You have a CHOICE in where to educate your children and cost should not be the deciding factor. YES Fund for Kids is here to assist families interested in utilizing the Arizona Private School Tuition Tax Credit program to help with tuition costs. A scholarship awarded to the applicants must be used as allowed by Arizona law solely for tuition expenses at a qualified Arizona private school, kindergarten through 12th grade, that the applicant attends or will be attending.
Scholarships are awarded from funds in which donors are utilizing the Arizona Individual Private School Tuition Tax Credit by making contributions each year. Donors may recommend a student and/or school on the donation form. The recommendation of the donor will be considered in determining the scholarship allocation, however, financial need will also be addressed and all final decisions in awarding scholarships are at the discretion of the YES Fund for Kids board of directors. A donor may not recommend their own dependent. A student may receive scholarships from more than one School Tuition Organization, but applying with other organizations reduces the availability of funds for other students in need.
Simple steps to be tuition free…
- Complete the Student Scholarship Application
- Educate yourself about the program
- Communicate the advantages of the program with others
- Enjoy the school year without the stress of tuition payments
To be eligible to receive a scholarship, you must complete a Student Scholarship Application for your child each school year.
The Arizona Tuition Tax Credit program gives you the unique opportunity to raise support for your child’s tuition to almost nothing. It’s true! If just two married filing jointly donors maximize their tax credit contribution at $2,483 and they recommend your child, at least 96% or $4,768 can be awarded to him/her as a tuition scholarship. Networking with other parents is probably the most effective strategy for finding ideas and advice to help raise donations.
Let’s face it, raising donations for any cause is hard work. It’s difficult to think of who to ask, let alone getting them to make the contribution. Add the phrase “tax credit”, and many people would rather say “no thanks”. By using various resources, you can inform potential donors of how painless and beneficial their contribution can be. Remember you are not asking them for a donation, you are asking them to re-direct the taxes they already owe to the state by making a dollar-for-dollar tax credit contribution to Yuma’s Education Scholarship Fund for Kids, Inc. Not only does the donor have control of where their tax dollars go, but they are assisting your family in making the best education choices for your child. You may even have a donor say, “It’s too good to be true!”
Tax law is complicated, so encourage the potential donor to contact us or their tax preparer for further questions.
- Hand out YES Fund brochures
- Write a personalized letter- see samples in sidebar
- Send out emails
- Make phone calls
- Use social media or social gatherings to engage in a conversation
We recommend that you start raising donations before your child starts school. This gives donors enough time to financially plan their contribution, and parents the peace of mind knowing tuition will be covered when it becomes due.
Out of State Donations:
We understand that some families in Arizona have moved from another state, leaving behind a support system of family and friends. Since YES Fund for Kids is a qualified charitable, 501c(3) organization, out of state donors may be able to claim a charitable tax deduction (not a full tax credit) on their Federal tax returns. In this situation, there are no minimum or maximum contribution amounts.
Ready to Apply:
Application guidelines for Original and Switcher applicants
Application guidelines for Low Income Corporate applicants
Application guidelines for Disable/Displaced applicants
Application Status:
It does take approximately 30 days to process scholarship applications. Scholarships will be awarded as funds are available starting in August and will continue on a monthly basis. If you have submitted all the necessary documentation with your scholarship application and would like to check the status please contact our office.
ESA Universal recipients:
Students currently receiving a scholarship from the ESA program are not eligible to receive scholarships from STO’s. However, multi year recommended fund donations to YES Fund are allowed and may be held for future tuition needs such as high school. You can solicit Recommendations of funds for your child while they are receiving from the ESA program, and we will hold the funds until they need them for high school tuition. The ESA Universal program does not currently support kindergarten or high school grade levels at 100%, but STO funds are able to cover tuition at 100%.