The application period is now open for the state's Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids scholarships for the 2023-24 school year.
The application period will continue through June 1, or as funding permits, according to an announcement Monday by The Reform Alliance. The alliance is a nonprofit organization that aids the state in administering the program that makes private school tuition funding available to income-eligible public school students.
The Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids scholarship program is open to students in public schools whose family income is at or less than 200% of the federal poverty line. That is currently about $55,000 annually for a family of four. The scholarship provides 90% of state foundation funding for high school students and 80% of foundation funding for students in kindergarten-through-eighth grades. Families can use that funding to pay for private school tuition.
"Families who find that their child is struggling to learn or otherwise not thriving in traditional public schools sometimes can't afford another option," said Emmy Henley, managing director for The Reform Alliance. "This program is for them."
Created by Act 904 of 2021, the Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids program is funded by individual donations from Arkansas taxpayers to scholarship-granting organizations such as The Reform Alliance. Those taxpayers then receive a 100%, dollar-for-dollar credit on their personal and/or business state income taxes to match their contribution.
The statewide cap on tax credits has been $2 million. However, Act 237 of 2023, the Arkansas LEARNS Act initiated by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, increased the statewide cap to $6 million and added a provision to grow the cap annually whenever it is reached, providing more scholarships for more students.
Additionally, Act 669 of 2023 created a provision allowing students who qualify for the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program created by the LEARNS Act based on a disability to also be able to receive a Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids scholarship, as well, if they qualify for it based on family income.
More information is available on The Reform Alliance website: https://thereformalliance.org.
Applicants will need to include their current-year tax filing, as well as a form verifying enrollment in public school in the current school year. Application assistance is available by calling (501) 244-9028 or emailing info@thereformalliance.org.