The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, a private nonprofit organization, announced on June 12 that it will donate $150 million over the next decade to the Big Shoulders Fund. This substantial contribution will be used to enhance the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Gary, Indiana. This donation marks the largest single investment in pre-K–12 Catholic education in history.
Guided by its founder’s vision, the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation supports “catalytic community projects and self-sustaining initiatives that cultivate a strong quality of life in Northwest Indiana and statewide,” according to its website.
Founded in 1986, the Big Shoulders Fund aims to provide children in Chicago’s most under-resourced areas with access to quality, values-based education. In 2019, civic leaders and philanthropic funding invited the Big Shoulders Fund to expand its model to Northwest Indiana, specifically to Catholic schools in the Diocese of Gary. Bill Hanna, executive director of the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, expressed their goal to “provide every student access to a high-quality, values-based education that creates strong academic and career outcomes.”
Hanna emphasized that the primary focus of the investment will be on serving students and communities with the greatest economic and educational needs, with the aim of developing the nation’s most effective network of outcomes-based Catholic schools.
Bishop Robert J. McClory of the Diocese of Gary described the donation as “a historic and transformative commitment from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, the largest single investment ever given for pre-K–12 Catholic education.” He expressed gratitude and hope on behalf of the families who will benefit from this commitment, stating that it signifies a strong vote of confidence in Catholic education and the value of individual schools.
“I am honored by the continued commitment of the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, Big Shoulders Fund, and our community. This gift creates an opportunity for the Diocese of Gary to fulfill our mission even more vibrantly, supporting families and enhancing our schools to become an extraordinary model of Catholic school education,” said McClory.
He added, “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.”
In an email to CNA, McClory expressed that this donation will provide the diocese with “the opportunity to help every student in our schools to excel” and hopes it will “inspire others to consider how they can support Catholic schools in their own communities and nationwide.”
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