Paying tuition to send a child to Catholic elementary school is an investment in his or her future – one that will have a positive, life-changing effect. Families who send their children to Catholic schools understand this better than anyone and are more than willing to make the necessary sacrifices to give their children the opportunities they deserve. Making this decision and then making the tuition payments is not always easy and sometimes not always feasible. That’s where Futures in Education steps in.

Futures in Education was established in 1989 as community leaders in the Diocese of Brooklyn recognized that families were struggling to meet the ever-rising tuition costs, as the days of low tuition and parish-subsidized schools became a thing of the past. The organization’s mission is to provide tuition assistance and program support to the neediest students attending Catholic schools in the diocese. Ultimately, the scholarships awarded through Futures’ programs make the Catholic school decision possible for families most in need.

After families complete one application, students are potentially eligible for one of three programs sponsored by Futures in Education. The Diocese of Brooklyn Scholarship Program, funded in large part by the Annual Catholic Appeal, offers partial scholarships to families in need of tuition assistance for students in pre-k to eighth grade enrolled in diocesan elementary schools.

The Bishop’s Scholarship Program, created in conjunction with the Children’s Scholarship Fund (CSF), which also financially supports the program, stimulates enrollment of students from public schools into Catholic schools for those families with financial need of tuition assistance in line with CSF’s aim to maximize educational opportunity for all children.

The ‘Be an Angel to a Student’ Program allows a donor to pays a portion of a student’s tuition. Angels receive notes and progress reports on how their student is doing. An annual Angel Reception gives students, families and principals an opportunity to express their gratitude to the Angels and share their stories.

Collectively 5,500 students attending Catholic elementary schools in Brooklyn and Queens received $6.4 million in tuition assistance from these three programs in the 2011-2012 school year – an investment that lives up to the Futures in Education motto: “Changing Lives Through the Gift of Education.”

More information about the scholarships and ways to give can be found at www.futuresineducation.org.