By Kate Quiñones
CNA Staff, Apr 7, 2025 / 07:00 am
A Catholic scholarship program in the Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky, that has spent decades providing tuition support for families who want to send their children to Catholic schools is now setting its sights on future generations.
Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) president Richard Lechleiter recently told CNA that he plans to make the organization last for generations by growing its resources through a $100 million capital campaign — the largest campaign in the history of the archdiocese.
Donors have already pledged $80 million of the capital campaign goal.
Lechleiter shared with CNA that reflecting on his own childhood, being the fourth of nine children, he believes he would have greatly benefited from the resources his organization now provides to students across the archdiocese.
He emphasized that Catholic education was of utmost importance to his parents.
Growing up in Louisville, Richard Lechleiter was one of nine children who attended Catholic school, with eight of them going on to Catholic universities. Reflecting on his upbringing, he proudly declares, “I’m a Catholic school kid.”
During his childhood, many of the diocesan Catholic schools in Louisville were run by religious orders, such as the Dominican sisters, Ursuline sisters, and Xaverian Brothers, which helped keep tuition costs affordable. Looking back, Lechleiter acknowledges that in today’s world, he would have been a beneficiary of the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF) support.
After a successful career in the healthcare industry, Lechleiter now feels a deep sense of responsibility to give back. He recognizes the importance of supporting Catholic education, especially in the face of recent challenges.
Following the defeat of a school choice ballot referendum in November 2024, Kentucky remains without government-funded school choice programs due to constitutional restrictions. In this context, Lechleiter emphasizes the crucial role of the CEF in providing a form of school choice for families in the region.
