Knott Cares

Do you remember the pride and excitement you felt when you (or your child) received the gift of a Knott scholarship? You knew the opportunity the scholarship brings: the joy of learning amid open hearts and bright minds, the support of shared values, the challenge of rigorous studies – in short, an outstanding Catholic education without the stress of annual tuition for four years.

We now have an opportunity to pay your gift forward. The Knott Scholarship Funds has established the Knott CARES (Catholic Academic Resource Enrichment Scholarship) Fund with the help of the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Catholic Community Foundation.

The Knott CARES Fund will support students who are financially challenged and learn differently, who could benefit from extra educational resources while attending a Catholic elementary school in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore’s innovative Special Education & Inclusion Programs are designed to provide those resources through specially trained teachers, small group sizes, and modified curriculum. Students in the Special Education & Inclusion Programs are of average to above average intelligence, with mild to moderate learning differences. Three schools in the Archdiocese currently offer these programs, including St. Michael – St. Clement Catholic School, with plans to offer services to many more schools in the future.

The program’s $2,600 current cost (on top of school tuition) can be a barrier to many families. That is where the Knott CARES Fund steps in.

This new scholarship was the brainchild of Scott Pawley, a two-time Knott scholar (School of the Incarnation ‘20 and Calvert Hall College High School ‘24). “Catholic school has been a blessing for me, and I think it is my responsibility to make it easier for others to experience that same reward,” he says.

With Scott’s leadership and the support of the entire Knott Scholar Council, enough money has been raised to provide scholarship assistance to students at St. Michael – St. Clement Catholic School for 2020-2021, and to establish our fund within the Catholic Community Foundation, which manages Knott CARES.

All new donations will be matched two to one up to $25,000 through the Archdiocese’s Mustard Seed Match program. For every two dollars we receive through your donations, the Archdiocese will give us an additional dollar.

Our goal is to raise $65,000 to endow this scholarship, so over time it can be awarded annually to any financially challenged family in the Archdiocese that may need additional support.

Please help us give every child a chance to attend Catholic school by donating to Knott CARES. There are two ways to donate:

• Donate online. 
• Donate by check. Please make check payable to Catholic Community Foundation, note the Knott CARES Fund in the memo, and mail to: Catholic Community Foundation, 320 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.

Your gift, no matter the size, will truly be transformative to a student in need. Thank you!

Parent Comments about their children’s participation:

“Since he has been in the program, he has shown more interest in learning and has more confidence in himself.”

“We wanted a Catholic school education for our son, and we knew that he needed a little extra help with some classes. The Special Education and Inclusion Programs have been the perfect fit for us. We would definitely recommend the program to any family who has a child who may learn a little differently but still wants a religion-based education.”