It is the responsibility of the entire Catholic Community—bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and laity—to continue to strive toward the goal of making our Catholic schools available, accessible, and affordable to all Catholic parents and their children… the entire ecclesial community is called to value ever more deeply the importance of this task and mission and to give it its full and enthusiastic support.
–US Conference of Catholic Bishops
The McMahon Parater Scholarship Foundation recognizes the importance of affordable Catholic education for all families. Currently, tuition assistance does not keep pace with the needs of even the lowest income families. By providing tuition assistance through scholarships, the Foundation helps to ensure that schools in the Diocese of Richmond remain a financially viable option for Catholic families and others who share our values.
In 2021-22, the McMahon Parater Scholarship Foundation, the Diocese, and local Catholic schools provided nearly $6 million in tuition assistance.
The tragedy is when the cost of tuition forces families to withdraw their children from the Catholic school of their choice.