Student Tuition Organizations (STOs) receive tax credit donations from individuals and corporations in Arizona for the purpose of granting scholarships to students who attend private school. STO funds are different from ESA funds, and a student cannot receive money from both ESA and STO programs. STOs award four different scholarships (eligibility differs for each scholarship): Original, Switcher/Overflow, Disabled/Displaced, and Low-Income. All ACCEL students are eligible for the Original Scholarship and the Disabled/Displaced Scholarship. Eligibility for the Switcher/Overflow Scholarship and Low-Income Scholarship is on a case-by-case basis. Please read below for more information on each scholarship.

Original Tax Credit Scholarships are available to any full-time student attending a qualified school. There is no limit set by the state on how much a student can receive from this scholarship. All ACCEL students are eligible for this scholarship.

Switcher/Overflow Scholarships are available to students who are entering kindergarten or transferring from an Arizona public school. If applied for and awarded the first year the student attends a private school, the student is eligible to receive this scholarship each additional year they attend private school.

Your child is eligible for this scholarship if they

• Are entering kindergarten

OR

• Transferring from an Arizona public school

OR

• Received a Switcher/Overflow Scholarship the first year they attended a private school

Disabled/Displaced Scholarships are available to students if they have a disability OR if they have been in Arizona’s foster care system. The disability must be identified in an IEP, MET, or 504 Plan from an Arizona public school (the plan can be expired). The maximum amount a student can receive from this scholarship is dependent on the student’s disability. All ACCEL students are eligible for this scholarship.

Low-Income Scholarships are available to students whose family’s income is less than 324.25% of the poverty level AND the student has transferred from an Arizona public school at some point in their schooling.  Please see the chart to determine if your child meets the financial requirements for this scholarship. View Income Maximum for Low-Income Corporate Tax Credit Scholarships chart.

Starting with the 2022-2023 school year, parents or guardians who use the STO program to pay for ACCEL’s tuition must apply to all four of ACCEL’s partner STOs. In addition, you must send proof that you have submitted each application by ACCEL’s due date. Please make note of the due dates listed on this site and being sent to you via email. If you do not apply by ACCEL’s due dates and send in proof to ACCEL that you have applied, your child will not be able to attend next year.

Without the completion of applications to the four participating STOs, the scholarship process is incomplete, and your student will be unenrolled from the program.

Please follow these steps:

1. Apply to STO
2. Take a screenshot confirming that you applied

• For Windows– Use the print screen button on your keyboard (it is to the left of the spacebar and is abbreviated “PrtSc”)
• The screenshot will automatically save in “Pictures” under “Screenshots”
• For Mac– press and hold these three keys together: Shift, Command, and 4.
• You will see a thumbnail on the bottom right corner of your screen and it will save to your desktop.
1. Fill out the submission verification form. Make sure you upload your screenshot.
2. Complete this process until you have applied to all four STOs

If you are having hard time understanding how to save the screenshot as a jpg or png and how upload it to the verification form, email your screenshot to scomfort@accel.org (you can just paste it into the email).

While the majority of the information STOs will want to know about your family and your child will come from the rest of the application, writing a letter about your family’s circumstances will help give the scholarship selection committee more information that may tip the scales in your child’s favor. If the application has a spot for a letter or narrative like this, then ACCEL strongly urges you to write it. In this letter, you’ll want to write about any hardships or unique circumstances your family may be facing and the progress your child is making here at ACCEL.

Some potential scenarios to write about may include:

• Additional services required for child with physical and/or learning disabilities
• Death of an immediate family member
• Life-threatening illness
• Unforeseen tragedy (house fire, accident, burglary, etc.)
• Divorce or separation
• Single parent/guardian
• Legal guardian is an extended family member
• Increased medical expenses
• Financially supporting college student(s)
• Parent/Guardian is a student
• Student loan debt from a parent/guardian’s education
• Financially supporting relatives
• Parent/Guardian is disabled and unable to work
• Loss of home/foreclosure
• Parent/Guardian is active-duty military
• Parent/Guardian is a veteran of armed services
• Parent/Guardian is a first responder
• Parent/Guardian is a teacher/educator

Your child is amazing, and there is a reason why you want them to attend ACCEL over other schools. This letter is your chance to show the scholarship committee why you’re applying for scholarship funding. The list above is not exhaustive; you should include anything that you think may be relevant in making scholarship decisions.

Do not be daunted writing this letter. It does not need to be long or complicated: it just needs to reflect what your life looks like. Below is an example letter and a template that you can refer to when you write your own letter.

Example

My daughter, Sarah, is a fifth grader at ACCEL who has been diagnosed with autism. Sarah started school in her district, but we felt that she was not receiving the support she needed there. Since our family has found ACCEL, we have been amazed by the progress Sarah has made. One of the biggest contributors to her success has been ACCEL’s therapy program, because she gets to participate in a range of therapies during the school day. ACCEL has also made learning materials specially designed to meet Sarah’s needs and interests which have helped her academically.

We are so grateful for the education Sarah has been able to receive, especially since her father was diagnosed with cancer last year. This illness has been an emotional, financial, and physical strain on our whole family. ACCEL has been a bright light in our lives as we watch Sarah receive the schooling she deserves.

Please consider funding my daughter for the 2024-2025 school year. Because of organizations like you my daughter is able to attend ACCEL—a place where she is supported and given the resources to become the best version of herself.

Template

[Introduce your child and tell them what grade your child is in, that your child is attending ACCEL, and list any disabilities your child may have.] [Explain the journey you took to find ACCEL and enroll your child here. Consider providing a brief example.] [Talk about any services your child receives at ACCEL that has helped them progress.]

[Your family’s unique circumstances. This is where you would put information about financial hardships, illness, changes in family structure, and/or special roles one of your family members has provided in the community (e.g., military service, working as a first responder, etc.). You do not need to go into depth about your unique circumstances.]

[Specifically ask for funding. Use the last sentence to show the STO committee what a difference this scholarship would make in your child’s life]

Please refer to the packet ACCEL sent you. We have gone through our records and provided what you need from ACCEL to apply. Below is a list of documents that may be in the packet:

• IEP, MET, or 504 Plan from a public school district (it can be expired)
• Public School Verification Form
• Scholarship Verification Form
• Displaced Verification Form
• Home School Verification Form
• Out of State Verification Form

In addition, you will need your 1040 tax return from last year for some of the applications.

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