| Q. |
What is the Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund, Inc.? |
| A. |
The Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund, Inc. was established in 1999 to create a permanent source of tuition assistance for area families seeking a choice in education for their children. |
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| Q. |
What exactly is a privately funded scholarship? |
| A. |
A privately funded scholarship provides tuition assistance to help low-income children attend the non-public school of their choice. These scholarships are funded exclusively through the private donations of individuals, corporations, and foundations. |
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| Q. |
Who is eligible to apply? |
| A. |
Scholarships are available to students who will be in kindergarten through eighth grade for the 2012-2013 school year. These recipients must reside in Wood, Lucas, or Fulton counties. The guidelines for eligibility generally follow the federal free or reduced school lunch program. |
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| Q. |
How much money can the recipients expect to receive? |
| A. |
Each scholarship is based on individual family size and income, with a maximum scholarship of $1,250 per child for elementary students. Income information is re-evaluated each year with the scholarship amount adjusted accordingly. The average scholarship for 2009-2010 school year is $934.00. |
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| Q. |
What is expected of each family? |
| A. |
Expectations of recipient families are high. They must complete the scholarship application process, stay current on necessary paperwork, and make an annual family contribution of a minimum of $500.00 towards tuition. In this way parents become active participants in their educational choice. |
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| Q. |
Which schools qualify as recipient schools? |
| A. |
Currently 45 schools are recipient schools. Many are religious-based schools with 67% being Catholic schools. Montessori schools and other independent schools are included. Home schooling is even an option. |
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| Q. |
How does the Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund, Inc. differ from the Children's Scholarship Fund? |
| A. |
The Children's Scholarship Fund is a national program initiated by Ted Forstmann and John Walton, to match funds raised in local communities across the United States. The Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund is a local program, which raised $1 million in private funds for scholarships. This $1 million total was match by the national program, to provide $500,000 in scholarship funds per year. The national Children's Scholarship Fund continues to partner with us, matching dollars raised to fund new and continuing scholarships. |
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| Q. |
What is the plan to continue the program? |
| A. |
The Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund, Inc. is committed to continuing the current programs and to include more students. The goal is to raise additional direct scholarship funds in local contributions and to build a $5 million permanent source of funding through endowment. |
