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Scholarships & Grants
The Tina Lillig Memorial Fund
The mission of the Tina Lillig Memorial Fund is to support the growth and development of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd through catechist formation, missionary outreach, and the work of the United States Association of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGSUSA). To these ends, the Tina Lillig Memorial Fund offers a source of financial aid (in the form of partial scholarships) to applicants who would find paying the full tuition of a course to be a hardship
The Tina Lillig Memorial Fund is a source of grants for missionary outreach to organizations working to open atria in underserved regions of the United States.
The Tina Lillig Memorial Fund also supports the purpose, mission and vision of the National Association through direct support to the Association and its Endowment fund.
Monies for financial aid and grant awards come from direct donations to the Tina Lillig Memorial Fund from members of the United States Association of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGSUSA) and others who are interested in supporting this aspect of the work.
All applicants for financial aid or grants from the Fund must be a member of the United States Association of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and must have an accompanying recommendation. Please see Membership Types for information about becoming a member or renewing an existing CGSUSA membership. Membership status will be verified by the United States Association’s office before applications will be considered by the Fund’s Advisory Committee. A recommendation must be received for any type of application for support to be considered by the Advisory Committee.
Applications are considered by the Tina Lillig Memorial Fund Advisory Committee up to two times a year (as detailed below), or as funds are otherwise available for disbursement. Applications are considered in the order they are received. Incomplete applications cannot be considered for support. Applications from individuals who are not active members of CGSUSA and/or applications without an accompanying recommendation will be considered incomplete. Applicants will be contacted when additional information is required to move forward with the determination process.
Disbursements from the Tina Lillig Fund are made twice annually. All applications received by April 30th are reviewed and disbursed by June 30th . All applications received by October 30th are reviewed and disbursed by December 30th. Applications received after each deadline date are held-over for review during the next round of application reviews. Disbursements cannot be made directly to individuals but are made to the organizations hosting courses, the parish or organization sponsoring the atria, or other organizations serving as grant/scholarship beneficiary.
As a reminder, the deadline for financial aid applications from those attending “summer intensive” courses (course sessions meeting June, July or August) is April 30th. Applications should be complete, and CGSUSA membership should be active and up to date.
All applications received after the deadline automatically rollover to the next round of determinations.
Considerations for Financial Aid (Scholarship) Applicants:
- Personal Investment: We expect the applicant to have a personal financial investment in their formation in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Carefully review your financial resources and determine what you can personally contribute to your formation.
- Community Support: Applicants must have strong support from the community in which they will serve. It is expected that the community will make a financial investment in the formation of the catechist. Please include on your application the financial support you will receive from your faith community. In addition, you must supply one letter of recommendation from a person in your community who is or will be involved with your work.
- Nationally Approved Course: The course you enroll in must be approved by the United States Association of The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. These courses are listed on our website: cgsusastg.wpenginepowered.com. The assigned course number for the course will be on this listing.
The maximum award is 1/3 of the amount of the total cost of the course tuition including all deposits but excluding room, board, travel expense, books and any material costs or less. Please be aware that it is not possible for the Fund to cover the entire tuition for a course.
Considerations for Grant Applicants:
Types of Grants:
- Materials: this grant is to be used to defray the costs of materials needed to set up an atrium. It can include the cost of small power tools for the making of materials, the cost of larger materials that need to be purchased and finished by the catechist, or the purchase of other materials necessary for the physical set up of an atrium.
- Formation Leader Stipend: this grant is to be used to underwrite a portion of a formation leader’s stipend for a course offered by an organization for its catechists (this grant stipulates that the formation leader agrees to offer the course at a reduced rate for the organization).
- Total Tuition Support: this grant provides complete tuition for an individual applicant who because of unique circumstances cannot pay any portion of the tuition for a course. This includes members of religious orders that cannot contribute to the tuition costs of a course.
Grant applicants must have strong support from the community in which they serve. It is expected that the community will make a financial investment in the establishment of atria. The typical maximum grant award is generally $500 or less. It is our goal to provide support for the development and growth of atria that need assistance. It is not possible for the Fund to meet all needs completely.
Recommendations
If you would like to submit a recommendation at the request or on behalf of a scholarship or grant applicant, please complete the Recommendation Form found at the button below. Thank you in advance for your participation in this process.
Limitations
Applicants are limited to one scholarship application and/or one grant application per calendar year.
Applications should be made for the entire course tuition.
A parish/community may either request a grant to subsidize a course or scholarships for parish/community members but both not in the same round of applications.