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How to Afford a
Christian Education
Presented by: Julie Welch
Admissions Counselor and
Financial Aid Consultant
Invest today in the Christian leaders of tomorrow!
Scholarships, grants, Tax
Credits & tuition rebates
1. Is my family eligible to receive a scholarship?
2. How do I apply?
Who provides the funding for these programs?
Scholarship Funding Sources:
School Tuition Organizations -STO
 Az Lutheran Scholarship Organization- ALSO
 Az Private Education Scholarship Fund-APESF
 School Choice Arizona – SCAZ Corporate STO
 Lutheran Education Foundation, Inc. - LEF & FAIR
 Institute for Better Education - IBE & CFA
 Az Scholarship Fund www.AzScholarships.org
Thanks to the Arizona Tax Credits Donations!
Arizona Tuition Tax Credit
 Arizona law passed in 1997
 Allows taxpayer to recommend tax
dollars in name of
 Specific Student
 Specific School
 Dollar for Dollar reduction in AZ taxes
Tuition Tax Credit
Guidelines
 Students entering Kindergarten to HS
 Maximum of $1000 for married/jointly
 Maximum of $500 for single/head of household
 Cannot recommend your own child
 Tax Liability
Az Private Education
Scholarship Fund
APESF Representative: Kristen Adams
www.apesf.org
 Qualified 501 C(3) charity
 Over 90% of every dollar given goes
toward scholarships for K-12th graders.
 Individual and Corporate tax credit
donations are processed at APESF
 Financial Need Based scholarships are
awarded, funded with tax credit donations.
APESF
 Operating since 1999
 Among Top 10 largest STO’s
(out of 50+)
 “Boutique” STO with
creative solutions for families
 APESF Website
www.apesf.org
 School Choice/STO Blog
with Latest News
 Donate and Apply Online
 FASToolkit
APESF
 Individual Tax Credit Program
 Donors make a tax credit donation to APESF and
recommend…



Specific Student
Specific School (Risen Savior)
General Fund
 Families can apply to APESF and receive scholarships
based on…



Donor recommendations
Financial Need
Student Merit
APESF
The FASToolkit is a series of customizable PDF
templates that you can use to communicate the
advantages of the Arizona Tuition Tax Credit program
to your family, friends and business associates!
1. Go to www.apesf.org and choose one of our many
different FASTemplates to create your own Family
Page!
2. Customize your Family Page by writing your own
letter or paragraph about your child...you can even
upload family pictures!
3. Send your Family Page by mail or electronically
with a copy of our Donation Brochure to all your
family, friends and business associates!
APESF
Apply Online at
www.APESF.org
4 Distributions Per Year
February, May,
August, November
(deadlines are last day of previous month)
Awards Needs Based
& Merit Based Scholarships in
MAY distribution
Awards are $500 - $1500
APESF
 NEW! Redirect your Payroll Tax
 New law, effective January 1, 2010
 Your employer will hold a portion of
your withholdings and pay APESF
quarterly instead of paying AZ
 Participation is voluntary
 Now you can make a donation without having to
provide the money up front or in one large sum!
 Visit http://apesf.org/payrollwithholdings to get started!
APESF
 Corporate Tax Credit Program
 In 2006, the Arizona Corporation School Tuition Tax
Credit Law, A.R.S. Section 43-1183 passed to allow
C-corporations to receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit
against their corporate state income tax
 NO LIMIT to the amount of the tax credit


Contributions are subject to a statewide cap of $17.28
million for 2009-2010. This cap increases each year by 20%.
Must have the cash flow to make the donation
 Donors can recommend a school but not a specific
student
APESF
 Corporate Tax Credit Program
 How to Donate




Complete a Corporate Donation Form online at
http://apesf.org/corporate-donation-form
APESF will submit an approval request for the contribution to the AZ
Department of Revenue.
If the state-wide cap has not been met, ADOR will respond within 20
days approving the contribution. Once APESF receives approval
notification, the corporation will have 10 days to make payment to
APESF. (If payment is not made within 10 days, the contribution will
be taken out of the cap and the process must start all over again.)
The corporation will take the credit on its next tax return, but may carry
any unused credit forward for up to five years.
STO for Risen Savior
 Everyone connected with ALSO volunteers their time – from
the board of directors to our annual planning committee to
the people who process donations. We have no payroll
overhead expenses. That means that more of your donation
goes directly to student scholarships!
 Students K-6th grades, enrolled for 2010-11 school year are
eligible to apply for Financial Need Based scholarships.
 To apply contact the school office for applications
 Application deadline – May 15 for Summer Distributions
Corporate Scholarship
School Choice Arizona, Inc.
www.schoolchoicearizona.org
 New Students Kindergarten-High School
 3 Year Renewable Scholarship - $1,000 - $5,600
Criteria
 Child starting Kindergarten or/ attended a public or charter
school as a full-time student for at least the first 100 days of
the previous school year.
 Needs Based – Specific Income Chart *see chart
Corporate Scholarship
School Choice Arizona, Inc.
www.schoolchoicearizona.org
Household Size
Annual Gross
Income
ARIZONA CORPORATE
TAX CREDIT
GUIDELINE
1
$20,036.00
$37,066.60
2
$26,955.00
$49,866.75
3
$33,874.00
$62,666.90
4
$40,793.00
$75,467.05
5
$47,712.00
$88,267.20
6
$54,631.00
$101,067.35
7
$61,550.00
$113,867.50
8
$68,469.00
$126,667.65
Each Additional Person
$6,919.00
$12,800.15
The chart above is a duplication of the actual guideline on the eligibility page of the SCAZ Corporate Scholarship application. It
is for demonstration purposes only. Please refer to the actual chart to determine your eligibility. The chart above lists the
national reduced price lunch guidelines for 2009-10 school year and then the corresponding corporate tuition tax credit guidelines
(Column 2 x 185%).
Tuition Rebates
Tuition Rebates are through a gift card program.
which means…..
“Substitute Money”
Tuition Rebates using Fry’s
Grocery Gift Cards
Hundreds of retailers to choose
from….here’s how it works.
Purchase gift cards to places you already shop and
use the cards as your form of payment.
•
Rebates go towards your tuition costs.
• REGISTER TODAY and begin earning your rebates!
•
Grocery Gift Cards
• Earn rebates up to 6% on purchases at
Fry’s Grocery Stores, including gas
stations and Kroger locations.
• Link Gift Card to VIP Cool Cash and earn
up to 2% for the school/organization.
Increase your rebate earnings by
combining 2 types of substitute money.
•
Reload your Fry’s Grocery Card and use it to
by other retailer Gift Cards at the service
desk in Frys. (i.e. Target, Southwest Airlines)
* Be aware of activation fees that some retailers charge
on gift cards like phone cards & credit cards.
Order Your Card!
$5.00 Required to activate card, will be
loaded onto the card for purchases.
Other STO Grants
For Kindergarten to
6th grade students
enrolled for 2010-11
school year at RSLS
Letter of Circumstance
Start by writing a letter to the
Scholarship Committee
1. Explain your situation
2. Provide details about your financial
hardship, personal sacrifices,
income or expense changes.
3. Share about your child - Academic
achievements, school involvement,
&/or personal growth.
Remember the committee does not
know you – provide details to help
them understand you. You are the
voice for your child ~ share your heart!
Lutheran Education
Foundation, Inc.
About LEF - Lutheran Education Foundation (LEF) provides scholarships to needy
children in K-12th grades, enabling them to attend a Lutheran school of their choice in
Arizona.
Arizona legislation enacted in 1997 permits individuals to reduce their Arizona income tax
liability for contributions to certain entities known as “school tuition organizations” (STO’S).
LEF was incorporated in response to this legislation and is a 501(c)3 non-profit “STO”.
To date, LEF has designated 100% of the donations received toward scholarships, with no
amounts used for administrative costs. LEF awarded scholarships to students
representing 14 Lutheran schools throughout Arizona. To ensure that only the most
needy students receive funds, donors may not name recipients, however designation can
be made to specify a qualifying Lutheran School.
LEF awards scholarships solely on the basis of financial need. Parents submit applications
to an independent outside evaluation service, FAIR, which computes the suggested
scholarship amount. The LEF Board of Directors makes the final determination.
www.FAIRAPP.com
Apply Online
www.fairapp.com
School Code 600
Password lef600
Welcome to Financial Aid Independent Review
•
We are currently accepting online applications for the 2010 - 2011 school year.
FAIR provides objective, comprehensive and affordable financial need analysis
services to private and parochial schools. In order for families to apply online, you will
need the following:
•
1. A valid email address.
2. A credit card to complete payment processing - $25 .00 fee per application.
3. Most recent Federal Income tax return with all schedules and most recent W-2's
and/or 1099 forms.
Once you have created your user account and signed in you will be able to complete
the FAIR application online. To begin the application process click on the "Online
Application" link.
Application Deadline 4/15/10
Institute for Better Education
Apply Online at www.ibescholarships.org
Financial Need Based Assistance
Step 1: Fill out Application. This Assistance requires an evaluation of your
family’s need;
1. IBE Application. (One per student) Contact your school for this
application, or you can locate this on line at www.ibescholarships.org
to submit electronically
2. Financial Analysis Application (one per family) must be completed.
This can be done online at www.cfslogin.com or contact your school
for this application.
3. A copy of last year’s IRS form 1040
4. A letter of explanation if you believe you have unusual or extenuating
circumstances that you would like the Scholarship Committee to
consider.
Step 2: Review by the Scholarship Committee. They will review your processed
application in light of the assistance you qualify for and the amounts available
for distribution. The personal information that you are required to provide for
application is kept confidential within this committee.
Step 3: Decision. IBE’s Scholarship Committee begins meeting in April and
continues monthly till all funds are dispersed. IBE will inform you of the
committee’s decision.
After the IBE application go to CFA
www.cfslogin.com
Institute for Better
Education
After the IBE application go to CFA
www.cfslogin.com
We also require a Confidential
Financial Analysis (CFA) be completed
online at www.cfslogin.com. There is a
$20 fee for the CFA, and you will need
to set up a username and password in
order to complete the analysis.
School Code : 60099
The deadline to submit ALL paperwork is
April 15, 2010
Financial Analysis Application
Arizona Scholarship Fund
Arizona’s CHOICE in Education
K-12 Private School Scholarships & Tuition Assistance
Apply Online at www.AzScholarships.org
Provides Needs Based and Merit Based Scholarships
No Deadline Date and No Application Fees
RSLS Tuition Assistance
If additional assistance is still needed after
scholarship award determinations are received,
then:
• Internal tuition assistance may be available.
Please make an appointment with the Principal
to discuss your options.
•Scholarships provided are funded by multiple
sources including ALSO scholarships.
•An application with ALSO and tax documents
may be required in order to be eligible.
Contact the school office for
application deadlines
How to Afford a
Christian Education
“We’ve got scholarships,
yes we do!
I applied for a grant,
how ‘bout you?”