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Financial Aid

IA’s financial aid process begins with a simple consultation to evaluate your needs and available resources. During this meeting, your Admissions representative will explore all available scholarship opportunities and payment options with you to find a plan that best fits your family. Inspriation Academy is pleased to accept most major scholorship funds and has been able to bless families with over $1,000,000 scholarship dollars through our IA Foundation Scholarship Program.

    Step Up for Students is a nonprofit organization that helps administer the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) and the Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts (PLSA) program. Step Up for Students exist to help low income families cover private school tuition and fees. The scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis and empowers families to customize their children’s education. Please refer to www.stepupforstudents.org for more information regarding these scholarships including eligibility and application deadlines.

The McKay Scholarships for Students with Disabilities are awarded by the State of Florida to students with disabilities after they have participated in a public school ESE program for a minimum of one year. It is the responsibility of the parent to confirm eligibility and award monies through the state. Please visit www.fldoe.org/schools/school-choice for more information.

 Academic Achievement Accessible (AAA) provide economic and other assistance to economically-disadvantaged families and families of disabled students to enable them to select the best schools for their children. AAA is dedicated to being the preeminent Tax Credit Scholarship administrators in the nation. AAA offers several scholarship opportunities. You can log onto www.AAAscholarships.org  for more information.

  1. Florida Personal Learning Scholarship Account (PLSA)- Created for students with specific disabilities to attend a Florida Private School or a Home Education Program.
  2. Florida Private School Scholarships– Created for Foster and Out-of-Home Care students to attend an eligible private school that best fits their learning needs.
  3. Florida Private School Scholarships Income Based- Created for students whose household income is at or below the listed amount.

The IA Foundation Scholarship was able to bless families with over $1,000,000 in financial assistance this last year. IA uses a financial aid application through SMARTaid to help allocate resources wisely and fairly. In the case of divorce or separation, both parents are required to fill out a fiancial aid application. All information submitted is confidential. Because need is assessed annually, and funding is limited to first-come, first served, a new application must be submitted EACH school year. The Admissions Board considers the following when making award decisions:

  • Has the family applied for all available scholarships in a timely manner?
  • Has the family shown a willingness to support IA not only with their finances but with their time, talents, giftings, resources and skillsets?
  • Does the student have academic and community goodstanding?
  • Both parents are expected to contribute to the cost of their student’s education.
  • The family understand they are responsible for tuition and fees; however, they have asked other family members and close friends to help contribute towards tuition as well to help share the burden.

See the SMARTaid instructions below to begin the application process for the IA Foundation Scholarship.

Begin Financial Aid Application

Smart School ID#:  14594

Eligible Grades: 6th-12th, Post Grad

Family Codes:

  • New Family = New Family
  • Returning Family = Returning

Student Codes:

  • New Student = New Student
  • Returning Student = Returning Student

Smart Aid Application Fee: $35

 

Required Supporting Documentation

Applications submitted without documentation will not be processed.

  • Most recent paystubs
  • Most recent W-2 forms for all
  • Most recently filed federal tax returns: 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ with all
  • Most recently filed business tax return: 1120, 1120S, 1065 (if applicable).
  • Supplemental income documentation: Social Security income, Welfare, Food Stamps, Child Support, 1099-M Forms, Worker’s Compensation, Unemployment, Veterans Benefits, Housing Allowance,

**If you are unable to provide any of the aforementioned items, please submit a Special Circumstance Letter indicating which document(s) you are unable to provide and why. This information will be shared with your school for consideration.

Creating Your Account

Please click on the link above and create your account by entering your primary email address as your username. Smart Aid will use this email address to contact you in the event that your application is “on hold” for missing documentation. Once you create your username and password, you will receive a verification email. Once you click the verification link to verify that you are the account holder, you will be able to log in using the username and password you created. Please be advised that if you do not click the verification link that is sent to your email address, you will not be able to log in or reset your password.

Submitting Documentation

Documentation should be submitted at the time the application is completed. Application IDs must be included on all documents. Failure to include your ID will delay processing of your application. Please be advised that each document must be uploaded separately under the appropriate document type in order for your application to automatically move into the review status.

    Application Rollover

    If you created a Smart Aid account to apply for financial aid in a prior year, your application will roll over into the next school year. Your username and password will remain the same, as well as your application ID number (with the exception of the first two digits as that indicate the school year). The Parent/Guardian and Dependents section of the application will be auto-filled for you, you will simply need to confirm the information before advancing to the next sections of the application. If any information from the Parent/Guardian and Dependent section should be updated, please make the necessary changes.

    Smart Aid Contact Information

    Notification of Financial Aid

    Once your application is processed, a financial aid recommendation will be forwarded to Inspiration Academy.   All final financial aid decisions, including notification of an award amount (if any) will be made by Inspiration Academy. If you have not received notification regarding financial aid, contact the financial administrator at Inspiration Academy.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Q: Who should complete this aid application?

    A: Whomever the child resides with should complete this application whether it is a parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle, or legal guardian. There is a section within the application where you can enter contributions from non-custodial parents and relatives.

    Q: Why do I need to input my spouse’s information if I am remarried and they are not legally responsible for my children?

    A: Smart Aid’s calculation works off of the total household income, therefore including all income, whether the party is legally responsible for your children or not. Our system, however, does take into effect your spouse’s expenses as well as their income. It is important to list all expenses that are asked of within the application.

    Q: I do not have the required tax documents. HELP!

    A: Include the most recent tax documentation you have available. If you are asked for a specific line from a tax document that you have not yet completed, please estimate the projected amount.

    Q: How will I know if I qualify for aid or not?

    A: We do not disclose information about the results of your application. All final tuition aid decisions, including notification of an award amount (if any); will be made by your school. For the date award notices will be given, please contact your school directly.

    Q: What if I want to edit my application?

    A: Once an application has been submitted and paid for it can no longer be edited by a parent. However, if changes are necessary a written statement with the change (including the application ID), should be sent to support@smartaidforparents.com.