FOUNDATION

The St. Paul School Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation, established in 1990, to provide financial support for the educational programs, facilities, and students of St. Paul School in Salem, Ohio.

History of the Foundation

The origin of the foundation can be traced to the late 1980s when Principal Michael Marshall was looking to assure the school’s donors that their contributions would not be diverted to parish or diocesan needs. He asked Rick Crouse, a parent of two St. Paul students with expertise in setting up foundations, to draft governing documents for a foundation based on a principle of endowment that would sustain the school financially over the long term. Marshall then brought together interested parents and school benefactors who were concerned with the school’s long-term financial stability and encouraged them to create such a foundation. These individuals were motivated by a desire to improve the school, keep it viable, provide a better educational experience for students, and preserve Catholic education in Salem, Ohio.

Creating the foundation energized the school community. Gary Sobotka and the late Anthony DeCrow, Jr., two of the founding trustees, were the driving forces behind early fundraising efforts. Parents and grandparents of students in the early 1990s donated much of the foundation’s seed money. Over the years, the foundation has received significant bequests from several estates and large donations in memory of St. Paul parishioners as well as financial contributions from hundreds of former students, parishioners, friends of the school, and area businesses.

Financial Assistance from the Foundation

The foundation supplements the school budget when income from tuition, the parish subsidy, the St. Paul Home and School Association, and other sources falls short. It helps students-in-need and supports academic programs, equipment purchases, capital improvements, building maintenance, teacher training, and school operations.  From its beginning on July 12, 1990, through June 30, 2022, the foundation has contributed over $1,605,000 to meet the financial needs of the school and its students. Since inception of the scholarship in 1995 through 2023, the foundation has awarded $146,450 to 149 St. Paul graduates.

Helping the Foundation

St. Paul School needs your generous financial support. Please consider making the St. Paul School Foundation a favorite charity and a regular recipient of your charitable giving. Benefactors can contribute by check or online payment, by donating assets, or by leaving a bequest. To give by check, print and complete the Foundation Donation Form and mail it to the address on the form. For online giving, click the donate button and follow the instructions. For bequests and donations such as life insurance, annuities, stocks, bonds, and real estate, please contact the foundation.

Secure Donation Through PayPal

Newsletter

The foundation publishes an annual newsletter in December that is distributed to alumni and friends of St. Paul School, to donors of the school and foundation, and to St. Paul parishioners.

Board of Trustees

An all-volunteer board of trustees governs the foundation. It is legally and financially independent of St. Paul Parish and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio.

Contacting the Foundation

St. Paul School Foundation
925 East State Street
Salem, Ohio 44460

330-337-3451

stpaulschoolfoundation@gmail.com or stpaulelemsalem@youngstowndiocese.org

Follow the St. Paul School Foundation on Facebook

Staying in Touch

To all former students and friends of St. Paul School…

Please update your contact information if you have recently moved by completing the foundation’s contact information form.

Thank you very much for staying in touch with our St. Paul School Family.