FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions About the
Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund

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What is the Northwest Ohio Scholarship Fund, Inc.?

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.

What exactly is a privately funded scholarship?

A privately funded scholarship provides tuition assistance to help low-income children attend the non-public school of their choice or for homeschool expenses.

These scholarships are funded exclusively through the private donations of individuals, corporations, and foundations.

The support provided comes in the form of a scholarship of the qualified and selected students. It is not a loan and does not require repayment by either the selected family or school.

Who is eligible to apply?

Scholarships will be available to students who will be in kindergarten through eighth grade for the 2023-2024 school year.

These recipients must reside in Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wyandot or Wood counties.

The guidelines for eligibility follow the federal free or reduced school lunch program.

How much money can the recipients expect to receive?

Each scholarship is based on individual family size and income, with a maximum scholarship of $2,000 per child for private schools and $750 for homeschool expenses.

Income information is re-evaluated each year with the scholarship amount adjusted accordingly.

The average scholarship for the 2023-2024 school year was $1,345.

What is expected of each family?

In order to receive a scholarship,parents or guardians must apply for the annual lottery.

If their name is drawn, they submit proof of income and select a school for their child.Once a family is selected to receive a scholarship, they can renew it each year until their children reaches eighth grade and they must meet the income guidelines .

The family must stay current on tuition, their children must maintain a 90% or better on attendance and families must make an annual family contribution of $500 towards tuition.

In this way parents become active participants in their educational choice.

Which schools qualify as recipient schools?

Currently, over 20 schools are recipient schools. Many are religious-based schools with over 50% being catholic schools.

Montessori schools and other independent schools are included. Homeschooling is even an option.

Parents submit their receipts twice a  year for reimbursement.  Click here to see a list of partner schools.

An investment in education is good economics.

Growing Minds. Creating Futures.