A “transformative” new donation from a Southern California couple intended to help Catholic school students in low-income areas is expected to benefit more than 8,000 students around the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Announced May 20, the gift from Jim and Leslie Belardi will support students at 50 Catholic high schools and elementary schools through tuition and assistance, as well as instructional and professional development, according to the archdiocese’s Department of Catholic Schools (DCS).
“This gift will help ensure that the most vulnerable students have access to a quality Catholic education in the Los Angeles area, positioning the next generation for success,” Jim Belardi, chief executive officer and co-founder of retirement services company Athene, said.
The Belardis have elected to keep the gift amount confidential, but their contribution is providing “transformative” financial assistance for students, and will continue efforts to improve performance within schools in low-income areas, particularly the expansion of the archdiocese’s Solidarity Schools initiative.
As of 2025, DCS serves approximately 67,000 students in grades TK through 12. Paul Escala, senior director and superintendent of schools for the archdiocese, said the gift’s impact “will be far and wide, ensuring that a quality, values-based education with strong academic and career outcomes is available to thousands of families.”
“The future in our schools is bright,” said Escala. “We are proving that our Catholic schools can be among the most highest performing schools in the country, and it’s gifts like this that affirm people’s faith and belief in Catholic schools, especially for the most needy."
Escala also believes the donation will bring the DCS “closer to our goal of becoming the highest performing system of Catholic schools in the nation by 2030.”
The Belardis sent their three children to Catholic elementary schools and high schools within Los Angeles county. Deciding on how to best support DCS grew out of conversations about their interest in financial assistance for students, supporting reading, math, and literacy initiatives, and an overview of how to continue the work of fellow donors of DCS, according to Escala.
One of the initiatives that is delivering change within LA Catholic is Solidarity Schools, which started in 2023 as a three-year program within 18 Catholic schools in response to the pandemic that aimed at supporting students with limited English proficiency to perform at or above grade level in reading and math. Since its launch, the literacy rate of students participating in the initiative has seen yearly growth of approximately one in every 10 students in reading literacy.
This year, Solidarity Schools will expand to 14 additional elementary schools due to an increase in support.
“What’s really inspiring about what Jim and Leslie have done is they are taking their incredible generosity and are investing in the most needy children to ensure that they have access to a Catholic education, and that Catholic education is excellent,” Escala said. “ I think that is going to inspire a lot of other people to want to do the same and do even more.”
The announcement of which schools will receive support through the Belardis' gift will come after the conclusion of the academic year and data assessments by DCS, but will be before the start of the 2025-26 school year, according to Escala.
