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Catholic Schools Foundation

A new opportunity to support Catholic education

Friday, October 24, 2025Culture

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The regulatory details are being drafted now, but one detail is certain, the only way students in Massachusetts will benefit is if the governor chooses to opt-in to participate.

Michael
Reardon

Every student has a story.
At the Catholic Schools Foundation (CSF), we are privileged to witness thousands of stories each year -- stories of perseverance, faith, and hope. These stories are made possible by the generosity of donors who believe, as we do, that a Catholic education changes lives.
This year, CSF must raise $15 million to honor the commitment we made to families this school year. This is an ambitious goal, and we must succeed because we must keep our promise. One in eight students in the Archdiocese of Boston attend their school because of support from CSF. If CSF were not to keep this promise, the very structure of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Boston would not survive.
Sharing in the work of the teachers and principals who change lives each day and asking donors to support this is at the heart of what we do. Private philanthropic support is the engine that fuels our work, and beginning in 2027, there may be an additional opportunity to help meet the growing need for scholarships through a federal tax credit for qualifying donations.

This new tax credit was made law via a provision in the federal budget bill passed in July. This law allows every taxpayer in the U.S. to give up to $1,700 to a qualified Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO) for use in the state where the SGO is located. The regulatory details are being drafted now, but one detail is certain, the only way students in Massachusetts will benefit is if the governor chooses to opt-in to participate.
If the governor chooses not to opt-in, then taxpayers will still be able to make up to a $1,700 donation to an SGO in another state. The donor will receive a tax credit of up to $1,700 on their taxes, but not one dollar will go to help a student in Massachusetts. It is our prayer and hope that the governor of Massachusetts decides to opt-in and allow these funds to be used to benefit students and families in Massachusetts.
Some have argued that $1,700 is not a meaningful amount of money to make a difference. I wholeheartedly disagree. $1,700 is more than enough to change lives, and a recent correspondence with the mother of a scholarship recipient drove this point home for me.
In this email, the mom shared how her son was struggling to have his educational needs met during a time of significant family challenge. She described how her son was adrift in the system and came to identify himself as being on "team stupid." The mother, desperate for help, reached out to a nearby Catholic school. She prayed they could help, and thanks to an incredible reading program and with an emergency fund grant from CSF, they were afforded a life-changing experience.
To use mom's words (with identifying information removed): "It was the life-changing event that (my son) needed to alter his educational trajectory. The one year that (he) spent at (this school) unequivocally changed my son's life. (His) academic and spiritual growth while there fostered his acceptance to a (Catholic high school).
"(He) is presently a confident and proud junior in high school. My family will be forever grateful to the Catholic Schools Foundation. It has given my son an opportunity for a second chance at learning and growing in an environment where he is understood and supported. Because of this scholarship, (he) has gained confidence in himself and discovered that his faith and perseverance can overcome challenges"
This emergency fund grant was for $1,500. To some, this is not a lot of money, to this mom, $1,500 "unequivocally changed" her son's life. Imagine if every taxpayer in Massachusetts were allowed to make a gift of $1,700 to CSF? How many more stories would there be to tell?
Every student has a story, and hopefully, in 2027, there will be more resources to bring these stories to life.

- Michael B. Reardon is executive director of the Catholic Schools Foundation, www.CSFBoston.org.