Students

Students (K-12) from families with limited financial resources, up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, are eligible to receive a tax credit scholarship.

Before April 1, priority will be given to students who meet one of the following categories:

• Are members of a household whose previous year’s total annual income does not exceed 185% of the federal poverty level ($45,510 for a family of 4);
• Reside within a focus district (click here for a list of focus districts);
• Received a scholarship from a scholarship granting organization during the previous school year; or
• are siblings of students currently receiving a scholarship.

After April 1, all other qualifying students will be considered for scholarships, subject to availability of funding.

Focus districts are public school districts which have a school where at least one subgroup of students performs in the bottom 10% statewide or a graduation rate of less than 60%.  A list of focus districts can be found here.

For more information about applying for an Empower Illinois tax credit scholarship, please visit our “How Do I Apply?” page. Please note that if you are a current scholarship recipient or are currently on the waitlist, you will need to reapply.

No, only one reservation and application will be accepted for each household.  A household is defined as all family members living together at the address of the residential custodian. Duplicate reservations will be deleted. The application can account for up to 15 children per family.

Please list a preferred school to increase the likelihood of matching to available funds. No awards will be processed until enrollment has been confirmed by your school of choice.

Tuition and necessary fees for any non-public school in Illinois are covered through tax credit scholarships. Transportation expenses are not covered.

Students can apply to multiple SGOs but can only accept one scholarship through this program.

If a student accepts a scholarship from another SGO after applying to Empower Illinois, the family must notify Empower Illinois within three (3) business days. Failure to do so may affect the student’s future eligibility for Empower Illinois awards.

Yes. Scholarships are awarded for one school year and students will have to reapply annually.