Catholic schools within the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, will be the benefactors of the largest single donation to Catholic educational institutions in US history. The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, a non-profit that works in Northwestern Indiana areas, has pledged $150 million over the next 10 years.
The donations will be made to the Big Shoulders Fund, an independent charitable organization that concerns itself with providing children with a high quality, values-based education. Big Shoulders began in Chicago, but expanded to Northwest Indiana in 2019 at the invitation of the Diocese of Gary.
According to the diocese’s announcement, the historic 9-figure donation will be put towards “initiatives that aim to improve the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Gary.” Executive Director of Big Shoulders Fund Northwest Indiana Dan Kozlowski called the endowment a “tremendously generous gift”:
“With the excellent partnership of the Diocese of Gary at our side, this gift will transform the education landscape in Northwest Indiana to positively impact our communities for generations. This is an incredibly exciting moment,” Kozlowski stated.
The diocese noted that the allocation of the funds will focus on serving students and communities with the greatest amount of economic and educational need” in the region, with no preference for “race and ethnicity, sex, religious affiliation, or financial ability.” There are at least 20 schools within the diocese that will benefit from the donation, including 17 elementary schools and three high schools.
Bishop Robert McClory of the Diocese of Gary hailed the White family for their historic investment in the diocese’s Catholic schools. He noted that it presents “great hope for the future,” and expressed his humility over such an “enormous vote of confidence for Catholic education.”
“This gift creates an opportunity for the Diocese of Gary to fulfill our mission even more vibrantly to support families and enhance our schools to become an extraordinary model of Catholic school education,” the bishop commented. “We are eager to go forward and experience the impact this commitment and collaboration will have on the lives of our students, their families, our teachers, and our communities.”
Learn more about the Big Shoulders Fund at the charity’s official website.
