Eva Fujan

The Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance to ensure that every family in the Lincoln Diocese can choose an authentically Catholic education for their children, regardless of their economic status or family size. More than 6,500 students are educated in the Catholic Schools of the Lincoln Diocese, and over 20% of are currently receiving Good Shepherd Scholarships.

Since its inception in 2019, The Good Shepherd Scholarship has awarded more than $6.1 million to families.

“The Good Shepherd Scholarship helps to maintain the long-standing commitment of the Bishops of Lincoln to affordable Catholic education for all families.” said Katie Ostgren, development director for the diocese. “This commitment has created a unique, faithful culture in our schools, which fosters vocations and inspires the future Catholics of southern Nebraska.”

Applications for the Good Shepherd Scholarship for the 2022-2023 school year will be available beginning Jan. 1, 2022. Scholarships will again be awarded to families within 225% of the Federal Poverty Level, as well as families with more than three students attending Catholic schools, regardless of income. High school recipients will receive $1,900 and recipients in grades K-8 will receive $1,600. The Diocesan Technology Fee will also be covered by the scholarships.

The Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund is supported by generous donors from across Southern Nebraska and beyond who care about the future of Catholic schools in the Diocese of Lincoln.

Seventy-five percent of seminarians currently studying for the priesthood in the Lincoln Diocese have attended Catholic schools.

To learn more about the Good Shepherd Scholarship and how to join in the mission of affordable Catholic education for all, contact Katie Ostgren at [email protected].

January 31, 2021

Re: Catholic Schools Week & The Good Shepherd Scholarship

Dear Friends of the Lincoln Diocese Catholic Schools,

School masses, the reading of good books, academic studies, and sacramental preparations – all of these continue (even in the midst of a pandemic) due to the many dedicated people that serve our Catholic Schools. These great men and women know that our Catholic Schools in the Lincoln Diocese are not merely places of learning, but essential places of wonder, evangelization, and encounter. Places where families send their children not only for academic excellence, but for encounters with Christ, Himself.

This week marks Celebrate Catholic Schools Week throughout our country and is an opportunity to reflect on and commit again to our Catholic Schools. In 2019, with the help of many faithful Catholics, we established the Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund to provide additional financial support to our Catholic School communities. Over the last two years the scholarship fund awarded $3.3 million dollars to our families in need, which in turn, also provided a much needed additional stream of income to our Catholic Schools. These dollars have made their way to families in every town and city where we have Catholic Schools in the Lincoln Diocese. Our Catholic School families are currently working on scholarship applications for the 2021-2022 school year, and the average Good Shepherd Scholarship award will be approximately $2,000 including tuition and fees.

Feedback from across the diocese indicates a priority to reach even more families in need. Therefore, in addition to celebrating our Catholic Schools, I am advocating for them by asking others to join our mission of supporting our Catholic School families in need. Please prayerfully consider making a donation online at goodshepherdscholarship.com/support-the-fund or by sending a check to:

Good Shepherd Scholarship
3400 Sheridan Blvd.
Lincoln, NE  68506

With gratitude for your support, I remain,

Sincerely yours in Christ,

The Most Rev. James D. Conley, Bishop of Lincoln

(SNR) – The Diocese of Lincoln formed The Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund in 2019 to support Catholic school students and families in need of financial assistance.

The Good Shepherd Scholarship provides vital financial assistance to Lincoln Diocese Catholic School families and students. Scholarship awards are provided based on financial need and family size. This significantly helps families by lowering the financial burden of attending Catholic Schools.

More than 6,500 students are educated in the Catholic Schools of the Lincoln Diocese, and 20% are currently receiving Good Shepherd Scholarships.

“The Good Shepherd Scholarship is an immensely important part of ensuring that parents, regardless of economic status, can provide their children with a truly authentic Catholic education,” said Nathan Seger, director of development. “We plan to keep it that way, and we hope to expand its impact to even more families,” he added.

The 2019-2020 school year was the first year of the Good Shepherd Scholarship. More than $1.2 million was awarded in scholarships, benefitting 1,170 students and their families.

Scholarships were awarded to families within 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, and they covered up to 75% of tuition, or $900 for grade school and $1,300 for high school.

Thirty-four percent of the Good Shepherd Scholarship seniors identified as minority students, compared to 33.5% in Nebraska. One hundred percent of those specific Good Shepherd Scholarship seniors graduated from high school, compared to a national rate of 85.3% and a Nebraska rate of 88.4%.

For the 2020-2021 school year, currently underway, more than $2 million in scholarships have been awarded to 1,337 students.

This year, families within 225% of the Federal Poverty Level were eligible for scholarships. The scholarships cover up to 75% of tuition, or $1,300 for grade school and $1,600 for high school. The scholarships also included $225 to cover the technology fee for 1,200 students.

The Good Shepherd Scholarship Fund was established with both donations to the Joy of the Gospel campaign and recent donations from donors who have joined and share the scholarship’s mission.

To learn more about the Good Shepherd Scholarship and how to join its mission, contact Nathan Seger at [email protected] or Eva Fujan at [email protected].

For the 2020-21 academic school year, the Good Shepherd Scholarship funds up to $1,300 for students in grades K-8 and $1,600 for students in grades 9-12, funding no more than 75% of tuition. The Good Shepherd Scholarship program is available to families within 225% of the Federal Poverty Level.

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(SNR) – The first annual “Good Shepherd Scholarship Gala” was held March 30 at the Lincoln Station Great Hall in Lincoln.

Bishop Conley used the event as an opportunity to thank the numerous volunteers and pastors involved in the creation and establishment of the Good Shepherd Scholarship Program.

The bishop also announced a commitment from a school supporter to match all new gifts to the Good Shepherd Scholarship fund up to $250,000. These funds will be added to nearly $15 million in gifts designated for Catholic education raised through the “Joy of the Gospel” campaign.

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