Development Office: Endowment Foundation

History of Foundation

In 1989, Holy Spirit Regional School heeded the call to sustain quality Catholic education in the Huntsville community. Administrators and pastors began an Endowment Trust Fund, commonly referred to as The Foundation. Since 1989, due to the generosity of many donors who value the gifts of a Catholic education, our trust fund has grown. Now, each year, the Foundation gives the operating budget of the school $10,000 (from earned interest) to offset the true cost of each student’s education. In the 2001-2002 school year tuition covered just 77% of the Operating expenses of the school.

“Catholic Schools have always strived to uphold the value of making its value-based educational experiences accessible to students of all economic backgrounds regardless of ability to pay. While the leaders of Catholic schools want the schools to remain accessible, the challenge ahead is keeping Catholic education affordable. Tuition can only be increased so much before schools price themselves out of the market place. Fundraising (BASH) can only reap so much. There needs to be a third source of revenue to keep tuition from rising beyond the means of middle-income families. Building an endowment is the answer that will sustain quality Catholic education into perpetuity.”
- Rev. William E. Hayes, SJ and Mr. Steven Beaird, CFRE

In 2000, the Foundation merged its annual fundraising Gala with the PTO to create the BASH, Building an Academic and Spiritual Heritage. Proceeds from the evening are split (60% PTO and 40% Foundation) between both organizations to maximize our present and future school needs. Recently, the Foundation Board of Directors set new 5 year funding goals to build the Endowment. Attaining these goals is crucial to the preservation of affordable tuition rates in the 21st century.

The Development Office oversees the many avenues donors have when making a gift to the Foundation. Major donors ($5,000 and above) are members of the Praetorian Society, and pledge their gifts over five years. Others make use of their company’s Matching Gift Program to increase their donations. Most donors become Friends of the Foundation with their annual gifts ($1 to $5000). Gifts of Real Estate, Annuities, Life Insurance and Bequests are all viable means of contributing to continued Catholic education at Holy Spirit Regional School. The Development Office publishes The Foundation, the Endowment Fund newsletter, three times a year. In addition to school news, it helps keep parents, grandparents, alumni, parishioners and friends involved in the progress of the trust fund. Please prayerfully consider a donation to the Foundation. No gift is too small to benefit our children and endow our future.