The Resurrection Project is devastated by the news that St. Frances of Rome School in Cicero and Saint Odilo School in Berwyn will close their doors at the end of this academic year. They have served as pillars and community centers for the past 100 years.

The Archdiocese of Chicago explained, “The expiration of the Invest in Kids tax credit scholarship program in the fall left the schools facing a financial cliff with more than half of students relying on the program to attend.”

The Invest in Kids Scholarship Tax Credit Program has supported more than 164 students at these schools with over $800,000 in scholarships awarded to mostly Latino working families this year alone.

Throughout 2023, The Resurrection Project advocated for state legislators to continue the program which has awarded over 40,000 scholarships to K-12 students in need. Since 2017, the Invest in Kids Scholarship Tax Credit Program has offered a state tax credit to individuals and businesses that contribute to qualified Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) and provide scholarships to students in families with limited resources -more than 10,000 of whom identify as Black or Latino.

The time is now for our state elected officials to renew the Invest in Kids Tax Credit Scholarship program this Spring to avoid further school closures.

The Resurrection Project is working with schools, partners, and parents to continue to advocate for students to remain in their schools.

Loss of state Invest in Kids scholarship program forces closure of two Catholic Schools – News Releases – Archdiocese of Chicago (archchicago.org)

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The Resurrection Project (TRP) builds trusting relationships to educate and propel individuals, immigrants, and families to achieve their social and economic aspirations, stable homes, and equitable participation in their community. TRP is a leading provider of affordable housing, financial education, and immigration services on Chicago’s Southwest side.

During the past three decades TRP has worked to improve the lives of individuals and families by creating wealth, building assets, and engaging residents to be catalysts for change. Rooted in the Pilsen community, TRP’s impact now extends across the City of Chicago and through the State of Illinois; we are making steady progress towards leveraging and preserving more than $1 billion in community wealth by 2025.