Tuition Assistance
Catholic education is effective and affordable.
The Diocese of Richmond strives to make education available, accessible, and affordable to interested families.
For students who qualify for admission, Sacred Heart Catholic School (SHCS) provides several tuition assistance options. Tuition assistance is extended based on need. Need is determined based on a family’s total W2 income and tax returns using an established determination formula. The formula keeps the need-based determination objective, removes any possible bias from the school or its personnel, and keeps a family’s financial matters private.
If you would like to opt-in to this program, follow the steps below:
- Contact SHCS, apply, be accepted, and enroll. There is a non-refundable application fee for this step.
- Tuition assistance is determined after a student is enrolled. Sacred Heart uses the FACTS system to assist with tuition assistance determination and tuition payments.
FACTS is a trusted system for tuition management. It is utilized extensively at SHCS. - Families provide FACTS with their W2 income and most recent tax return documents. Families not required to file a tax return must provide documentation to reflect this status. (Documentation includes Social Security Income, welfare, child support, food stamps, Worker’s Compensation, TANF, and other related documents).
- After processing, families are notified of the eligible tuition assistance award.
Of those families that opt-in to the tuition assistance program, approximately 90% receive an award. A student can receive scholarship funding from all scholarship sources if the student qualifies. However, tuition assistance never covers 100% of a student’s tuition.
Active military families and children of first responders (EMS, nurse, firefighter, police) qualify for our First Responders Grant Program. Find out more here!
Catholic families qualify for a Catholic Families Grant Program. Fill out the application here.
Tuition Assistance Application Deadlines
Families with currently enrolled students and registered through FACTS must complete their application for the next academic year by March 1. If you would like to use your previous year’s tax information for the current school year, the deadline is February 15. After February 15, you must use your current tax information.
New families, self-employed families, and families with business income must complete their application for the next academic year by June 1.
Please apply, enroll, and be accepted to Sacred Heart Catholic School well ahead of the Tuition Assistance Application Deadlines.
Parish Sharing Assessment
Including SHCS, there are 29 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Richmond. This includes 24 parish or diocesan-sponsored schools and five private Catholic schools. Tuition assistance funding in this program comes from the parishes of the Diocese of Richmond, which supports Catholic schools directly with their annual assessment.
Parish Sharing tuition assistance is extended to baptized Roman Catholic children who are registered in a Diocese of Richmond parish. Available funds are disbursed to students based a student’s calculated financial need.
McMahon-Parater Foundation Scholarships
The McMahon-Parater Foundation for Education (MPFE) provides tuition assistance to Catholic Schools with gift funding from the ongoing Investing in Our Children campaign. The goal is to make Catholic education more affordable.
The scholarship funding is provided as a McMahon-Parater Foundation Scholarship. Both Catholic and non-Catholic students are eligible for this need-based scholarship. Scholarships are available to students attending Diocesan and private Catholic schools in Virginia.
Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credits program
The Education Improvement Scholarships Tax Credit (EISTC) program uses approved donations from the MPFE to provide Catholic school scholarships for students who are Virginia residents. Recipients of EISTC scholarships must come from families whose annual household income is less than 300% of the current poverty guideline (or 400% for children with disabilities). Both Catholic and non-Catholic students are eligible for this need-based scholarship. EISTC scholarships are available to students attending Diocesan and private Catholic schools in Virginia.
Additionally, EISTC scholarship students must also meet one of the following criteria:
- Are eligible to enter kindergarten or first grade
- Attended a Virginia public school for at least half of the current or prior school year
- Were not Virginia residents during the preceding school year
- Were prior recipients of an EISTC scholarship
The EISTC scholarship cannot exceed the Commonwealth’s allocation for the division in which the student resides.
EISTC Eligibility Chart
| Persons in Household | Qualified Household Income |
| For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $13,620 for each additional person. | |
| 1 | $38,640 |
| 2 | $52,260 |
| 3 | $65,880 |
| 4 | $79.500 |
| 5 | $93,120 |
| 6 | $106,740 |
| 7 | $120,360 |
| 8 | $133,980 |
Local Tuition Assistance
Sacred Heart Catholic School maintains its own slate of local fundraising to assist families with financial aid and tuition assistance. Additionally, discounts are available for large families with multiple children or for military families. Both Catholic and non-Catholic students are eligible for this need-based funding. Scholarships are available to Sacred Heart Catholic School students exclusively.
