December 15, 2017

Donors can still make contribution to Indiana Tax Credit Scholarship program

Criterion staff report

There is still an opportunity this year for people who want to get the double bonus of helping children attend Catholic schools, and maximize the tax benefits of making a contribution to that effort.

As of Dec. 11, the Indiana Tax Credit Scholarship program still had about $3.4 million in funds to support the efforts of helping students attend a private school—an option that may not have been possible for their families without the program.

When donors make a contribution to the program, they will receive a tax credit that could be up to 50 percent, according to Kim Pohovey, director of the archdiocese’s Mission Advancement for Catholic Education Initiatives.

“Through this innovative program, every donor is able to maximize their giving,” Pohovey notes. “For instance, if a donor contributes a gift of $1,000 and receives the $500 state tax credit plus a federal deduction—which varies according to the individual donor’s tax status—that donor’s net gift, in terms of cost to them, may only be $150 to $360.”

At the same time, the tax credit scholarships help “struggling families to afford a quality, values-based Catholic education for their children,” she says.

“It not only offers them education options, it provides hope and a future. In turn, our schools prepare these students to be productive citizens and the future leaders of our community. This cycle of generosity benefits everyone.”

In the 2016-17 school year, contributions to the program raised more than $7 million in tax scholarships that supported students in the 68 Catholic schools in the archdiocese.
 

(For more information about tax credit scholarships, contact Kim Pohovey at 317-236-1568 or 800-382-9836, ext. 1568. A video on the tax credit scholarship program can also be viewed through the link bit.ly/2sVLKyN.) †

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