Scholarship & Financial Aid

K – 5th Grades Only
Scholarship Process and Policies for
Faith Community Academy

  1. If you are new to FCA, you must start the enrollment process and pay your application fee ($50) with us before you can be considered for scholarship assistance. The link to our online enrollment as well as instructions are on our website, www.fcatucson.org.
  2. If you are returning to FCA, your online re-enrollment and paperwork must be complete before you can qualify for a scholarship.
  3. Complete the Individual Scholarship Application for the current school year with IBE – the Institute for Better Education. This may include documentation to verify income. Contact IBE for more details. The application must be submitted to IBE, not FCA.
  4. Based on the information you provide, IBE will make a recommendation for an award.
  5. If you have any special or extenuating circumstances that cannot be explained by the information given on your application, please detail them in a “Letter of Exception” addressed to IBE and included with your application.
  6. FCA and IBE do not award full scholarships for Need Based Scholarships – you will have some financial responsibility. However, we recognize that you still may need assistance and that your award may not be sufficient to meet your need. Please see Additional Information about Scholarships for more information.

Maintaining your Scholarship

Students must maintain a 90% attendance rate (except if there is a doctor’s note on file). Accounts must be kept current (please see the “Current Account Policy”). Grades must be maintained at a C average. Failure to maintain these standards is grounds for losing your financial need scholarship.

Additional Information about Scholarships

The Arizona Tax Credit Program – make it work for you!
If you have family or friends in the state of Arizona that are willing to receive a tax credit for a donation, then you could potentially cover more of your tuition costs.

Several School Tuition Organizations (STO’s) offer the option of donating money and recommending a specific student attending private school. You may not recommend your own dependent. However, your child’s grandparents, aunts & uncles, friends, etc., can recommend your student. According to the law, 10% of the donation is allowed to go to the STO to cover administrative costs. The remaining 90% may be awarded to your student in the form of a scholarship to cover tuition costs only. While STO’s traditionally follow recommendations for scholarships, the final decision to award funds rests solely with the School Tuition Organization.

Maximum individual tax credit donations are updated annually in the brochures provided to us by IBE and people may give up to those limits so long as you don’t give beyond your state tax liability.

For more information on how to donate, solicit donations, or apply for additional scholarship assistance based on financial need, or information about Corporate Scholarships or PLUS funds, you may contact any of the following organizations:

Institute for Better Education
911 S. Craycroft Tucson, AZ 85711 / 520-512-5438 (phone) / 520-203-0184 fax
www.ibescholarships.org

Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization
PO Box 6580 Chandler, AZ 85246 / 480-820-0403
www.acsto.org

Faith Community Church Scholarships

Members of Faith Community Church are also encouraged to apply for a scholarship through our church fund. Please apply at www.cfslogin.com and create an account using our school registration number 24189. There is also a link on the home page of our website. Please follow the instructions on this Confidential Financial Analysis. Once completed, the school will send a letter of award and you will work with the bookkeeper. This award is disbursed monthly.

Current Account Policy

It is the policy of Faith Community Academy to receive scholarship money on behalf of students for current and future tuition expenses. Family accounts must remain current and cannot be “on hold” because of scholarships that have not yet been funded. Be sure to check with each STO concerning their schedule of disbursements so that your account does not default.

Faith Community Academy also will not refund families for overpayment of tuitions due to disbursements made by STOs late in the school year. We will either hold the funds for the next school year’s tuition or return the funds to the appropriate STO so that they will be available to your student at the private school of your choice.

Accounts must be current for students to participate in “extra” activities outside of the regular classroom routine – programs, field trips, school events, etc. Exclusion from activities is not meant to punish the child, however, financial responsibility by the parent is expected. Please refer to the Parent Handbook for FCA’s complete financial policies.

Other Scholarship Options

FCA has a small fund for need-based scholarships after the other options have been considered. Your church may also have resources available. Talk to your pastor to see if your church has ideas for partnering with you in the pursuit of Christian education.

Want to Donate and Help our Fund?

Please participate in the Individual Tax Credit program as a way to help build our general fund for those in need and as a way to pay your own state taxes. Please ask us and we will help explain how to make it work for you!