Tax Credit Tuition Support

Recommended Funds & Financial Aid Scholarships Are for All Students
Under Arizona law, donors — both individuals and corporations — get a dollar-for-dollar credit on their state taxes for giving to nonprofit school-tuition organizations or specially recommending a specific child receive their credit.  There are four types of tax credits:

• Original for any income bracket (may be financial aid award and/or recommended funds)

• Switcher/Plus for any income bracket (may be financial aid award and/or recommended funds). A student gets Switcher/Plus eligibility either as a kindergartener or as a public school transfer.

• Low Income/Corporate has income eligibility guidelines that are higher than you might think, meaning you might qualify (can only be financial aid award)

• Disabled & Displaced is for any student that has an IEP, MET or 504 Plan from an Arizona Public School or a student in the foster care system (can only be financial aid award)

RECOMMENDED FUNDS
Hundreds of SEAS families use Recommended Funds to reduce their out-of-pocket tuition costs.  Some families use Recommended Funds to cover the full cost of tuition. A private donor recommends or refers a specific student by name when they make their tax credit donation with a Scholarship Tuition Organization (STO).  

• Tax donations are one-to-one tax credits and do not cost the donor anything extra as it's what they would pay in their Arizona State taxes.

• Donations are typically processed within 24-48 business hours by the STO.  See current year donation limits on your STO’s website

• Provided the receiving family has a current application on file, funds will then be available and offered to the school on behalf of the recommended child during the current or next monthly cycle (depending on the date of the donation).

• The funds are always available for the current school year, regardless of the tax year claimed by the donor. Donations must be distributed within 18 months.

• The school can accept tax credit funds up to the amount of the listed tuition.

• Any student is eligible*. Pre-K students can start to get donations while in Pre-K but cannot use the funds until kindergarten.

The STO’s offer trainings, videos, websites, brochures, sample letters, social media messages, and more to help you learn how to ask and get recommended funds.  Remember, hundreds of our families are using this program and it can work for you, too!
 
FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARSHIPS

The Tuition Support Guide is downloadable, too.  

Scholarship Tuition Organizations
All students are eligible for financial aid scholarships through the Arizona Private School Tax Credit. Funding is based on tax credit donations to our school through our own parents, parishioners, businesses, and others. Each scholarship tuition organization (STO) has a different deadline, application, and rounds of funding. Most STOs will offer awards in August and then sometime in the Spring. Parents are encouraged to apply during the spring/summer so they can be part of the first round of funding in August. If they do not get funding in August they could still get funding in a later round.

Catholic Tuition Support Organization (CTSO)
520-838-2558 | www.CTSO-Tucson.org
Check website for deadlines
Step 1: Financial Aid Independent Review (FAIR) is the organization to contact when applying for CTSO scholarships: www.fairapp.com
School Code: 800
School Password: ctso800
Fee Waiver Code: After you have enrolled your student you will get a new 2021/22 individual “fee waiver code” to bypass the FAIR application fee.
Step 2: Each family must contact CTSO (not FAIR) directly to be added to the CTSO Referral (recommended) Fund Program.
 
CTSO’s FAIR Short & Long Form Applications – If your income falls below a certain threshold then you will be automatically directed to the FAIR Short form.  Higher incomes require the Long form so FAIR can calculate your mortgage, loans, and other factors because these often show you have greater need than your income alone would suggest.
 
Institute for Better Education (IBE)
520-512-5438 | www.ibescholarships.org
Check website for deadlines  
 
Arizona Tuition Connection (ATC)
480-409-4106 | www.arizonatuitionconnection.com
Check website for deadlines
 
School Choice Arizona, Inc. (SCA)
480-722-7502 | www.schoolchoicearizona.org
Application Opens: March 1, 2022
 
 
Corporate Only Scholarship Organizations
See below if you meet the income requirements – if so please apply! These only fund once in August and generally cover the bulk of the tuition costs with their award.
 
Academic Achievement Accessible Scholarship Foundation (AAA)
888-707-2465 | www.aaascholarships.org
Check website for deadlines & AAA’s specific eligibility guidelines (which are different than others)
Notes: If a student accepts AAA they may NOT accept an award from another STO.  This is not the best choice for a new student’s first year at SEAS as they could not accept Switcher.
 
Arizona Leadership Foundation (ALF)
602-525-7355 | www.arizonaleader.org
Check website for deadlines & ALF’s specific eligibility guidelines (which are different than others)
 

Arizona Dept of Revenue Scholarship
Eligibility: EITHER the student must meet one of these requirements: has a disability (MET), comes from a D or F rated public school, lives on a Native American Reservation, or has a sibling that was a current or previous recipient.  OR the parent must meet one of these requirements: is active duty military, was killed in the line of duty, or is legally blind, deaf, or hard of hearing.
 
Empowerment Scholarship Account Program (ESA)
602-364-1969 | esa@azed.gov/esa
Application Opens: Always open but has a rolling deadline with a processing time of 45 days.
Notes: If a student accepts ESA they may NOT accept an award from another STO. 
 

For questions please contact:

Nadia Cronin

ncronin@school.seastucson.org

520-219-7650