History

Tri-County Scholarship Fund, a not for profit 501 (c)(3) organization, is neither religious nor sectarian. It was founded in 1981 through the leadership of Edward L. Hennessy, Jr. retired CEO of Allied Signal and the Most Reverend Frank J. Rodimer.  Alarmed by the decaying public school system and the mounting inequities in educational choice for families in poorer communities, Mr. Hennessy and Bishop Rodimer joined forces to create an organization that would provide scholarship assistance, based solely on financial need, for children to attend private school.  Since 1981, over 25,000 scholarships have been awarded representing $15 million in Tri-County Scholarship Fund assistance. 

Mission

The Mission of Tri-County Scholarship Fund is to provide financial support to deserving and economically disadvantaged children, regardless of race, religion, or national origin, so they can obtain a quality value-centered education through accredited parochial and private schools in Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties.

Who Receives Scholarships?

Scholarships are awarded annually to more than 900 students. Many families are immigrants struggling to provide their children with a quality education in a safe and disciplined environment.

Families reflect the diversity of their communities: 59% Hispanic, 13% African-American, 22% Caucasian, and 6% Asian and other.

90% of recipients qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program, 50% of our urban recipients are non-Catholic, 97% of seniors take the SAT I as compared to 85% in the State and 48% in the Nation. The mean combined SAT score from our schools is 1062, as compared to 714 for inner-city public schools. TCSF scholars attend colleges/universities such as Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Boston College, Montclair State, Notre Dame, to name just a few.