Hannon Foundation grants benefit Catholic schools, nonprofits

Notre Dame High School and Loyola Marymount University (LMU) are among the recipients of new grants announced by the William H. Hannon Foundation totalling $250,000. 

The grants will fund scholarships and tuition assistance for students in need, the foundation announced. Also receiving grants are the University Catholic Center at UCLA, the Catholic Education Foundation of Los Angeles, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, Catholic Schools Collaborate, Dolores Mission School, Mount St. Mary’s University, St. Raphael School, La Salle College Preparatory, and St. Pius X-St. Matthias.

The foundation was founded in 1983 by William H. Hannon, who attended LMU, then Loyola University, on a handshake agreement to pay back his tuition after graduation, when his mother could not afford the school during the Great Depression. 

“My late uncle believed that the greatest gift we could give our young people is a Catholic education,” said Kathleen Hannon Aikenhead, president of the foundation. 

Along with the schools, Catholic nonprofit organizations — Covenant House California, Good Shepherd Shelter and Center, Ignatians West, Proyeto Pastoral at Dolores Mission, Lay-Mission Helpers, San Fernando Mission, and the St. Francis Center — received funds to continue their community service for homeless youth and families in Los Angeles. 

“The past year has reinforced the importance of nonprofit organizations as part of our region’s safety net,” said Aikenhead. “It’s an easy choice to support those who dedicate their lives helping the less fortunate — from sheltering homeless youth to supporting victims of domestic abuse. These organizations are making a real, substantive difference, and our board of directors is pleased to help them in their mission.”