92 Hopmeadow St, Weatogue, CT 06089
About Us
The Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools
We are a non profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in late 1982 and incorporated in 1983, whose purpose is to support students and the Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Hartford. We primarily distribute scholarship grants and support special projects.
The Foundation is keenly aware of the needs of families who have determined that a Catholic school education is the right choice for their child but for whom the cost of tuition is prohibitive.
FACS raises the dollars needed to fulfill its mission with fundraisers, including the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast in Hartford.
We also count on the generosity of donors who contribute to our annual appeal, to special projects, and who remember us in their planned gifts and wills. We ask you to help us to invest in students.
We are committed to help as many students as we can.
We are also committed to building a strong endowment which will be a significant source of support to our non-profit Foundation and the schools of the Archdiocese of Hartford making FACS an excellent repository for those whose wish to give a lasting gift in support of Catholic education in the Archdiocese. Some donors have chosen to endow special funds within the FACS portfolio to show their enduring support for specific schools or regions. FACS stewards and distributes those funds according to the wishes of the donor.
Through this outpouring of generosity and vision, we were able to distribute over $550,000 in scholarship awards and grants for Academic Year 2024-2025!
Because none of our scholarships cover the full cost of tuition, all our school families commit to doing their share as full partners in their children’s education and this often involves a significant sacrifice.
For more information about the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Hartford visit the website of the Center for Catholic Education and Formation.
FACS (The Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Gifts to FACS are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. If you would like to make a charitable gift to FACS, have questions about how you can include FACS in your estate plans or have other question please contact:
Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools
92 Hopmeadow St., Weatogue, CT 06089
Phone: 860-325-5096 FAX: 860.325-5098
Our Leadership
The Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools (FACS) is a non-profit organization which is operated by a volunteer board of trustees. These are the great people who give so generously of their time.
Trustee Officers Board of Trustees Emeritus Trustees
Chairman and Trustee Manny Astiasaran Francis W. Busch
Brian A. Giantonio, Esq. Kevin P. Brady Robert J. Lane
Kevin J. Carroll Maureen E. Kerrigan
Vice President Douglas E. Cote Irene S. Melasky
Charles E. Hunt, Esq. Rev. Daniel G. Keefe Ronald J. Meoni
Andrew S. Knott, Esq. James A. Pettit
Treasurer Rev. Ryan M. Lerner Msgr. David M. Walker
Patricia A. Teufel Jane I. Milas
Paula Fahy Ostop Executive Director
Secretary John J. Patrick Cynthia Basil Howard
Nancy M. Palmisano Rev. Jeffrey V. Romans
Anita L. Schepker, Esq. Assistant Director
John C. Shea Laurie Schock
Mark C. Sinatro
Rev. Michael Whyte
Our mission
It is the mission of the Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools to support and assist the parish schools and the Archdiocesan High Schools by providing funding for scholarships and special projects. The Foundation believes that Catholic schools provide students with an “education for a lifetime”, especially for the poor and underserved children and youth of the Archdiocese of Hartford. We exist because caring people who understand the value of Catholic schools to the child, the family, the neighborhood, Connecticut and society as a whole have been donating time, talent and treasure for over 40 years.
Foundation Policies
It is the intention of FACS to increase the accessibility of Catholic education to families in the Archdiocese of Hartford. Therefore, the majority of the grants funded by FACS are direct scholarship assistance particularly to deserving students.
On occasion, the Foundation will consider a grant from a school requesting funding for a special project from funds for which the donor has given FACS discretion in distribution, or funds the donor has earmarked for special projects.
No grants will be considered to defray operating expenses or repairs, sponsorship of fundraising events, admission to events or, advertising in program booklets and the like.
