St. John Berchmans School Tax Credit Scholarship Information Session
What is a Tax Credit Scholarship? • Through the “Invest in Kids Act,” Illinois children who want to attend private schools will have access to new scholarships. The scholarships offered through this program could cover up to 100 percent of tuition and eligible fees for next school year. Students from qualifying households in grades K-12 have • the opportunity to receive tax credit scholarships for the 2018/19 school year. These scholarships are funded by donors who receive a credit on their Illinois state income tax as a result of their donation.
Who Qualifies? Scenario 1: 100% Scholarship You could receive 100 percent of tuition and eligible fees if you fit the following:
Who Qualifies? Scenario 2: 75% Scholarship You could receive 75 percent of tuition and eligible fees if you fit the following:
Who Qualifies? Scenario 3: 50% Scholarship You could receive 50 percent of tuition and eligible fees if you fit the following:
How Are Scholarships Awarded? • From January to April, priority will be given to students who: • Are members of a household whose previous year’s total annual income does not exceed 185% of the federal poverty level; or • Reside within a focus district and whose household income is within 300% of the federal poverty level. CHICAGO IS A FOCUS DISTRICT. • Within that priority, applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis.
Where do I Apply? You will need to apply for tax credit scholarships through a • scholarship granting organization (SGO), which will manage this process, instead of the Archdiocese or your school directly. There are several SGOs in Illinois. The Archdiocese of Chicago is working with two SGOs: Empower Illinois and Big Shoulders Fund. • The application process with Big Shoulders Fund will be completed online at www.bigshouldersfundsgo.org. The application process will open January 22, 2018 at 8 a.m. • The application process with Empower Illinois will be completed online at www.empowerillinois.org. The application process will open January 31, 2018 at 12 p.m. Families will need to apply to BOTH SGOs listed above! •
When Do I Apply? • January 22, 2018 at 8 a.m. for Big Shoulders. • January 31, 2018 at 12 p.m. for Empower Illinois. • FAMILIES SHOULD APPLY AT THE TIME THE SGOS OPEN THE APPLICATION TO MAXIMIZE THE CHANCE OF BEING AWARDED A SCHOLARSHIP!
What Do I Need to Apply? • Proof of Income • Proof of Residency • Proof of Child’s Age • School District (#299 for the Chicago Public School District System) Actual requirements for each SGO vary slightly, so please visit each site to understand exactly what documents will suffice. SJB will scan documents in advance of the application for any family who requests this service! • Big Shoulders Fund SGO • Empower Illinois SGO
How / When Will I Know I’ve Received a Scholarship? • Applicants who are in a priority group and submit a completed application will receive a response regarding their eligibility within 10 business days. If funding is available, an official award letter and school commitment form will be mailed/emailed and the next step is to gain acceptance into the school. • Upon being accepted into the school of your choice, the school will notify us that you are accepted and the scholarship award will be sent to the school during the 2018-2019 school year once enrollment/attendance is verified.
How Do I Apply to SJB? • Applying for a scholarship is not applying for acceptance to SJB! • Re-Enrollment for current school families will open at 3PM on January 25 th . • Applications for the public are online and will be made available on the SJB website at 3PM on February 1 st .
How Can SJB Help? St. John Berchmans is hosting two APPLICATION SUPPORT • DAY EVENTS in the Church Hall. • On January 22nd from 8-10am, families will be provided assistance with applying through the approved SGO site, Big Shoulders. • On January 31st from 12-2pm, families will be provided assistance with applying through the approved SGO site, Empower Illinois. • Additionally, to be added to our email list so that you can be updated with information about our admissions process and the tax credit scholarship, fill out our Request for Information form.
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