Yes! APESF is certified by the Arizona Department of Revenue as a School Tuition Organization and is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization established in 1998. APESF allocates at least 90 percent of its annual revenue to educational scholarships, and makes its scholarships available to students of more than one qualified school. It is governed by a highly qualified Board of Directors who have been significant supporters of private education in Arizona for many years. Please read our Mission Statement for more information.

In many ways, all of the Arizona STO’s should be very similar as the Arizona statute that governs this program is quite clear as to how every STO is to operate. The primary differences would be evidenced in how each STO serves its participating donors, schools and families. APESF has been consistent in providing its donors, participating schools and scholarship recipient families, with all of the benefits that the tax credit allows, with a strong commitment to personal service and the development of unique communication strategies. We are not the largest STO, but one of the most personal and emulated.

A qualified school is a non-governmental preschool for handicapped students, or a non-governmental primary or secondary school located in Arizona. The school cannot discriminate on the basis of race, color, handicap, familial status, or national origin. The primary school begins with kindergarten and the secondary school ends with grade 12.

The Arizona Private Education Scholarship Fund awarded scholarships to an average of 50 private schools and is among the top school tuition organizations that awards scholarships to more than 25 schools in the Valley.

A tax credit lowers your tax bill dollar-for-dollar. A deduction decreases your taxable income, so the value deducted depends on your tax bracket. If you are in the 25% bracket, a $1,000 deduction lowers your tax bill by $250. But a $1,000 credit lowers your bill by the full $1,000, no matter what tax bracket you are in.

A tax credit contribution to APESF directly reduces the amount of taxes you owe to the state of Arizona, which you would have to pay anyway. By taking the credit, you are in effect, re-directing your tax dollars to benefit worthy students in Arizona private schools.

Yes. If your state income tax liability equals or exceeds the amount of your contribution, you may take the credit for the tax year the contribution was made. Any excess can be carried forward and used to offset state taxes for up to five (5) years.

Donors who contribute online will automatically receive an email receipt and may also request a receipt be mailed to them. Donors who contribute by mail with a check or credit card will have the option on the donor form to receive it by mail, email or both.

The law requires at least 90% of each tax credit contribution be allocated toward scholarships.

Yes. The $400 donation is made directly to the public school of your choice and is strongly encouraged if your total tax liability equals or exceeds the total credit of both donations.

We are a federally tax exempt 501(c)(3) charitable organization.  Your tax credit may be eligible for a federal deduction if the donation is given without any recommendation(s) for a specific student.  You should consult your tax adviser for specific tax advice concerning deductibility for you. More information can be found at www.irs.gov.

In order to claim the credit on your tax return, you must fill out Form 301 and 323.

Yes. You may recommend anyone who is not your legal dependent.

No. Reciprocity or “swapping” of any type is strictly prohibited. When two or more individuals exchange recommendations when making their tax credit contributions, it violates federal tax law which states that may not deduct a contribution from which you receive our expect to receive any benefit. If reciprocity is suspected, the donor will be notified and their recommendation will not be honored. APESF further suggests that any family applying for a scholarship and also making a tax credit contribution should recommend either the general fund or students at a particular school.

Any corporation that pays Arizona corporate state income tax is eligible to take the credit. C corporations are eligible but not LLC’s and most Subchapter S businesses. Please consult your tax advisor for more information.

A corporation can take the full amount of the credit for as much as they will be paying in actual tax to the state of Arizona, provided they have the cash flow to make the donation.

Their are differences in the two such as the state-wide cap of $17.28 million from July 2009 – June 2010, making a pre-approval process necessary. There are also limitations as to which private schools and students are eligible and the scholarship amount a child can receive.

The corporation can recommend a specific school but cannot recommend a specific student. If no eligible students make application to APESF from the recommended school or if the school is not considered a qualified school under tax credit law, the funds will be awarded to eligible students in other qualified schools.

You must complete an application beginning March 1 of each school year to be eligible for our program. The application will be reviewed and weighted to determine the potential amount of assistance you may be eligible to receive. Once this process is complete, you will receive a *pre-qualification notice from APESF providing the results of your application and any additional requirements to receive an award. A pre-qualification does not guarantee an award. Awards a subject to available funding, enrollment status and your outstanding tuition balance. If an award is made, you will receive a notice by email when the funds are sent to the school.

APESF awards scholarships monthly on the 15th of each month.

Yes! APESF uses contributions given without recommendation of a particular student to fund scholarship awards based on financial need for student applicants in this situation. Families must apply beginning March 1 of each year to be eligible.

Yes. A recommendation by a donor does not guarantee that child will be awarded a scholarship. You must fill out an application each year to be considered for funds that have been recommended for your child.

Yes. You need to complete an application for each year beginning March 1 to be eligible for the program.

No. The age of the applicant will be appropriately considered during the decision making process and the lack of participation in extracurricular activities will not be counted against them.

It is NOT required, however if you want to include it you may. We suggest that you include any documents that can support your request for assistance. This information is not disclosed to anyone but our staff and scholarship committee.