National Catholic education leaders gathered Oct. 6 in Washington for the National Catholic Educational Association’s annual gala as states and scholarship organizations prepare for the Jan. 1 launch of the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit.
The IRS says individual taxpayers may be able to claim a federal credit of up to $1,700 for qualifying contributions to scholarship-granting organizations beginning in 2027. The FSTC rules require a state to annually submit a list to the Treasury Department of SGOs in their state to which taxpayers make donations to receive the credit. The Education Department’s fact sheet identifies eligible uses beyond private school tuition, including tutoring at public schools and services for students with disabilities.
“Families should know that this program reaches beyond private-school tuition,” said Steven Cheeseman, NCEA president and CEO. “It can help families who believe a Catholic or another nonpublic school is the right place for their child. It can also help an eligible student remain in a public school and potentially receive support for tutoring, books, technology, special-needs services or a qualifying extended-day program.”
The annual gala is a signature NCEA event featuring the Elizabeth Ann Seton Awards, named in honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and her lifelong dedication to education. This year’s recipients included Archbishop Angelo Vincenzo Zani, former secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education and Archivist Emeritus of the Vatican Apostolic Archive; Cecilia Abbott, first lady of Texas and a former Catholic school educator and principal; and Anthony J. de Nicola, chairman of the board of the Invest in Education Foundation.
“In 1976, … (Pope Paul VI) personally said these words to me: ‘Remember that we must invest our best energies in educating and forming the younger generations, and above all we must promote an education that is solid, integral and international,’ ” said Archbishop Zani.
“As a former Catholic school student, faculty member and parent, and as someone who cares deeply about our children, the future of Texas and the nation, I am so proud of my state for finally delivering parental choice for our kids,” said Abbott. “I am confident that America is truly renewing its steadfast commitment to Catholic school education for thousands of children across the nation. Together, we can give American children lives worthy of their promise — regardless of their income or disabilities.”
“(The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit) is not a government program with government strings attached. It is private giving, empowered by law, driven by faith and generosity of our Catholic community. But a law on paper changes nothing unless we put it to work,” said de Nicola. “This law takes effect Jan. 1. Here’s what we need from you now: fight for your governor to opt in. Every state has to opt-in, and nobody should assume their governor will. That goes double in blue and purple states.”
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop emeritus of New York, received the NCEA Seton Lifetime of Service Award in recognition of his decades of service to the Catholic Church and Catholic education.
“My Catholic education is the meat and potatoes of my 76 years, without which I’d be a lot less than anything I might be now, and simply put, I want the church that I love and the country I cherish as my earthly home to continue to prosper by providing that to the children of today,” said Cardinal Dolan. “This evening is one of hope, and hope comes from our people, our parents — so many leaders who resolve that we can never let our church, our kids, our country down with the benign neglect of our schools in the past; we will now resolve not just to keep them alive but to expand, strengthen and protect them.”
Also in attendance was Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., who shared a special message from the Holy See and delivered an address on Catholic education.
“As the representative of Pope Leo XIV in the United States, I am especially glad that my presence can express the Holy See’s esteem for the mission of Catholic education and its gratitude to those who carry the mission forward each day,” said Archbishop Caccia. “Pope Leo says very simply: ‘No one educates alone.’ That is why the work of the National Catholic Educational Association matters. Catholic education depends upon a communion of families, educators, pastors and communities willing to sustain one another and to keep the doors open for the next generation.”
The gala also highlighted the impact of Catholic education on students and families. Noé Gray, a Catholic student at Gonzaga College High School in Washington and a scholarship recipient, shared how the opportunity has transformed his life.
“Thanks to the Vinco Scholars Program, rooted in allowing deserving students aid to prosper at Gonzaga without concern, I have been granted … opportunities I always thought I’d have to miss out on — social dances, field trips and even daily breakfast,” said Gray. “NCEA is working so that more families can have that opportunity. More parents deserve the chance to choose a Catholic school for their children, and more students deserve the chance to discover what that opportunity can make for their lives.”
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For more info about the NCEA, go to ncea.org.
