Afford Notre Dame

Catholic students in Notre Dame’s incoming class are invited to apply for the Rene Lepiane Leadership Award. The chosen recipient, a student who has demonstrated leadership skills in her school and/or community and commitment to her faith, will be awarded a scholarship in the amount of $1,000 that will be distributed in $250 payments over four years.

To qualify the student must have held a leadership position in eighth grade at school or in an after school activity, maintained an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher, submit a letter of recommendation and write a short essay.

Enrolled students in the class of 2027 will receive further information about deadlines and the application process.

The Rene Lepiane Leadership Award was created in honor of Rene Lepiane, director of student leadership and activities from 2006 until her passing in August of 2010. The Rene Lepiane Scholarship Fund has been established to recognize exceptional young women who exemplify the same characteristics Rene taught her students. Her extraordinary warmth and compassion were gifts she bestowed on the Notre Dame students, faculty/staff, community and many others. Ms. Lepiane supported, nurtured, empowered and equipped each young woman with the skills she would need to make the right choices in her life journey. She had the ability to see each girl for who she was, challenge her strengths and encourage and guide young women to develop new ways of using their leadership skills to better their world.

Recipient responsibilities:

• Be an ambassador for Notre Dame High School at all times and adhere to all school policies as outlined in the student handbook.
• Share a letter of gratitude to the Lepiane family through the selection committee.
• Write a short article about your leadership experiences during your freshman year for publication. 

The Village Scholarship is available to accepted Notre Dame students of Black, African ancestry who require tuition assistance to attend Notre Dame. We have all heard the term “it takes a village” and we know that when we take action together, we can make a huge difference. The Village Scholarship brings together donors who want to take an active role in ensuring that an increasing number of Black voices and stories will be included in the Notre Dame student body. The Village Scholarship is a four-year scholarship based on financial need. Recipients of the scholarship do not need to reapply for tuition assistance annually.

​Françoise Blin de Bourdon is the co-foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.  She led the Sisters with her influence and affluence. Students who complete the LEAD Program as seventh graders and continue to demonstrate a commitment to Catholic leadership by completing ten house of community service, holding a position of leadership in their school, parish or other activity, and maintaining a minimum GPA of 3.0 in eighth grade are eligible for the ​Françoise Leadership Award. ​Françoise Leadership Award Recipients ​receive a $200 award toward tuition that is applied at the time of enrollment. 

Mary Quilici '75 Aumack and Maria Bellafronto founded ThirtyOne Women in 2011 as a way to help girls from low income families who attend Our Lady of Grace Nativity School afford a Notre Dame High School education. The concept is simple - a group of 30 women committed to giving a fixed amount each month for four years. The outcome - four years of a Notre Dame Catholic education for one young woman who then becomes the center of the circle and the thirty-first woman. The money generated by each group of women covers the costs associated with high school education including tuition, books, uniforms and other fees.

Bay Scholars exists to make it possible for promising under-resourced scholars across the Bay to have access to and flourish at successful private college preparatory high schools. The 4-year scholarship makes college-prep high schools a reality for scholars. This scholarship totals $14,000 - divided up over the recipients 4 years of high school. Applications are available on the Bay Scholars website and are due Friday, February 3, 2023.  Scholarship recipients will be notified after Friday, March 17, 2023.