CSFP Distributes over $1 Million in Tuition Aid to K-8th Grade Students in Need

CHILDREN’S SCHOLARSHIP FUND PHILADELPHIA DISTRIBUTES OVER $1 MILLION IN TUITION AID TO K-8^TH GRADE STUDENTS IN NEED

The education nonprofit’s COVID-19 Emergency Tuition Fund distributed more than 1,500 grants

PHILADELPHIA – Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia (CSFP), a program providing financial access for children from under-resourced Philadelphia families to attend K-8^th grade tuition-based schools, today announced it has distributed more than $1 million in tuition aid through more than 1,500 grants to families suffering financial hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a spring 2020 survey of current CSFP families, 73 percent reported a reduced income with only half of those respondents qualifying for unemployment. To help ensure students remained enrolled at safe, quality, tuition-based schools, CSFP developed its COVID-19 Emergency Tuition Fund to help families cover outstanding tuition payments needed (or required) for continued admission. In order to qualify for funding, families needed to demonstrate that they had an outstanding tuition balance and experienced income loss due to COVID-19.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted under-resourced families in Philadelphia. The families who receive our financial support were already making sacrifices to keep their children enrolled at quality schools,” said Keisha Jordan, CSFP Executive Director. “Thanks to this emergency tuition funding, CSFP parents didn’t have to choose between household necessities and their children’s education. We are grateful to our board, generous community partners and donors for helping make this vision a reality.”

Due to overwhelming need and continued income reduction for families, CSFP launched another round of emergency funding in fall 2020. Between two rounds of funding set to be completed in spring 2021, CSFP will have distributed more than $1 million in emergency tuition funds to keep under-resourced Philadelphia children in a stable environment conducive to their educational success.

CSFP’s COVID-19 Emergency Tuition Fund received generous community support to help fund the effort, with gifts from 35 individuals, corporations and foundations, including the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust, The Connelly Foundation, The Jack Miller Family Foundation, WSFS, NRG Energy, and the Patricia and Stephen Segal Family Charitable Foundation.   

CSFP celebrates its 20^th anniversary this year.