Notre Dame Athletics, ACE Partner with College Football Playoff Foundation to Support Teachers

NOTRE DAME, Indiana –The University of Notre Dame Athletics Department and the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) have partnered with the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation for the sixth consecutive year to make a difference for teachers through the CFP Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers (EYFT) platform.

• Notre Dame Athletics and ACE will recognize teachers from across the country who have gone the extra yard for their students during Extra Yard for Teachers Week from September 12-19. 

• On Monday, September 14, Notre Dame Head Women’s Basketball Coach Niele Ivey, and ACE took part in the EYFT Big Day Celebration by surprising ACE teacher Emily Okawara from St. Thomas More Catholic Academy in Washington, DC, with a $1,000 check to use towards teacher and student resources. The Big Day winner was revealed on Monday at 12 pm EDT on ACE’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/AllianceforCatholicEducation).

• September 14 also marks the start of the EYFT Tag a Teacher campaign. Each week through December 29, an ACE teacher will be recognized on social media and awarded funds for materials and projects within their schools and classrooms.  

Last year, the department brought in 674 gifts that garnered $584,273, directly benefiting ACE. Those donations, coupled with a donation secured through the Donors Choose website, and a generous $150,000 match provided by the College Football Playoff Foundation, resulted in a grand total of $734,273 raised for the 2019 campaign. Each year, the Fighting Irish have finished number one in dollars raised among the 100 institutions participating nationwide.

"We could not be more proud to have led the country in donations to support Extra Yards for Teachers (EYFT) over the past five years, and look forward to furthering our tremendous partnership with the College Football Playoff (CFP) into the 6th year of its existence," said Jack Swarbrick, Vice President, James E. Rohr Director of Athletics. "Notre Dame Athletics will continue to use its platform to promote the importance of education, and the impact teachers have on inspiring our future leaders, a mission so greatly aligned with our Catholic University and specifically the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program."

In its first five years, this partnership raised $2,893,195 to support the work of ACE, on behalf of thousands of students in 35 cities from New York to Los Angeles. In addition to helping ACE grow and improve its formation efforts through its Master of Education program, these gifts also support a competitive grant process that offers ACE teachers much-needed funding for projects that enhance their classrooms, schools, and educational opportunities for their students.

"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 the Alliance for Catholic Education and the acting director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives. "We are so grateful for the Foundation's support."

This fall, the Extra Yard for Teachers activation weekend will coincide with the USF football game, September 19.

Between August 1 and December 31 all donations made to ACE will be matched (minimum of a $50,000 gift) courtesy of the College Football Playoff Foundation.

Contributions to ACE may be made online (https://go.nd.edu/cfpf) or by texting NDACE to 41444.

For more information about this partnership, visit ace.nd.edu/cfpf.

Media Contact: Theo Helm, 336-918-9314

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About the College Football Playoff Foundation and Extra Yard for Teachers 

The College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the College Football Playoff, supporting education across the country. The CFP Foundation’s primary cause platform, Extra Yard for Teachers, is dedicated to elevating the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers in four focus areas: resources, recognition, recruitment and professional development. The CFP Foundation utilizes multiple partnerships to execute its initiatives and support positive educational outcomes. To learn more, visit cfp-foundation.org and follow Extra Yard for Teachers (@CFPExtraYard) on social media. 

About the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education

The University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) seeks to strengthen, sustain, and transform Catholic schools by forming leaders, expanding access, enhancing vitality, and conducting research. Since its founding in 1993, ACE has built a presence in every state in the country and works to ensure that all children, regardless of background, have the opportunity to receive an excellent Catholic education. To learn more about ACE, visit ace.nd.edu.