Building the Catholic Church’s future.
The National Independent Catholic Education Association (NICEA) is the national capital campaign for Catholic education.
By saving Catholic schools at risk of closure and building schools in areas lacking adequate Catholic education opportunities, NICEA is working to rebuild Catholic communities and strengthen the Church for future generations.
3,173
Catholic Schools have closed since 2000
600k
Students impacted by school closures
324
Catholic schools shut down/merged since 2020
What We Do
BUY
Saving Catholic Schools
Catholic schools are essential to the future of the Church, educating and empowering children with the knowledge, faith, and virtue they need to bring Christ’s light to a world of darkness. NICEA works with Catholic Bishops to buy parochial schools at risk of closure.
Oftentimes, Bishops have no other option than to close down a Catholic school due to budget limitations or other reasons. Partnering with NICEA offers a win-win option for the diocese by helping to preserve and sustain a high-quality Catholic education experience for the students who rely on the school, and maintain families’ close connection with the Church.
BUILD
Strengthening the Church
In places where educational opportunities do not exist or cannot adequately support the needs of Catholic families, NICEA builds new schools and catechesis programs that operate independently of the diocese while collaborating closely with local parishes.
We believe that children in every community deserve the chance to receive a robust Catholic education — one that meets the highest standards of academic excellence and moral and spiritual formation. NICEA works to ensure that these programs will endure as a lasting part of their parish communities.
Donate
Invest in the future of Catholic education. Help us build the future of the Catholic Church.
“Catholic education aims . . . to transmit a coherent, comprehensive vision of life in the conviction that the truths contained in that vision liberate students in the most profound meaning of human freedom.”