SCM Annual Fund

We ask that 100% of our parents make a gift or pledge by November 29, 2022. Completing the annual fund drive before December gives St. Catherine’s solid financial footing for the remainder of the school year and also allows us to shift focus to other fundraising priorities in the spring. 

 

Although the drive runs for six weeks, we follow up with families who have yet to give or pledge throughout the school year, and absolutely accept annual fund contributions after the drive ends. The deadline to give and fulfill all annual fund pledges for 22-23 and to appear in the Annual Report is April 30, 2023.

The 22-23 SCM Annual Fund goals are $200,000 and 100% parent participation. We ask that every family make a gift that is commensurate with their financial capacity and desire to have an impact. The average family gift to the annual fund falls at around $1,000. It is our hope that every family will consider giving at this level or above, however, every gift makes a difference.

St. Catherine’s accepts gifts via check, credit card, cash, and securities. Some families give through donor advised funds and family foundations. Online gifts and pledges can be made at www.stcathmont.org/annualfund. Checks can be dropped off at the Front Desk or mailed to St. Catherine’s – please note “Annual Fund” on the memo line.

 

Contact Lyndsey Ray, advancement director, at [email protected] or (713) 665-2195 to discuss securities transfers, giving through a donor advised fund, making a qualified charitable deduction from your IRA, or including St. Catherine's in your planned giving.

 

We also encourage donors to use their employers’ matching gift programs to maximize philanthropic contributions to the school. These programs provide a great opportunity for donors to match, double, or even triple the amount of their gift. Consult with your company’s human resources or charitable giving department to find out how to submit gifts made to St. Catherine's for company matching. Click here to view a list of matching gift companies that have supported St. Catherine’s and other schools in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in recent years.

At St. Catherine's, as at most independent schools, tuition and fees only cover a portion of the cost to educate every student. Gifts to the annual fund bridge the difference. 

 

Maintaining affordable tuition for families who wish to send their children to St. Catherine's is a fundamental principle in which our foundresses, Sister Edna Ann Hebert, O.P. and Sister Shirley Owens, O.P., firmly believed when they opened the school in 1966. It is a value that holds true today. If we did not raise funds each year to support the school's daily operations, the only other method to fully fund operating expenses would be to increase tuition. St. Catherine's has been able to grow because of our history of generous community giving.