Tuition Assistance

Choosing a Catholic education may require a personal financial sacrifice, but at Holy Family, we are committed to making sure it's affordable. With several sources of tuition assistance, we'll work with you to establish a personalized tuition plan that's right for your family.

Did you know? Families who are new to Holy Family and reside in Iowa are eligible for an Education Savings Account (ESA). ESAs make state funding available to support the success of every K-12 student in Iowa and may be used by eligible families to cover tuition, fees and other qualified education expenses at accredited nonpublic schools in Iowa.

Learn more about ESAs

The tuition assistance process, for all types of aid, starts with a confidential application submitted through a third-party organization called FACTS. FACTS uses the financial information families provide as well as federal tax returns to recommend a family's School Tuition Organization (STO) award. The same information is then used to assist in our reconsideration process for those who find their tuition assistance award to be insufficient.

*View Our Tuition Rates

Apply for Tuition Assistance

Apply for Reconsideration

*Tuition assistance can only be applied to these base tuition rates. Non-Catholic and non-supporting parish fees are ineligible for assistance.

How to Apply for Tuition Assistance

All families are eligible to apply, regardless of income level.

Submit your STO application by May 3, 2024. Only one application is required per family.
You will need to provide your 2023 federal tax return.
The non-refundable application fee is $36.
If needed, families may reapply for additional aid through the reconsideration process.
If you apply for reconsideration, a committee will review your application, and you will receive an award letter outlining additional aid that is available to you.

FACTS Information (for STO Application)

School Code: 36364
Application link: online.factsmgt.com/aid
FACTS call center for application assistance: 866-315-9262
Customer support chat hours: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The following instructional videos will help guide you through the online STO application through FACTS:

A brief video introduction about what to expect with the online FACTS application.

Navigating the application (English).

Navigating the application (Spanish).

Types of Assistance

School Tuition Organization (STO) Scholarships & Assistance Other Assistance

School Tuition Organization (STO)

School Tuition Organization

The School Tuition Organization, or STO, is Holy Family's primary source of tuition assistance. It provides grants for qualified students to attend non-public schools within the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The STO receives voluntary cash contributions from Iowa taxpayers and allocates those funds to tuition grants for families based on their identified financial need. Once families complete an application for the new school year, it is confidentially reviewed by FACTS, and grants are awarded.

Scholarships & Assistance

Holy Family Grant
Families that live outside of Iowa, who do not qualify for STO, are eligible to receive a Holy Family grant. Families will need to complete a FACTS application to apply.

Reconsideration
Once monies from the School Tuition Organization (STO) are distributed, families may apply for additional aid if they have a special circumstance, such as job loss, divorce, illness, etc. Applications are reviewed by a special board of education subcommittee and your parish, and grants are fulfilled thanks to the support we receive from the Wahlert Foundation and donations made to the Holy Family Student Impact Fund. If your tuition assistance need was not met through STO funding, please complete a Tuition Assistance Reconsideration Form. Please note that you must have a verified FACTS tuition assistance application prior to your Reconsideration Form being reviewed.

Butler Scholars
With the gracious support of John & Alice Butler, the Butler Scholars program has been established through a $10.5 million endowment to provide greater access to a Holy Family Catholic Schools education than ever before.

Wahlert Foundation
The Wahlert Foundation has provided funds for more than 60 years to help parents with the cost of tuition. By Foundation regulations, the bulk of each annual grant provided by the Foundation is channeled to our supporting parishes for distribution to their parishioners.

Parish Grants
Many of our supporting parishes have funds from trusts and other sources available to assist their parishioners with tuition costs, with special consideration given to those who give of their time and talent to the parish and who attend Mass each weekend.

Other Scholarships

Other Assistance

Additional Information and Resources

Click to expand:

Tuition Assistance Timeline

Jan. 1 – STO applications available online at online.factsmgt.com/aid.
May 3 – Round one STO application deadline. Completed applications AND 2023 federal tax return must be filed electronically with all required supporting documentation. Applications with missing information cannot be processed.
June 30 – ESA Application deadline (Iowa residents only).
July 31 – Round two STO application deadline.

Tuition Assistance Check List – What is Needed?

Social Security numbers for you, your children and your spouse (if applicable).
A complete copy of your 2023 federal taxes, including all schedules and worksheets.
All supporting tax documents if you have income/loss from a business, farm, rental property, S-corporation, partnership, estates and trusts.
Copies of supporting documentation for Social Security income, child support, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, workers' compensation, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.
Monthly expenses including rent/mortgage, home equity loan, auto loan, credit card, student loans, and health insurance premiums.
Annual expenses including car insurance, medical expenses, and eldercare expenses.
Value of any cash savings, and checking accounts.
Value of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, 529 accounts, certificates of deposit, and retirement accounts. Please provide annual contribution to retirement plan assets.
Application fee of $36. If you need assistance with the processing fee, please contact your parish.

Are Returning Students Guaranteed Assistance?

Financial aid is never granted automatically or guaranteed from one year to the next. A renewed request for need-based assistance must be made by submitting a new FACTS form and tax information each year the student is in attendance. If for any reason your student is withdrawn from a Holy Family school, the financial aid award granted to that student is pro-rated based on the school year calendar.

STO Income Guidelines

Persons in Household Maximum Qualifying Taxable Income Levels (for 2023-2024)

Number of Persons in Household	Maximum Qualifying Taxable Income Levels
2	$81,760
3	$103,280
4	$124,800
5	$146,000
6	$167,840
7	$189,360
8	$210,8000

Important Notes:

STO qualifying levels listed are based upon 400% of 2024 Federal Poverty Levels. Final income-qualifying levels will be determined by the Our Faith STO Board, based on identified need and available funds.
Families are eligible for STO assistance if they are Iowa residents AND their taxable income is at or below the above-listed income levels. Falling within these guidelines does not necessarily guarantee tuition assistance awards.
Family size includes parents/guardians plus total number of dependents claimed on the tax return.
For families/households with more than eight people, add $5,380 for each additional person.
Any available local tuition assistance beyond STO awards may not be based upon the above income levels, but will likely require completion of a FACTS application.

Frequently Asked Questions about STO

STO Application Process

STO Application Process [Spanish]