Foundation of the Advancement of Catholic Schools

What Foundation of the Advancement of Catholic Schools does

The Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools (FACS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in late 1982 and incorporated in 1983, headquartered at 92 Hopmeadow St, Weatogue, Connecticut. Its mission is to support students and the Catholic schools of the Archdiocese of Hartford primarily through the distribution of scholarship grants and funding for special projects. Named beneficiary schools include parish schools and Archdiocesan high schools such as Northwest Catholic High School, St. Paul Catholic High School, East Catholic High School, Catholic Academy of Waterbury, and others. For Academic Year 2025-2026, FACS distributed over $435,000 in scholarship awards and grants, serving hundreds of individuals annually.

FACS operates with a small paid staff of three (Executive Director Beth Pritchard, Assistant Director Laurie Schock, and Associate Ann-Marie Germano) supported by a large volunteer board of trustees that includes clergy, attorneys, and community leaders. The organization has no proprietary technology infrastructure; it relies on a standard website (facshartford.org), PayPal donation buttons, email newsletters, and a dedicated planned giving portal. Its revenue model is built on four streams: individual donations and annual appeals, event sponsorships (Golf Classic and St. Patrick's Day Breakfast), corporate partnership program fees (introduced 2016), and planned giving vehicles including bequests, charitable gift annuities, and named endowed scholarship funds (minimum $50,000 to establish).

Go-to-market is event-driven and donor-direct. The two anchor fundraising events are the FORE FACS Golf Classic held in August at TPC River Highlands, with sponsorship tiers ranging from $250 tee signs to a $20,000 presenting title sponsorship, and the Annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast held in March in Hartford, with sponsorship tiers of $5,000-$12,000. Donations are accepted via website, mail, phone, and in-person. The foundation's geographic scope is the Archdiocese of Hartford in Connecticut, with no documented expansion beyond this region. FACS markets through its website, email newsletter, social media, annual newsletters (2021-2025), student spotlight stories, and limited PR coverage in Hartford-area media.

Name

Foundation of the Advancement of Catholic Schools

Legal name

Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools

Website

https://facshartford.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools (FACS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1982/1983 that distributes scholarship grants and special project funding to students and Catholic schools within the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut, raising funds through donations, annual events, and planned giving.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Scholarship fundraising
• Catholic education support
• Nonprofit scholarship grants
• Planned giving programs
• Annual fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Weatogue

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Primary revenue stream consists of donations from individuals, families, and organizations who support Catholic school education in the Archdiocese of Hartford. This includes annual appeals, one-time gifts, and contributions to special projects.
2. Event Sponsorships: Revenue generated from corporate and personal sponsorships at annual events including the FORE FACS Golf Classic and St. Patrick's Day Breakfast. Sponsorship tiers range from $250 to $20,000 at the golf event, and $5,000-$12,000 for breakfast sponsorships.
3. Planned Giving: Long-term revenue through planned gifts including bequests, charitable gift annuities, life insurance, IRAs, real estate gifts, and endowed scholarship funds (minimum $50,000 to establish a named endowed scholarship). These create sustainable funding for the foundation over time.
4. Partnership Program: Corporate sponsorship program introduced in 2016 offering partners various benefits including event tickets, advertising, and recognition across FACS publications and digital channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FACS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that raises charitable dollars and distributes scholarship grants to help families afford Catholic school tuition in the Archdiocese of Hartford, and funds special projects at parish and Archdiocesan high schools. It generates that revenue through individual donations, annual appeals (Investing in Futures - FACS Fund), corporate event sponsorships, planned gifts, and endowed scholarship funds (minimum $50,000).

Product overview

The Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools operates as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization focused on supporting students and Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Hartford. Its core offerings include scholarship grant distribution (over $435,000 for 2025-2026), the Annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast event, the FORE FACS Golf Classic tournament, Planned Giving with endowment options, the FACS Partnership Program for corporate sponsors, the Investing in Futures annual appeal, and a Student Spotlight program featuring recipient stories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scholarship Grants Program Provides tuition-assistance scholarship grants to students in the Archdiocese of Hartford to make Catholic school education affordable for families who cannot pay full tuition. Awarded to families through the foundation's scholarship process in coordination with parish and Archdiocesan schools.
• Annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast Annual fundraising breakfast event in Hartford celebrating Catholic school students and the mission of FACS, offering corporate sponsorships ($5,000-$12,000) and VIP seating with the Bishop.
• FORE FACS Golf Classic Annual golf tournament fundraiser held at TPC River Highlands, offering corporate and personal sponsorships ranging from $250 (tee sign) to $20,000 (Presenting Title Sponsor) plus foursomes, VIP reception with the Bishop, and hole sponsorships.
• Planned Giving Program Structured planned giving vehicles for donors, including bequests, charitable gift annuities, life insurance, IRAs, real estate gifts, and named endowed scholarship funds (minimum $50,000), creating sustainable long-term funding for Catholic school scholarships.
• FACS Partnership Program Corporate partnership program offering sponsors benefits including event tickets, advertising in program books, and recognition across FACS publications, website, social media, and partner digital channels.
• Investing in Futures - FACS Fund (Annual Appeal) Annual fundraising appeal accepting tax-deductible contributions to support FACS scholarship grants and special projects for Catholic school students in the Archdiocese of Hartford.

Quantifiable outcome

• $435,000 distributed in scholarship awards and grants for Academic Year 2025-2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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 core and minor.

• FACS Partnership Program MemberscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016Corporate sponsors who join the FACS Partnership Program receive recognition benefits including event tickets, advertising in programs, and acknowledgment across FACS publications, website, social media, and partner digital channels. The program was introduced in 2016 to offer comprehensive partnership opportunities.
• Center for Catholic Education and FormationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner within the Archdiocese of Hartford. FACS directs families to the Center for Catholic Education and Formation for more information about Catholic schools in the Archdiocese.
• Nick Fradiani (Season 14 American Idol Winner)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFormer Catholic school alumnus who recorded a video message of encouragement for FACS students. His parents attended the 2019 Columbus Day Breakfast as FACS guests.
• TPC River HighlandsminorOthersGolf course venue for the FORE FACS Golf Classic. Provides signage, hole sponsorship, and event facilities for the annual fundraiser.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fulcrum Foundation: Archdiocese of Seattle Catholic school scholarship and sustainability foundation. Matches FACS in targeting a single archdiocese, raising scholarship aid, and building endowment for tuition assistance.
• Catholic Education Foundation (Los Angeles): Archdiocese of Los Angeles scholarship organization providing K-12 tuition assistance to families attending Catholic schools. One of the largest Catholic K-12 scholarship funds in the U.S., directly comparable in mission.
• Catholic Schools Foundation (Boston): Independent nonprofit that raises and distributes scholarship funds for low-income students attending Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Boston. Closely mirrors FACS's mission, archdiocese-level scope, scholarship model, and donor-based fundraising approach.
• Tomorrow's Hope Foundation: Long Island–based Catholic education scholarship foundation supporting students in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. Operates with a similar endowment-building, tuition-assistance, and event-based fundraising model.
• Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia: Archdiocesan foundation managing endowed funds, planned gifts, and scholarship support for Catholic education in the Philadelphia region. Comparable in endowment-building and Catholic education mission.
• Today's Catholic Education Foundation (Diocese of Tucson): Diocese-level Catholic education scholarship foundation raising funds for tuition assistance and school programs. Closely aligned with FACS's mission and operational model.
• Inner-City Scholarship Fund (Boston): Provides tuition assistance for Catholic school students in greater Boston, with a similar event-driven and major-donor fundraising model. Directly comparable in scale and beneficiary population.

Broad incumbents

• National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA): National membership and advocacy organization for Catholic K-12 schools. Not a direct fundraiser for Hartford scholarships, but the umbrella body whose constituency and policy environment shape FACS's operating context.
• Archdiocese of Hartford Office of Catholic Schools: The official archdiocesan body overseeing all Catholic schools in the Hartford region that FACS serves. Acts as a channel and partner for FACS scholarship distribution, and represents the broader institutional ecosystem FACS supports.

Regional players

• Archbishop's Annual Appeal (Hartford): The Archdiocese of Hartford's own annual fundraising campaign that overlaps with FACS's donor pool in the same geography. Represents a competing but adjacent fundraising mechanism for Catholic mission support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/facshartford

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Foundation of the Advancement of Catholic Schools