foundations made 15,422 grants to Catholic schools and school funds in the pull dated November 5, 2026.

How big is a typical grant to a Catholic school? The median was $9,350, and 6,763 of the 15,422 grants were $5,000 or less.

Can a Catholic school get federal grants? Mostly as services through the district (Title I, II-A, IV-A and IDEA), plus E-Rate discounts, school meals and FEMA security grants.

Are there grants for Catholic school tuition for families? No. Funders give to the school, diocese or scholarship fund, which awards the aid.

What is the federal scholarship tax credit that starts in 2027? A credit of up to $1,700 per person for cash gifts to an SGO in a participating state, starting January 1, 2027.

Which states have the most foundations funding Catholic schools? California (531), New York (461), Illinois (397), Ohio (360) and Texas (326).

Sources

• 20 U.S.C. 6320, participation of children enrolled in private schools (U.S. Code, 2024 edition) (opens in a new tab)
• 20 U.S.C. 7881, participation by private school children and teachers (U.S. Code, 2024 edition) (opens in a new tab)
• 34 CFR 300.133, IDEA expenditures for parentally placed private school children (eCFR) (opens in a new tab)
• 34 CFR 300.137, equitable services determined (eCFR) (opens in a new tab)
• 47 CFR 54.501, E-Rate eligibility for schools (eCFR) (opens in a new tab)
• 47 CFR 54.505, E-Rate discounts (eCFR) (opens in a new tab)
• USDA Food and Nutrition Service: National School Lunch Program (opens in a new tab)
• 7 CFR 210.2, National School Lunch Program definitions (eCFR) (opens in a new tab)
• 6 U.S.C. 609a, Nonprofit Security Grant Program (U.S. Code, 2024 edition) (opens in a new tab)
• FEMA: Nonprofit Security Grant Program (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: Federal scholarship tax credit participating states (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: About Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab)