Welcome to the official website of The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation. This site provides detailed information about our scholarship opportunities, including the application process, the scholarship categories, profiles of past recipients, answers to common questions, and an electronic application form.

The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation is a not-for-profit private foundation that established annual college scholarships for students at Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury, Connecticut, and, after Sacred Heart was closed by the Archdiocese of Hartford in 2021, for students at Saint Paul’s High School in Bristol, Connecticut.  In mid-2025, the Deeley Foundation expanded its role to include students at Kolbe Cathedral High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The Deeley Foundation is headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia, at the following address:

42756 Threadfin Terrace
Ashburn, Virginia 20148
Email: [email protected]

To contact us directly, please call one of our Managing Directors at the phone numbers below:

Debbie Deeley (703) 307-9299 (Cell)
Ted Deeley (352) 422-1221 (Cell)

Background of The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation

“If your plan is for one year, plant rice.
If your plan is for ten years, plant trees.
If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children.”
Confucius and/or Guan Zhong

Mr. and Mrs. Deeley were longtime residents of Waterbury before retiring to Virginia. Mr. Deeley worked as a tool setter for Scovill Manufacturing Company, and Mrs. Deeley raised their children and was active in numerous volunteer organizations. Although neither of them had the opportunity to attend college, they continually emphasized two critical aspects of life. The first was the value of an education. The second was the obligation to give something back to the community. They sacrificed to ensure their children would have an opportunity for higher education, yet they still found time to volunteer for community activities.

In 1996, their son, Ted, his wife, Gayle, and his sister, Donna, established The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation to continue their parents’ legacy of providing a helping hand. The Foundation is recognized as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation by the IRS.

The Deeley Foundation offers assistance to eligible high school seniors who qualify for admission to a college or university but lack the financial resources to attend. These scholarships are based on the belief that personal involvement with recipients creates a tangible bond between the student and the donor. Hopefully, this bond encourages our scholarship recipients to offer support to someone else after they graduate by “paying it forward” – in the form of mentoring and/or financial assistance.

History of Our Partnerships With Colleges and Universities

The scholarship was initially restricted to Sacred Heart High School seniors applying to Fairfield University, because Fairfield had agreed to a matching arrangement. In 2002, the Deeley Foundation, to provide more students with an educational opportunity, expanded the scholarship to include students applying to any four-year college or university. Quinnipiac University and the Deeley Foundation created a matching partnership in 2003, similar to the Fairfield University agreement. In 2004, the Deeley Foundation entered into a matching partnership with the Southern Connecticut State University Foundation. In 2014, in response to rising college costs, the Deeley Foundation broadened its scope to include students applying to two-year colleges.

In 2015, the partnerships with Fairfield University and Quinnipiac University were expanded to offer scholarships to students who meet certain financial need criteria.  Beginning in 2017, the Deeley Foundation engaged in a significant effort to increase the number of our college and university partnerships, and, as a result, partnerships were extended to include the University of Bridgeport, Sacred Heart University, and the University of Saint Joseph.

Changes are frequently being made to the basic structures and the amount of funding from our partner colleges and universities.  Whenever possible, we add partners or attempt to improve partnership terms.  On some occasions, when we find we have not had any scholarship recipients apply to a particular school or when the administration of a college changes and they wish to take time to review our partnership agreement, a partnership is terminated or suspended.

Recently, FAFSA changed its rules for determining financial aid, and federal regulations on the exchange of student information have become more restrictive.  For that reason, the Deeley Foundation has made an effort to convert our partnership agreements to a simple dollar-matching arrangement.  This approach eliminates the need to rely on FAFSA data and removes the need to exchange student admission and financial data with our partners.  We have been successful in converting our partners to these matching arrangements.

As our partnerships with colleges and universities increased, so did the number of our scholarship awards. The amount of scholarship funding each year from The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation has grown from $10,000 in 1996 to well over $100,000.  Our partnerships have accounted for about a third of this increase.

Profile of Our Scholarship Recipients

We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of our scholarship recipients.  They have a 97% graduation rate (much better than almost all colleges and universities); this graduation rate demonstrates the determination of these students to succeed.  Many of our recipients are the first person in their families to attend college.  Over half of them have not only obtained their undergraduate degrees but have also gone on to obtain advanced degrees, as can be seen from the following chart:

The Deeley Foundation provides financial support to as many as 19 college students every academic year.  With the addition of Kolbe Cathedral High School, we expect the number of recipients being funded during an academic year to increase substantially.

Our recipients have attended over thirty colleges and universities.  Some of the schools represented by these students are the University of Connecticut, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Quinnipiac University, Fairfield University, Boston College, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Southern Connecticut State University, Central Connecticut State University, The Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston University, Gordon College, Coastal Carolina University, St. John’s University, the University of Rhode Island, Williams College, Middlebury College, RPI, the University of Central Florida, Castleton University, Stonehill College, and Hampton University.

The number of males and females awarded a Deeley Foundation scholarship varies from year to year.  However, since our inception, our scholarship awards are about equally distributed between female and male recipients, as can be seen from the chart below:

Scholarship recipients attend schools up and down the East Coast.  While scholarship recipients are free to attend the college of their choice, over half of our scholarship recipients have elected to attend one of our partner colleges or universities.  This is not surprising since we try to form partnerships with those schools to which a significant number of our scholarship applicants apply.  The following chart shows the distribution of attendance among our scholarship recipients between partner schools and other colleges and universities.

The next chart shows the percentage of scholarship recipients attending specific colleges or universities.  There are over thirty different educational institutions that our recipients have attended as undergraduates, and many more where they have obtained advanced degrees.

Although academic achievement certainly is a factor in our selection process, we do NOT necessarily select students who are at the top of their high school class for our scholarships.   Academic achievement is just one of the many factors that go into the selection process.  Only about a third of our scholarship awards are made to students in the top 10% of their class; over twice as many of our scholarship recipients are NOT in the top 10%.  We view every student as a potential scholarship recipient regardless of academic standing, and we have awarded scholarships to students in every quartile of their graduating high school classes.  The chart below shows the distribution of our scholarship awards for all students, including those who have not yet graduated from college.

We are seeking those individuals who we think will “make a difference” in the future.   A recipient can be a student who demonstrates a special passion for a particular field of interest, has a unique combination of academic and social skills, and/or has positively impacted the lives of other students.

Applying For The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation Scholarship

This scholarship is available to high school seniors affiliated with one of our high schools, regardless of race, gender, or religious belief. All high school seniors are eligible to receive a Deeley Foundation scholarship.  Students are free to attend any college they choose.  We strongly encourage every senior to apply for the scholarship, regardless of whether he/she plan to attend a two-year or a four-year institution.

No members of the Deeley family or anyone with business relationships with The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation or the family-owned or operated businesses are eligible for this award.

Applicants must submit a completed scholarship application by December 31st to be eligible for consideration. Each written application is reviewed by several members of the Deeley Foundation.  After an initial screening, representatives of the Deeley Foundation select 15-18 students to be interviewed.  These interviews are held in the spring.  After the interviews are completed, our panel reviews the results of the interviews and makes a final selection of those students being awarded scholarships. The scholarship recipients are notified two to four weeks after the interviews are completed.

The number of scholarships awarded each year varies from one to eight students.  With our expanded partnership agreements with colleges and universities, we have been able to increase the number of scholarship recipients.

What began in 1996 as a single scholarship for a student to attend Fairfield University as an undergraduate has grown to support as many as 18 students each year, including some attending graduate school.  These students have attended over thirty different colleges and universities, and the Deeley Foundation has formed partnerships with several colleges and universities to assist in the funding of our scholarships.

The criteria for scholarship selection consist equally of the following areas:

• • Community Involvement
  • Academic Accomplishments
  • Work Experience
  • Extra-Curricular Activities
  • Financial Need
  • College Goals
  • Personal Interview

Regardless of a student’s academic class ranking, we find the above attributes provide more predictability of college success than any other single factor.  The chart below compares the accomplishments of students ranked in the top 10% of their high school class with those of other scholarship recipients. It is clear that, in our experience, both categories of students are equally successful in college.

This chart displays the accomplishments of all our scholarship recipients who have already graduated from college.  The percentages are based on 100% of the students who have graduated from college.  If you add the percentages in the Top 10% Class Ranking grouping, you will find that only about one-third of our recipients were in the top 10% of their class.  The majority of our scholarship recipients are in the second grouping.  In this second group, a significant number of students earned advanced degrees.

Our scholarship awards are good for four years, provided the recipient remains in good academic standing, is a full-time student (a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester), and continues to meet the financial need requirements. “Good academic standing” requires the student to maintain a minimum of a cumulative 2.5 G.P.A. (2.8 G.P.A., in the case of scholarships with many of our partners) at the end of each academic year. If a recipient fails to remain in good academic standing or becomes a part-time student, then the scholarship can be terminated.

The Deeley Foundation forwards its portion of the scholarship to the college or university or, in some cases, to the school’s foundation, and the school directly administers the scholarship payment by crediting this payment to the recipient’s invoice for the academic semester.

If a student elects to study abroad in a university-sponsored program of studies, then the scholarship amount will be provided to the recipient to be applied towards tuition, travel, housing, and meals.

Our Partnerships with Colleges and Universities

The Deeley Foundation has been successful in creating scholarship partnerships with public universities and private colleges and universities in the Connecticut area. We attempt to form partnerships based on those schools to which our scholarship applicants apply. These partnerships allow the Deeley Foundation to increase our funding dollars and award more money and scholarships to students.  Our partnerships continue to evolve.

None of our partnerships has a specific financial need requirement. There is no need for a scholarship applicant to apply for a specific scholarship.  All applicants to colleges and universities partnering with the Deeley Foundation are automatically considered for all scholarship programs related to the school(s) to which they have submitted applications.

The current list of our college and university partners is as follows:

MATCHING PARTNERSHIPS

• • • • Albertus Magnus College
      • Boston College
      • Central Connecticut State University
      • Eastern Connecticut State University
      • Fairfield University
      • Sacred Heart University
      • Southern Connecticut State University
      • Stonehill College
      • Trinity College
      • The University of Bridgeport
      • University of Hartford
      • University of Massachusetts
      • University of New Haven
      • University of Saint Joseph

OTHER FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIPS

• • • • All Colleges and Universities (Including Partner Schools)

These partnerships vary from school to school and have different matching criteria. Specific admission information for each partner can be found in the EXTERNAL LINKS section at the bottom of each website page.

Our college and university partners provide about a third of our overall scholarship funding.  This funding allows the Deeley Foundation to provide increased scholarship funding at these institutions.

The Scholarships Available From The Deeley Foundation

This section describes the scholarships available from The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation.  The values given below for each scholarship are for the full four years of college.

All our partnership scholarships REQUIRE students to apply for non-binding “early action” for the colleges of their choice.  This allows our college and university partners time to make acceptance and financial aid decisions in a timely manner.  All scholarship applicants must also complete a Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and forward this information to their college choices.

Our scholarships are available for any college or university, both 2-year and 4-year institutions, and have no specific financial need requirements.

Below are the four-year values of the partnerships we have with both public and private colleges/universities.  Most scholarship awards limit the amount of financial aid to no more than the cost of tuition and fees.  In all cases, students remain eligible to apply their federal aid (Pell Grants, student loans, and work-study) towards the cost of room and board.

Albertus Magnus College – This scholarship is limited to an amount up to the cost of tuition and fees.  The Deeley Foundation contribution is up to $90,000+and Albertus Magnus matches this amount, and the value of the scholarship is up to $180,000+.  This scholarship is in addition to any financial aid awarded during the acceptance process.   Resident students may use their federal aid (Pell Grants, student loans, and work-study) towards the cost of room and board.  Commuter students must apply all federal aid towards the cost of tuition and fees.  No student can receive more aid than the Cost of Attendance (COA) from their original financial aid and the Deeley Scholarship.

Boston College – The Deeley Foundation portion is up to $60,000 and is limited to matching self-help aid (the value of federal financial aid for Pell Grants, student loans, and work-study).  This scholarship is in addition to any financial aid awarded by Boston College during the acceptance process.  Boston College does not match the Deeley Foundation contribution, but permits us to supplement a student’s financial aid awards from Boston College.

Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) – This scholarship is limited to an amount up to the cost of tuition and fees.  The Deeley Foundation contribution is up to $24,000+; the CCSU Foundation matches this amount, and the value of the scholarship is up to $48,000+.   This scholarship is in addition to any financial aid awarded by CCSU during the acceptance process.  The total financial aid from all sources cannot exceed the cost of tuition and fees.

Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) – This scholarship is limited to an amount up to the cost of tuition and fees.  The Deeley Foundation contribution is up to $28,000+; the ECSU Foundation matches this amount, and the value of the scholarship is up to $56,000+.   This scholarship is in addition to any financial aid awarded by ECSU during the acceptance process.  The total financial aid from all sources cannot exceed the cost of tuition and fees.

Fairfield University – The Deeley Foundation contribution is matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by Fairfield University.  This scholarship is in addition to any financial aid awarded by Fairfield University during the regular acceptance process.  The total financial aid from the Deeley Foundation and Fairfield University cannot exceed the total cost of tuition and fees.  There is no limit on the number of matching scholarships that can be awarded in any academic year.  The combined value of this financial aid is up to $220,000+. The total financial aid from all sources cannot exceed the cost of tuition and fees.

Sacred Heart University – The Deeley Foundation contribution is up to $14,500, and Sacred Heart University matches that amount.   The scholarship value is up to $116,000.  This scholarship is available to students who previously received financial aid that is less than 50% of the tuition and fees.  It is in addition to any financial aid awarded by Sacred Heart University during the acceptance process.  For students who previously received financial aid greater than 50% of the tuition and fees, the scholarship is up to $5,000, with the Deeley Foundation providing $2,500 and Sacred Heart University providing a matching $2,500.

Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) – This scholarship is limited to an amount up to the cost of tuition and fees.  The Deeley Foundation contribution is up to $24,000+; the SCSU Foundation matches this amount, and the value of the scholarship is up to $48,000+.   This scholarship is in addition to any financial aid awarded by SCSU during the acceptance process.  The total financial aid from all sources cannot exceed the cost of tuition and fees.

Stonehill College – The Deeley Foundation contribution is up to $20,000; this amount is matched by Stonehill College, and the value of the scholarship is up to $40,000.   This scholarship is in addition to any financial aid awarded by Stonehill College during the acceptance process.  There is a limit that the combination of financial aid already awarded by Stonehill College, when combined with the Deeley Foundation Scholarship, cannot exceed the cost of tuition and fees.

Trinity College – Trinity meets 100% of a student’s financial needs.  However, the formulas used to determine this funding do not always meet what a student can afford.  The Deeley Foundation can contribute up to 50% of the tuition and fees, and Trinity has agreed to match the Deeley Foundation award.  This scholarship is in addition to any financial awards a student has already received from Trinity.  The total value of this scholarship could have a value of $200,000 over four years, but it most likely will be less.

The University of Bridgeport – The Deeley Foundation contribution is up to $80,000, and the value of the scholarship is $120,000.  The University of Bridgeport will match any scholarship provided by The Deeley Foundation on a 1:2 basis.  This means for every two dollars the Deeley Foundation provides, the University of Bridgeport will provide an additional one dollar of financial aid.  The total amount of scholarships is limited to no more than $20,000 for an academic year for all students attending the University of Bridgeport.  This scholarship is in addition to any financial awards a student has already received.  The total financial aid from all sources cannot exceed the cost of tuition and fees.

University of Hartford – The Deeley Foundation contribution is $45,900, and the value of the scholarship is $61,200. The University of Hartford will match any scholarship provided by The Deeley Foundation on a 1:3 basis.  This means for every three dollars the Deeley Foundation provides, the University of Hartford will provide an additional one dollar of financial aid.  The total amount of scholarships is limited to no more than $15,300 for an academic year for all students attending the University of Hartford.  This scholarship is in addition to any financial awards a student has already received.  The total financial aid from all sources cannot exceed the cost of tuition and fees.

University of Massachusetts – The Deeley Foundation contribution is up to $72,000; UMass matches this amount, and the value of the scholarships is up to $144,000+.   These scholarships are in addition to any financial aid awarded by UMass during the acceptance process, and the total cannot exceed the cost of tuition and fees.

University of New Haven – The Deeley Foundation contribution is up to $20,000; the University of New Haven matches this amount, and the value of the scholarship is up to $40,000.   This scholarship is in addition to any financial aid awarded by the University of New Haven during the acceptance process.  

University of Saint Joseph – This scholarship is limited to an amount up to the cost of tuition and fees.  The Deeley Foundation contribution is up to $72,000, and the value of the scholarship is up to $144,000+.   This scholarship is in addition to any financial aid awarded by the University of Saint Joseph during the acceptance process, and the total financial aid cannot exceed the cost of tuition and fees.

Any College or University – The Deeley Foundation portion is up to $12,000 per academic year; there is no matching arrangement, and the value of the scholarship is up to $48,000.

Recipients are required to maintain a G.P.A. of 2.5 – 2.8 to remain eligible for these scholarships.

We have, on occasion, made exceptions to these guidelines and modified our awards to better match the needs of our recipients.  In all cases, we are guided by what is needed to help a student succeed.

Our partners play an important role in funding our scholarships.  The chart below compares the percentage of partnership scholarship contributions for those partners who have made contributions.

The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation has awarded over $2.7 million in scholarships.  Although the amounts of individual scholarships vary, the average value of a four-year scholarship is over $30,000.

The graph below shows the percentage of the scholarship awards made by The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation and the colleges/universities to which the awards were made.  

Distribution of Deeley Foundation Scholarship Awards By Geographic Area

Our scholarship recipients are free to attend any college, and they generally attend colleges and universities up and down the East Coast.  The map below shows the geographic location of the colleges and universities that our recipients have attended.

Additional Support From The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation

We are especially proud of our voluntary mentoring program with former scholarship recipients.  This program matches all new scholarship recipients with former recipients who either have the same major or have attended the same college or university.  Almost half of our scholarship recipients have either served or are serving as mentors and are helping us to “pay it forward” to subsequent scholarship recipients.

These past recipients are engaged in a wide range of careers and activities, and we can call upon this unique network to offer mentoring and guidance to current scholarship students.  Every previous scholarship recipient we have asked to serve as a mentor has gladly agreed to do so!

Channel 8 WTNH in New Haven broadcast an interview with one of our recent scholarship recipients, Marcus Concepcion, who is attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute.  Marcus speaks about his relationship with his mentor, Brian Luis, and his plans for serving as a mentor in the future.

You can view the interview by clicking on the arrow in the middle of the picture.

Since recipients submit their grades and financial awards information to The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation at the end of every semester, there is ongoing communication between recipients and the Deeley Foundation throughout their four years of college.

Ongoing Relationships and Communications With Our Scholarship Recipients

In many cases, our communications and relationships continue after a student graduates. Almost all our former scholarship recipients keep in touch via email or social media.

The photos below are typical of the continuing interactions we have with our scholarship recipients.  These are some examples of the successes and achievements they have shared with us.  They are all “making a difference”!

Brian Luis (2014) in Merida, Mexico with the Boston Scientific Corporation medical team. Merida was chosen as the population there has some of the highest incidence of gallstones and kidney stones in the world.  BSC donated $50,000 worth of product, specifically their Spy DS II platform. This allows physicians to remove all stones in one go with no follow ups.  Brian attended Boston University where he obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Engineering before working for Boston Scientific.

Dan Camacho (2009) works on a young patient at a free dental clinic in Grenada.  Dan went on to establish his own orthodontic practice and serves as an adjunct professor of Orthodontics at Seton Hill University and NOVA Southeastern University, College of Dental Medicine.

Erin Brown (2017) and Makayla Bloom (2025) chat in Erin’s office at Sacred Heart University, where Erin is the Coordinator of Student Athlete Support Services, and Makayla is a student.

Kevin Grodecki (2023) checks out one of the new Cirrus aircraft at Western Michigan State University, where he is majoring in Aviation Management.

Rob Guerrera (2003) interviews Chris Simms at the 2024 Super Bowl.  Rob was a staff member of the “Mike and Mike Show” on ESPN, went on to be the producer of PFT Live with Mike Florio and Chris Simms, and is now the founder and owner of Gold Standard Productions, where he produces podcasts.  He also serves as a substitute host on ESPN Radio.

Megan Spagnolo (2015) and Erin Brown (2017) wish each other luck before competing against each other!

Gillian Smith (2022) and Jenna Madigan (2018) met at the  Society of Women Engineers conference in New Orleans!.  Gillian will be graduating from RPI and has accepted a position as a Mechanical Engineer at DAPR Engineering in Merrimack, NH.   Jenna is a Senior Systems Engineer at Medtronic.  Jenna and Heather Brown (2017) were mentors for Gillian and helped her obtain an internship at Medtronic after her freshman year. 

Julian Saavedra (2000) on the TV show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, where Julian won $30,000!  Julian is an Assistant Principal in the Philadelphia School System.

When requested by a scholarship recipient, we offer help in several areas.  This can take the form of suggesting majors, helping with course selections, finding sources for additional academic help, or other support.  We’ve also helped scholarship students who are about to graduate by preparing/reviewing their resumes, suggesting possible job opportunities, providing references, writing letters of recommendation, and providing job and/or interviewing tips and techniques. For scholarship recipients already in the workplace, we’ve offered advice in areas ranging from job and career changes to starting businesses. In most cases, we remain in contact with recipients well after they graduate. Look on the Updates On Past And Current Scholarship Recipients page of our website to see what some of our past recipients are doing and which ones have served as mentors.

More specific details about The Thomas and Elsie Deeley Foundation, the scholarship application process, and the requirements for scholarship programs at various schools can be found by visiting the section of our website called Frequently Asked Questions.