The Children's Scholarship Fund is the only national scholarship organization in the United States that works only with students from kindergarten through 8th grade. Its goal is to offer tuition assistance to low-income families. The program allows parents and guardians to choose the schools they want their children to attend and to which to apply the scholarships. Awards are based on need, not grades or test scores, and are only partial scholarships, with families paying at least $500 per year of the tuition.
Children's Scholarship Fund
8 West 38th Street, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10018-6229
212-515-7100
scholarshipfund.org
The Commonweal Foundation's Pathways to Success Program offers low-income students entering grades 9 through 12 grants to attend boarding and day schools within the Partner network. To be eligible, students must show a need and a desire to change schools, have the potential to succeed in regular or accelerated classes, and be part of a family whose income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Students also must agree to stay in good standing both academically and socially. Students work to help defray the cost of attending classes---380 hours per year for 14- and 15-year-olds, and 680 hours for those 16 and older.
Commonweal Foundation, Inc.
10770 Columbia Pike, Suite 150
Silver Spring, MD 20901
240-450-0000
cweal.org
This program awards grants to Florida students with special needs entering kindergarten through 12th grade. To be eligible, students must apply before they leave public school and have an Individual Education Plan. Applicable disabilities include an intellectual, speech or language, hearing, visual, or behavioral impairment. The program allowed more than 20,500 special-needs students to attend participating private schools during the 2008-2009 school year.
McKay Scholarship Program
Turlington Building - Florida Department of Education
325 West Gaines Street, Room 522
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
800-447-1636
floridaschoolchoice.org