Alliance for Catholic Education
Extra Yard for Teachers
Go the Extra Yard for Teachers
The College Football Playoff Foundation and the University of Notre Dame Athletics Department has kicked off their tenth year urging fans to go to the Extra Yard for Teachers – a relationship that has raised over $5.1 million to benefit Catholic schools.
The Extra Yard for Teachers initiative raises awareness and funds for teachers in schools around the country. At Notre Dame, those proceeds directly benefit the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), which sends recent college graduates to teach for two years in underserved Catholic schools as they earn a master’s degree of education.
Through December 31, gifts made to ACE will be matched by the College Football Playoff Foundation, up to $125,000. These funds have provided critical support for ACE to refine and improve its degree program and enhance its recruitment efforts. Over the past nine years, Notre Dame has finished in first place among the 100 universities who participated in the Extra Yard for Teachers initiative.
Partnership Impact
From the outset of the partnership, the Foundation has encouraged ACE to dedicate a portion of the funds toward a competitive grants process in which ACE teachers apply for funding to address areas of need in their schools and classrooms. Over the years, nearly $200,000 has been allocated for projects, and ACE teachers from 16 schools received grants last season, including such projects as:
- PE equipment for Holy Trinity Catholic School in Los Angeles, CA;
- Books to expand the number of science & social studies nonfiction texts at Little Flower Catholic School in Mobile, AL;
- Makerspace cart and materials to more effectively integrate technology and engineering into the curriculum at Saints Cyril & Philomena Catholic School in Philadelphia, PA.
“ACE's partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation has been instrumental in growing the ways we can serve children, particularly those on the margins,” said John Staud, the executive director of ACE. “We are so grateful for the Foundation's support."
