About Us

Our Purpose

The Healey Education Foundation invests in PK-12 Catholic schools. We use our energy, resources and passion as a catalyst for change to ensure the future of Catholic schools.

Entrepreneurial Legacy

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Robert T. Healey Sr. knew that the Catholic school business model was broken. He set out to fix it.

In 2004, he established the Foundation to bring sound business principles to the challenges of revitalizing Catholic schools. Since then, the Foundation expanded to serve more than 115 elementary and high schools across eight dioceses in Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Catholic schools continue to face the challenges of declining enrollment and increasing costs, tuition and competition. Our philanthropic model enables them to act now while ensuring sustainable growth.

Unlike in our early years as a traditional grant making foundation, we now use our philanthropic dollars to develop, continually improve and operate a high-impact program to make a lasting difference For the Future of Catholic Schools.

We achieve our results through philanthropic partnerships with dioceses, foundations and individuals. We provide direct services to diocesan leadership and individual schools. These services are delivered through a coaching relationship with grant recipients who are ready to embrace change and take charge of their schools’ futures.

Guiding Principles

Our guiding principles reflect the beliefs of the founder and inform and inspire us in all that we do:

• We believe in Catholic school education. It enriches students’ lives and strengthens the communities in which they live.
• We are entrepreneurial philanthropists. We do our homework, take smart risks and move with urgency. Yet, we are in it for the long haul.
• We believe in the applied concept “teach them to fish.” This is reflected in our hands-on approach to empowering schools as they apply best practices.
• We share. When we meet others working for Catholic school sustainability, first we feel gratitude for their efforts. Next, we share what we know and do. Then, if the fit and timing are right, we collaborate.
• We believe in empowering the laity. We are Church.
• We serve children, first and foremost. Not directly, as teachers do. But every day, when solving problems and recommending solutions, we ask ourselves: What will best serve Catholic school students?

Our Expertise

The Foundation’s leadership and staff are business thinkers and change agents who understand the issues faced by today’s Catholic schools. Our veteran team of professionals brings energy, passion and a wide range of experience to reforming the way Catholic schools operate to secure their own futures.