What Catholic Education Foundation does

Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) is a nonprofit charitable trust established in 1987 by Cardinal Roger Mahony in Los Angeles, California. The foundation provides tuition assistance to financially deserving students attending Catholic elementary and high schools within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, covering the three counties of Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara. Its core Tuition Awards Program (TAP) provides $1,500 per student in grades Pre-K to 8 and $2,000 per student in grades 9-12 per academic year, with eligibility determined by 115% of the Federal School Lunch Program guideline and an average supported family income of approximately $40,000 per year for a family of four.

CEF operates a portfolio of programs beyond its core TAP award, including the Save Our Students (SOS) Program launched in 1998 for at-risk students, the Big Yellow Bus field-trip transportation program funded by the Steinmetz Foundation, the New Enrollment Initiative for underserved areas, and Art Trek and Porteous Sports enrichment programs funded by the Porteous Family Foundation. Tuition is distributed through participating Catholic schools via three annual application cycles, with families applying through their schools. Since inception, the foundation has distributed over $289 million in tuition assistance across more than 246,000 awards at over 200 Catholic schools, reaching more than 13,000 students with $25 million+ in assistance in the 2024-25 academic year alone.

CEF sustains operations through individual donations, foundation grants, and investment returns on a portfolio anchored by a $270.1 million holding in Watson Land Company and a $57.4 million endowment, generating $11.1M of dividend income and a net of -$11.3M of investment gains/losses in FY2025. In FY2025 the foundation reported total revenues of $7.57 million against $423.9 million in total assets. The foundation is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Archbishop José H. Gomez and led operationally by Executive Director Doug Cooper, with a staff of 11-50 supported by major institutional donors including the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Shea Family Charities, Steinmetz Foundation, and Porteous Family Foundation.

Name

Catholic Education Foundation

Legal name

Catholic Education Foundation of Los Angeles

Website

https://cefdn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit charitable trust providing tuition assistance to financially deserving students attending Catholic elementary and high schools within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, serving 13,000+ students at 200+ schools annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Nonprofit / Tuition Assistance

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Tuition assistance
• Scholarship programs
• Catholic education
• Education nonprofit
• Student financial aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grant Revenue: Individual donors, corporations, foundations, and organizations provide donations and grants to support tuition assistance programs. The organization states that 100% of every dollar given goes directly to tuition assistance.
2. Investment Returns: Returns from endowment investments and other investments including dividend income. The organization has significant endowment assets and investments in Watson Land Company and Shea Venture Opportunity Fund.
3. Tuition Assistance Program (TAP): Core program providing $1,500 per student in grades Pre-K to 8 and $2,000 per student in grades 9 to 12 each academic year based on financial need using 115% of the Federal School Lunch Program guideline as threshold.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Catholic Education Foundation operates a Tuition Awards Program (TAP) that provides need-based tuition assistance — $1,500 per student for grades Pre-K–8 and $2,000 per student for grades 9–12 each academic year — to financially deserving students attending Catholic elementary and high schools within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Eligibility is based on financial need using 115% of the Federal School Lunch Program guideline as a threshold. CEF also runs the Save Our Students (SOS) at-risk program, New Enrollment Initiative, Big Yellow Bus transportation program, and Art Trek / Porteous Sports enrichment programs, all funded through individual donations, corporate gifts, foundation grants, and endowment investment returns.

Product overview

The Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) is a non-profit organization that operates as a portfolio of tuition assistance programs rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include the Tuition Awards Program (TAP), which provides direct financial aid to financially deserving students in Catholic elementary and high schools throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and the Save Our Students (SOS) Program for at-risk students. Supporting programs include the New Enrollment Initiative (NEI) for new student enrollment, the Big Yellow Bus Program for field trip transportation, and the Art Trek & Porteous Sports Program for enrichment activities. CEF also runs community fundraising events including Night at the Range and the CEF Racing Team. CEF was established in 1987 and has provided over $289 million in tuition assistance to more than 246,000 students attending over 200 schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tuition Awards Program (TAP) Core tuition assistance program providing $1,500 per student in grades Pre-K to 8 and $2,000 per student in grades 9 to 12 each academic year for financially deserving students attending Catholic elementary and high schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
• Save Our Students (SOS) Program Complementary tuition awards program initiated in 1998 supporting students identified as at-risk, providing Catholic education as a path to success for students facing extreme circumstances.
• New Enrollment Initiative (NEI)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $289 million in tuition assistance provided since 1987
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• St. Sebastian Sports ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership enabled 400 students to attend a performance of The Nutcracker presented by SMArts education arts program.
• TACSC (The Association of Catholic Student Councils)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSummer 2024 partnership sent inner-city Los Angeles Catholic school students to a week-long leadership conference at Loyola Marymount University.
• Los Angeles DodgersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough 'Baseball Unites' program with Cardinal Timothy Dolan (NY). Archbishop Gomez's winning wager raised funds for LA Catholic schools with CEF receiving $12,058.
• Archdiocese of Los AngelescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEF is established within the Archdiocese and works with the Department of Catholic Schools. All schools are dually accredited through WASC and WCEA.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ACE Scholarships: Provides K-12 private school scholarships for low-income families using a needs-based eligibility framework, directly comparable to CEF's Tuition Awards Program in mission, award structure, and school-network distribution.
• Seton Education Partners: Catholic-focused nonprofit that operates and supports inner-city Catholic schools and scholarship programs. Comparable to CEF in mission, target demographic, and Catholic K-12 ecosystem positioning.
• Step Up For Students: Florida scholarship organization administering multiple school-choice programs (e.g., Florida Tax Credit, Gardiner). Directly comparable as a large-volume K-12 private school scholarship administrator, though funded by state tax-credit mechanisms rather than private donations.
• Children's Scholarship Fund: National nonprofit providing K-8 private school scholarships to low-income families, mirroring CEF's tuition-assistance model and family-of-four income eligibility focus, but operating across multiple cities rather than a single diocese.
• Catholic Schools Foundation: Another Boston-based Catholic school tuition assistance foundation serving the Archdiocese of Boston. Highly comparable to CEF in mission, fundraiser-driven revenue model, and K-12 Catholic-school distribution.
• Inner-City Scholarship Fund: Boston Archdiocese-affiliated nonprofit providing tuition assistance for low-income students at Catholic schools. Closest functional twin to CEF given the parallel Archdiocese-to-school distribution model and Catholic-school focus.

Emerging players

• Folds of Honor: Provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of fallen or disabled military service members. Comparable as a high-impact, donor-funded K-12/higher-ed scholarship nonprofit with similar fundraising-event tactics and mission-driven branding.

Others

• Catholic Charities of Los Angeles: The social-services arm of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, providing broader human services to low-income families in the same region CEF serves. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, as it serves overlapping demographics but does not focus on K-12 tuition assistance.

Broad incumbents

• National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA): Largest U.S. professional membership organization for Catholic education, serving as the umbrella entity for Catholic schools including those supported by CEF. Comparable as a sector-level institution in the same Catholic K-12 ecosystem.
• EdChoice: National nonprofit advancing school choice and private-school scholarships through research, advocacy, and state-level program design. Adjacent to CEF as a broader K-12 private-school funding ecosystem player, though not a direct scholarship provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cefdn
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKeSnGZfIW8cWK2C1F--xPQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/catholiceducationfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/cefdn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catholic-education-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Catholic Education Foundation