Seeds Of Hope Of Northern Colorado Inc

TO MAKE CATHOLIC EDUCATION FINANCIALLY ACCESSIBLE TO ANY FAMILY WHO SEEKS IT.

SEEDS OF HOPE (SOH) PROVIDES "HOPE SCHOLARSHIPS" TO LOW-INCOME FAMILIES AND THEIR STUDENTS TO ATTEND A CATHOLIC K-8 SCHOOL WITHIN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF DENVER (AOD). THESE SCHOLARSHIPS ADDRESS THE OPPORTUNITY GAP FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES TRYING TO BREAK A CYCLE OF POVERTY BY CHOOSING TO ATTEND A QUALITY SCHOOL. BY PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS AND TUITION ASSISTANCE, SOH GIVES FAMILIES THE CHOICE TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO A CATHOLIC SCHOOL WHERE SPIRITUAL, MENTAL, ACADEMIC, AND PHYSICAL FORMATION IS PROVIDED. SOH'S MISSION IS TO "CULTIVATE MINDS AND HEARTS FOR CHRIST BY STRIVING TO MAKE A TRANSFORMATIVE CATHOLIC EDUCATION FINANCIALLY ACCESSIBLE TO ANY FAMILY WHO SEEKS IT". IT IS OUR BELIEF THAT STUDENTS WHO DESIRE THE BENEFITS OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE TURNED AWAY BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL LIMITATIONS. STUDIES SHOW THAT STUDENTS IN IMPOVERISHED, HIGH-MINORITY AREAS PERFORM BETTER AND HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS IF THEY CAN CHOOSE A QUALITY EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT. THE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS SERVED THIS YEAR BY SOH OFFER EXACTLY THAT - A QUALITY ALTERNATIVE TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND PROVIDE: A FAITH-BASED SETTING, A SAFE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT, A NURTURING COMMUNITY THAT REINFORCES FAMILY, HIGHER LEVELS OF PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT, AND A RIGOROUS ACADEMIC CURRICULUM. OUR SCHOOLS AND CLASSROOMS FORM THE WHOLE CHILD, FULLY COMMITTED TO EDUCATING AND FORMING WITNESSES WHO WILL TRANSFORM THE WORLD, YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE PREPARED TO BE SAINTS AND LEADERS IN OUR COMMUNITIES. WITH THAT IN MIND, IN FISCAL YEAR 2022, SOH OFFERED "HOPE SCHOLARSHIPS" RANGING FROM $500 TO $3,000 PER STUDENT, DEPENDING ON NEED. APPLICATIONS FOR ASSISTANCE ARE REVIEWED TO DETERMINE WHETHER STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES MEET THE SOH HOUSEHOLD INCOME-ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES, BASED ON THE U.S. FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINES (FPG). ALTHOUGH FAMILIES MAY RECEIVE ASSISTANCE FROM SOURCES IN ADDITION TO SOH, FAMILIES ARE ALL REQUIRED TO CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY TO THEIR CHILDREN'S TUITION. PARENTS MAKE SIGNIFICANT SACRIFICES TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COST OF TUITION TO ENSURE THEIR CHILDREN RECEIVE A CATHOLIC EDUCATION. THIS CONTRIBUTION FROM THE FAMILY CREATES A SENSE OF PRIDE AND ACCOUNTABILITY BECAUSE THE FAMILY IS DOING SOMETHING VALUABLE FOR THEIR CHILDREN. SOH (INC. AND TRUST) CONTINUES TO EXPAND ITS MISSION TO SERVE LOW-INCOME, HIGH MINORITY POPULATIONS BY OFFERING HOPE SCHOLARSHIPS TO ANY INCOME-ELIGIBLE STUDENT/FAMILY ATTENDING ANY OF THE 33 AOD CATHOLIC K-8 SCHOOLS. QUALIFYING STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES AT ANY AOD CATHOLIC K-8 SCHOOL ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A HOPE SCHOLARSHIP. DURING THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2022, CONSOLIDATED AND COMBINED SOH (INC. AND TRUST) PROGRAMS PROVIDED TUITION ASSISTANCE AND GRANTS TO SCHOOLS TOTALING APPROXIMATELY $2,600,000 TO APPROXIMATELY 1,050 STUDENTS. AS A CONTINUED SERVICE FOR THE OFFICE OF CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, SOH CONTINUES TO MAINTAIN AND DEVELOP THE ONLINE VARIABLE TUITION PROGRAM (VTP), WHICH GATHERS IMPORTANT DATA AND INFORMATION FROM FAMILIES AND STUDENTS TO HELP SCHOOLS CALCULATE AFFORDABLE TUITION. DURING FISCAL YEAR 2022, THE VTP WAS OPENED UP TO 24 AOD CATHOLIC K-8 SCHOOLS. ALSO IN FISCAL YEAR 2021-2022, SOH INSTITUTED A BOARD-APPROVED PILOT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE ONE-TIME BLOCK GRANTS TO SCHOOLS TO IMPACT CLASSROOMS, SUPPORT TEACHERS AND HELP SCHOOLS DEMONSTRATING CATHOLIC EDUCATION MISSION RENEWAL THROUGH A PROGRAM CALLED "MISSION RENEWAL/CLASSROOM IMPACT GRANTS PROGRAM". SCHOOL PRINCIPALS COMPLETED AN APPLICATION TO MAKE A REQUEST FOR THIS GRANT. A TOTAL OF $439,275 WAS GRANTED TO AOD CATHOLIC K-12 SCHOOLS FOR THIS SUCCESSFUL AND IMPACTFUL PROGRAM.