Aim Higher Foundation to Award Scholarships Up to $1,500
February 20, 2026By: Ricky Austin
In recent conversations with our school partners and scholar families, I have been reminded that in moments of chaos and uncertainty, Catholic schools offer something essential to children, families, and communities: stability.
That stability doesn’t happen by accident. It is woven into the daily life of a Catholic school—in classrooms where academic excellence and character formation go hand in hand, in educators who recognize the inherent dignity of every child, and in faith communities where families are known personally and supported through both celebration and uncertainty.
Children flourish where relationships are strong, expectations are clear, and the community around them embraces them as its own. Catholic schools are designed intentionally around all three.
At their core, Catholic schools are grounded in the belief that every person is created with worth that does not rise or fall with circumstance. When children are surrounded, day in and day out, by that conviction, something powerful happens. Stability becomes safety. Safety becomes confidence. And confidence unlocks the freedom to learn, to grow, and to begin discovering who they are called to become.
In recent weeks, I have watched school communities step forward in remarkable ways to support families navigating uncertainty. Amid the disruption the Twin Cities has experienced, Catholic schools have offered continuity. In a time of fragmentation, they offer belonging. In a decade seemingly defined by instability, they provide a firm foundation for children to thrive.
Ricky Austin is the president of the Aim Higher Foundation.
Catholic schools continue to do what they have always done: provide stability, hope, and a bright future for the children entrusted to them. And because Catholic schools keep stepping forward for families, we must do the same.
For the 2026–2027 school year, the Aim Higher Foundation will invest a total of $3.5 million in scholarships to children from families seeking a Catholic education—a 20% increase and the largest expansion in our history. Beginning this fall, kindergarten and first-grade students who receive Aim Higher Scholarships will be eligible for up to $1,500 per year through 8th grade — our first per-student increase in nearly a decade.
This growth is not simply about dollars. It is about strengthening the foundation children need most. It is about ensuring that access to a strong, relationship-centered education does not depend on a family’s financial circumstances.
At the same time, momentum continues to build around Minnesota’s potential participation in the federal scholarship tax credit. Expanding that opportunity would mean even more families can access the kind of consistent, high-quality education that changes lives. Advancing that work requires patience and resolve, but if the outcome is greater certainty and stronger educational outcomes for children in our community, it is work worth doing.
Your partnership makes this possible. Thank you for standing with us as we continue stepping forward so that more children can learn in the stable, life-transforming environments they deserve.
With appreciation,
