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Big Shoulders Fund

Annual Giving
$63.2M
Grant Range
Up to $47.5M00
00

Big Shoulders Fund

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $63.2 million (2024)
  • Total Revenue: $84.8 million (2024)
  • Total Assets: $150.1 million
  • Grant Range: Varies by program - from individual scholarships (~$8.5M annually) to major school partnerships ($47.5M over 10 years for 30 schools)
  • Geographic Focus: Chicago and Northwest Indiana
  • Number of Schools Supported: 92 schools serving approximately 25,000 students
  • Application Method: Invitation only / pre-existing partnerships

Contact Details

Address: 212 West Van Buren Suite 900, Chicago, IL 60607
Phone: 312.751.8337
Email: info@bigshouldersfund.org
Website: https://bigshouldersfund.org/

For Big Shoulders Fund Plus School Enrollment: jchapman@bigshouldersfund.org

Overview

Founded in 1986 by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin and a group of Chicago businessmen, Big Shoulders Fund is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides critical financial support to Catholic schools serving low-income communities. With total assets of $150.1 million and annual revenue of $84.8 million (2024), the organization has raised nearly $400 million since its founding. Big Shoulders Fund currently supports 92 Catholic schools across Chicago and Northwest Indiana, serving approximately 25,000 students annually. The organization holds a Four Star Rating from Charity Navigator. In 2020, Big Shoulders Fund launched its most ambitious initiative to date: Big Shoulders Fund Plus, a $100 million, 10-year commitment to 38 of its highest-need schools, under which Big Shoulders Fund took a 51% financial stake and assumed expanded operational leadership. In 2022, Crain's Chicago Business recognized President and CEO Joshua Hale among "Notable Leaders in Community Development."

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Big Shoulders Fund operates through multiple funding streams rather than a traditional grant application process:

Big Shoulders Fund Plus - A historic 10-year partnership program involving 38 schools, primarily on Chicago's South and West sides. Under a 2020 agreement with the Archdiocese of Chicago, Big Shoulders Fund committed $47.5 million over ten years (with the Archdiocese providing an additional $44.9 million), taking a 51% financial stake and assuming greater operational control. Schools in this program include Leo Catholic High School, Holy Angels School, St. Angela School, St. Francis de Sales High School, St. Sabina Academy, Our Lady of Tepeyac High School, Epiphany Catholic School, Most Blessed Trinity Academy (Waukegan), and others across Auburn Gresham, Logan Square, South Lawndale, and neighboring communities.

Traditional School Support - Operational and programmatic support to 92 partner schools across the Chicago region and Northwest Indiana. This network includes Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, Mount Carmel High School, and schools spanning from Hammond and East Chicago to Michigan City and Valparaiso.

Scholarship Programs - More than $8.5 million distributed annually through traditional scholarship programs supporting over 4,200 students. Awards distributed between February and December each year.

Priority Areas

According to their mission statement, "100% of funds currently raised support four major areas":

  1. Scholarships and Enrichment - Individual student scholarships and enrichment programming
  2. Operational Improvements - Infrastructure, facilities, and administrative capacity building
  3. Academic Programs - Literacy, math, science initiatives, data-driven instruction, and early elementary science partnerships
  4. Leadership Development - Teacher professional development, principal recruitment and retention, extended career pathways for school leaders

Target Communities: Schools serving low-income families in Chicago's underserved neighborhoods and Northwest Indiana. Over 80% of Big Shoulders Fund students represent minorities, and nearly 70% live in low-income households.

Values-Based Education Focus: Catholic schools offering quality education grounded in faith and community values.

What They Don't Fund

Big Shoulders Fund does not:

  • Accept unsolicited grant applications from new schools or organizations
  • Fund non-Catholic educational institutions
  • Make grants outside the Chicago/Northwest Indiana geographic region
  • Provide direct funding to families (scholarships are administered through partner schools)

Governance and Leadership

Co-Chairmen

Monsignor Kenneth Velo (Founding Co-Chairman) - A priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago for over 45 years, Monsignor Velo held positions including vice chancellor and executive assistant to Joseph Cardinal Bernardin. He became President of Big Shoulders Fund in 2003 and joined John Canning and James O'Connor as Co-Chairman in 2012.

Kent P. Dauten (Co-Chairman) - Co-founded Keystone Capital in 1994 and serves as its Chairman. Previously spent 15 years with First Chicago Venture Capital and co-founded Madison Dearborn Partners, a multi-billion dollar private equity firm. He serves on the boards of Northwestern Medicine and the Museum of Science and Industry. Along with his wife Liz, he is a 2025 honoree at the Big Shoulders Fund biennial gala for longstanding support of the organization.

President and Chief Executive Officer

Joshua D. Hale - Joined Big Shoulders Fund in 2005 after directing development and public relations at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. A Marquette University graduate who spent two years as a volunteer in the Marshall Islands. He serves on multiple boards including The Chicago Council on Global Affairs and The Irish Fellowship Club of Chicago. In 2022, Crain's Chicago Business recognized him among "Notable Leaders in Community Development." Compensation in 2024: $559,793 plus benefits.

On the organization's mission, Hale has stated: "Big Shoulders Fund remains committed to educating students, strengthening families, and preserving communities by keeping schools open and providing children access to a quality, values-based education. For generations these schools have prepared students for college, career, and life. Alumni go on to study, work, volunteer, and donate at rates higher than their peers. This investment by our supporters is about strengthening neighborhoods that are enriched by these community-based organizations remaining places of hope and reasons to stay in the City."

Additional Leadership

Dan Kozlowski - Managing Director, Northwest Indiana

A complete Board of Directors list is available at: https://bigshouldersfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/BOD-list_July-2025.pdf

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

CRITICAL: Big Shoulders Fund does not have a public grant application process for schools seeking to become partners. The organization works exclusively with 92 pre-established partner schools within the Catholic school system of the Archdiocese of Chicago and Northwest Indiana.

For Families Seeking Scholarships:

  1. Contact the principal of a Big Shoulders Fund partner school to discuss scholarship eligibility
  2. The school principal submits the application on the family's behalf
  3. Families receive notification through the school about scholarship awards (between February and December)

Families can only apply for scholarships through one of Big Shoulders Fund's 92 supported schools. All communication about privately funded scholarships is directed to school administrators, not families directly.

For Schools: There is no published application process for schools to join the Big Shoulders Fund network. Partnership decisions appear to be made through the organization's strategic planning in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Chicago. Schools interested in exploring partnership should contact Big Shoulders Fund directly at info@bigshouldersfund.org or 312.751.8337.

Getting on Their Radar

Big Shoulders Fund operates within the established Catholic school system structure. Based on available information:

Strategic Partnerships: The Big Shoulders Fund Plus initiative demonstrates that the organization identifies schools "with demonstrated need" and those offering "exceptional value to families" through strategic analysis in partnership with the Archdiocese of Chicago, rather than through an application process.

Network Approach: The historic 2020 agreement with the Archdiocese of Chicago shows that major partnership decisions are made at the organizational/diocesan level through formal agreements, with Big Shoulders Fund taking a 51% financial stake in 38 schools based on strategic priorities.

Direct Contact: Schools seeking information about potential partnership should reach out directly to Big Shoulders Fund leadership at info@bigshouldersfund.org or 312.751.8337 to understand current strategic priorities and whether partnership discussions might be possible.

Decision Timeline

For Scholarships: Awards are made between February and December each year. Step 2 of scholarship applications is time-sensitive, requiring submission within 10 days or applications are denied.

For School Partnerships: No public timeline available; decisions made through strategic planning cycles in coordination with the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Success Rates

Not publicly disclosed for school partnerships. For scholarships, Big Shoulders Fund supported 6,641 scholars in 2023 through 73 awards, with over 4,200 students benefiting from more than $8.5 million in traditional scholarship programs.

Application Success Factors

Since Big Shoulders Fund does not accept unsolicited applications from new schools, the following factors are relevant for existing partner schools seeking to deepen engagement and for families applying for scholarships:

For Schools Already in the Network:

  • Demonstrated Need: The organization explicitly seeks to "assist schools with demonstrated needs in the Chicagoland area and Northwest Indiana," with priority given to schools serving underserved, low-income communities
  • Values-Based Education: Schools must provide "quality, values-based education" grounded in Catholic faith and community values
  • Community Impact: Strong emphasis on schools as "integral community-based institutions" that serve as "places of hope and reasons to stay in the City"
  • Strategic Goals: Big Shoulders Fund Plus schools work toward "specific academic, enrollment, fundraising, and finance goals," indicating that partnership deepening requires commitment to measurable outcomes

For Families Applying Through Partner Schools:

  • Contact school principals early in the year (awards made February-December)
  • Complete time-sensitive application steps within 10-day windows
  • Work through the school administrator rather than directly with Big Shoulders Fund
  • Understand that various scholarships have differing requirements (consult school's Criteria Notebook)

Organizational Priorities Based on Recent Statements: Joshua Hale's public statements emphasize that Big Shoulders Fund prioritizes "educating students, strengthening families, and preserving communities" with focus on schools that have demonstrated track records of preparing students for "college, career, and life."

Examples of Recently Funded Initiatives:

  • St. Francis de Sales High School and St. Sabina Academy joining Big Shoulders Fund Plus (2022)
  • Early Elementary Science Partnership programs
  • Teacher professional development and principal leadership programs
  • Infrastructure and operational improvements at the 38 Big Shoulders Fund Plus schools

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No Unsolicited Applications: Big Shoulders Fund does not accept grant applications from new schools or organizations. They work exclusively through 92 pre-established Catholic school partnerships in Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
  • Focus on Catholic Education: 100% of funding supports Catholic schools serving low-income communities, primarily in Chicago's underserved neighborhoods on the South and West sides.
  • Substantial, Long-Term Commitments: The Big Shoulders Fund Plus initiative demonstrates their preference for deep, sustained partnerships ($47.5M over 10 years to 30 schools) rather than one-off grants.
  • Operational Model: Big Shoulders Fund operates as a "Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution" organization with 51% financial stakes in their Plus schools, indicating they take active governance roles rather than serving as a passive funder.
  • Four Funding Pillars: All support falls into scholarships/enrichment, operational improvements, academic programs, or leadership development - align any partnership discussions with these categories.
  • Demonstrated Need Required: The organization explicitly prioritizes schools with financial challenges serving low-income students (70% of students served are from low-income households).
  • Strategic Diocesan Coordination: Major partnership decisions are made in coordination with the Archdiocese of Chicago through formal agreements, not through competitive grant processes.
  • Strong Student Outcomes Expected: Partner schools achieve 94% high school graduation rates, 85% college enrollment, and Big Shoulders Fund alumni graduate college at twice the national rate.

References

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