I have been involved with the Inner-City Scholarship Fund (ICSF) from the beginning, dating back to late 1990. Since that time, the ICSF has helped raise more than $59 million for partial scholarships and helped over 68,000 students achieve their goals. Add to this the more than $30 million given to our endowment, the $5 million donated for counseling programs, the more than $10 million given to our CS-CAN computer upgrade program, and funds for after-school programs, teacher training, and upgrading school books, plus additional millions given to our neighborhood schools, and we are well over $100 million. It’s an incredible amount that has made a huge difference in the lives of so many children and their families. The ICSF depends upon the generosity of donors like you — people dedicated to helping provide partial scholarships for low-income students attending our schools. We have a great product to offer children, but the vast majority of our students come from single-parent homes or homes where parents are working two jobs to stay afloat.

When this great product becomes cost prohibitive to parents due to the required tuition payment, our schools suffer and end up under enrolled. We need to reach out to more children, provide more scholarship assistance, and increase enrollments. Through your support, nearly $7.5 million in partial scholarships will be distributed to more than 7,500 needy students during the 2006–2007 school year.

Our schools offer students the tools and support to develop their intellect, to become responsible citizens, and to contribute to making society a better place. I find it amazing that these schools have performed well in spite of a number of challenges: decreasing resources, shifting city demographics, and a difficult economy for lower-income families that attend our schools. While many of these challenges are beyond our control, the greatest challenge — the inability of families to afford the cost of tuition — is one that can be overcome with your help. As we move forward, our goal is simple: reach more of the 9,000 kids who currently receive zero assistance, and pay a greater portion of the cost of tuition for those students we currently assist. On behalf of these students and families you have already helped, thank you!

Peter S. Lynch
President
The Catholic Schools Foundation, Inc.