We'd like to thank our supporters and welcome the people who are learning about The HALO Initiative (HALO) for the first time. HALO is an independent public charity that works in support of the Catholic education in the Dallas area. We help to merge faith and mission with solid business practices. We bring a 3rd party perspective to think about challenges in different ways, ask questions, take risks, and act quickly. While independent of the Catholic Schools Office (CSO), HALO is connected to their mission and has the trust and support of our Bishop. 

The Diocese has an exceptional community of schools. The leadership at the CSO recognized, especially through the pandemic, that to maintain excellence over time, they would have to tackle some tough issues. HALO collaborates with the CSO, bringing resources to take on some of those challenges, so that the CSO can continue to focus on the formation and education of children and their school communities. 

HALO works alongside the CSO and individual schools daily and has a deep understanding of needs. We facilitate the distribution of nearly $2 million annually in tuition assistance on behalf of funding partners such as The Diocesan Educational Endowment Trust (DEET) and The Bishop's Invitational. HALO receives applications for tuition assistance, looks objectively at how much tuition a family can afford, applies the guidelines of funding organizations equitably, and distributes the awards to families.

We act as a hub, coordinating support amongst entities and individuals who want to support Catholic students. Private foundations and individual donors are trusting HALO as a resource for data on where their donations are most needed, and how their support will have the greatest collective impact for the Catholic school system at large. To see more about  how we all work together, watch The HALO Initiative introduction video below. 

What Are We Working On?

Our first task was to work with the CSO to get data and to understand trends, both locally and nationally, and determine what action would be most meaningful for the Dallas Catholic school system. Nationally, Catholic schools are closing at an alarming rate, with more than 300 closing in the past 18 months alone. While our schools are strong, stagnant, or declining enrollment poses a threat to long-term system sustainability. 

The research showed that to realize our vision of building a community that makes it possible for any child to receive a Catholic education, HALO would focus on breaking down barriers that exist for families to try Catholic education for the first time. Alongside the CSO, a new pilot program was created to bring young families into our PK-8 schools. Called HALO 139, the program has proven to be a success so far and accounted for 1/3 of the newly enrolled students in Diocesan PK-8 schools this year. 

HALO 139 has also allowed us to engage the community in new ways, as people are excited to help more students discover they can become part of one of our wonderful school communities. To learn more about HALO, the new family pilot program (HALO 139), and how you can support Dallas Diocesan schools, please visit our website haloinitiative.org and be sure to share this with others you know who have a heart for Catholic education.