Skaggs trust continues to assist Catholic education

Friday, Aug. 01, 2025

SALT LAKE CITY — The Sam and Aline Skaggs Charitable Remainder Unitrust recently provided a gift of $33 million to the Diocese of Salt Lake City. At the direction of the benefactors, three permanent endowments totaling $33 million were established within the Catholic Foundation of Utah. All three endowments benefit Catholic education.

Sam and Aline Skaggs were longtime benefactors of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. They donated more than $50 million to build the Skaggs Catholic Center in Draper, which houses Juan Diego Catholic High School, Saint John the Baptist Elementary and Middle Schools, and the Guardian Angel Day Care. They also established the ALSAM Foundation, which has supported numerous Utah Catholic Schools’ projects over the years, including the recent renovation of St. Olaf School in Bountiful and the prayer garden currently under way at St. Andrew School in Riverton. 

In addition, the ALSAM Foundation has provided grants to projects such as the expansion of Catholic Community Services’ Weigand Center in Salt Lake City; Sam and Aline Skaggs also funded the original construction of the center, which was named after the Most Rev. William K. Weigand, seventh Bishop of Salt Lake City. 

Sam Skaggs died in 2013; Aline Skaggs died in 2015.

The Catholic Foundation of Utah was established in 1984 “to strengthen the Catholic Church in Utah and serve its present and future needs by promoting permanent endowed funds,” according to its annual report. Some of the income from the endowments is distributed annually to the beneficiaries.

Today CFU manages more than 450 endowments that benefit various entities in the diocese, including parishes, missions, schools, vocations to the priestly and religious life, seminarian education, the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the Carmelite monastery, Mount Calvary Catholic Cemetery and Catholic Community Services of Utah. 

The new endowments from the Sam and Aline Skaggs Charitable Remainder Unitrust are “truly transformational,” said Nevah Stevenson, the CFU’s executive director. “It ensures that the commitment of Sam and Aline Skaggs to Catholic education will live on in perpetuity. It’s so heartwarming to consider how a gift of this magnitude will impact students’ lives.” 

One of the new endowments established by the Skaggs unitrust provides merit-based scholarships to Juan Diego CHS students to pursue undergraduate degrees at a college or university.

Another of the endowments provides needs-based scholarships for students to attend one of the 16 Utah Catholic Schools. 

“We are profoundly grateful for the remarkable generosity of Sam and Aline Skaggs. Their legacy gift will create life-changing opportunities for students at Juan Diego High School through university scholarships, and will provide vital tuition assistance to families in our Catholic elementary schools,” said Mark Longe, superintendent of Utah Catholic Schools. “Though Sam and Aline are no longer with us, their lasting commitment to Catholic education will continue to bless children and families for generations to come.”

The third endowment provides scholarships for graduates of Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista, Calif., to attend college in pursuit of an undergraduate degree.

In 2007, Sam and Aline Skaggs provided funds to build Mater Dei CHS “and to establish endowments for some of the programs that we have,” said Father Joaquin Martinez, SJ, president of Mater Dei Catholic.

Regarding the new endowment, Fr. Joaquin said, “We’re very, very grateful to the Skaggs family for their ongoing support of Mater Dei Catholic.”