Alliance for Catholic Education
The American Indian Catholic Schools Network (AICSN), a program within the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI), has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Better Way Foundation. This transformational funding will enable AICSN to expand its support for Native American Catholic schools across the United States, advancing its mission to empower Native students, educators, and communities through culturally grounded, faith-filled, and academically excellent education.
The Better Way Foundation has been a longtime partner of AICSN, supporting its mission to honor the cultural identities, spiritual formation, and academic potential of Native American students. This new investment—the largest in AICSN’s history—will allow the network to serve more schools while deepening its current programming, particularly through expanded professional development and leadership formation.
“This is a really exciting moment for our work in Native American Catholic education,” said Will Newkirk, Director of AICSN. “These school communities are such vessels of hope, and it's a privilege to walk together in our shared mission and to witness their heroic efforts. The Better Way Foundation has been an integral partner from day one, and this new grant is a historic investment in the American Indian Catholic Schools Network. It allows us to achieve a long-held dream of serving more schools while deepening our impact. We can’t wait to get started on this next chapter—honoring, celebrating, and elevating all that Indigenous Catholic schools do to empower their students to flourish.”
With this funding, AICSN will:
- Expand the Holy Cross Fellows Bachelor’s Degree Program – providing teachers at Native-serving Catholic schools the opportunity to earn a college degree and state teaching license through Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Indiana
- Support leadership immersion experiences – enabling school leaders to visit and collaborate with peer AICSN schools to exchange best practices and build community
- Host summer action-research fellowships – inviting educators to the University of Notre Dame for formation and project-based learning focused on community-defined needs
- Grow the AICSN team – expanding capacity to offer targeted, culturally relevant professional development that supports Indigenous educators and students
“More Indigenous students are gaining access to educational opportunities that honor their culture, meet their needs, and support their growth," said Nicholas Banovetz, Executive Director of the Better Way Foundation. "The American Indian Catholic Schools Network and its member schools have played a vital role in transforming school cultures and programs to better serve Indigenous students. Efforts to expand pathways for aspiring Indigenous educators to enter the teaching profession, strengthen Native language learning, and advance truth and healing initiatives reflect the profound changes taking place—and why our foundation is proud to support the network."
About the American Indian Catholic Schools Network
The American Indian Catholic Schools Network (AICSN) exists to elevate and strengthen the experience of Native American Catholic schools through culturally sustaining educator formation, college access initiatives, community-informed research, and school support. A program of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) in the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI) at the University of Notre Dame, AICSN currently serves eight Native Catholic schools in Arizona, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, and South Dakota.
For more information, visit: https://ace.nd.edu/programs/aicsn
About the Better Way Foundation
Better Way is a national private family foundation rooted in Catholic social teaching. We focus on early education and positive child development as fundamental pillars of a thriving society. These areas lay the groundwork for educational success, lifelong well-being, strong families and communities, and the prosperity of future generations.
We invest in collaborative, systemic approaches that support leaders and organizations creating culturally grounded learning environments.
By 2026, 100% of Better Way grants will support Indigenous communities, and we are actively shifting our assets to impact investments—with 36% of our assets already aligned with our mission, vision, and values.
Learn more at: https://www.betterwayfoundation.org
Media Contacts:
Carrie Gates
Associate Director of Media Relations
University of Notre Dame
c.gates@nd.edu
Nicholas Banovetz
Executive Director
Better Way Foundation
nbanovetz@betterwayfoundation.org