How do I apply for a Pay it Forward Scholarship?

Complete the online application. Your most recently filed tax return must be attached to the application in order for the form to be successfully submitted.

Can I apply for the scholarship if I am not required to file a tax return?

Yes, please contact our office for alternate instructions if you do not have a tax return to upload to the scholarship application.

What is the deadline to apply for a Pay it Forward Scholarship?

December 31st for the upcoming scholarship cycle (Example: December 31, 2025 for the 2026 Pay it Forward Scholarship)

How do I know if my child is approved for a Pay it Forward Scholarship?

Your child is automatically approved once you complete the online application process, as long as the information provided is accurate. Pay it Forward Scholarships will review and audit applications as they are received and contact parents if we have a question regarding your child’s eligibility or if information is missing from the application. Parents should receive a confirmation email for each child for whom they submit a scholarship application. Prior to scholarship distribution, Pay it Forward Scholarships completes an enrollment and eligibility verification process where applicant information is reviewed in more detail. Additional documentation may be requested from the parent or school during this process.

Are preschool students eligible to receive a Pay it Forward Scholarship?

Unfortunately, preschool age (newborn-3 years old) children are not eligible. In order to meet the state of Georgia’s eligibility criteria "My student is in PreK, Kindergarten or First Grade" for a Pay it Forward Scholarship, at the PreK level, a child would need to be 4 years old and currently either in PreK or going into PreK for the upcoming school year.

Is there an upper age limit for students to receive a Pay it Forward Scholarship?

Once a student meets the criteria and receives a Pay it Forward Scholarship, they remain eligible until they graduate or reach the age of 20, whichever occurs first.

How much of a scholarship will my child receive?

Your child will receive an equal distribution of any scholarship funds received by PIFS that are designated for your school.

Ex: If PIFS receives funds for ABC School and there are 10 approved students (including your child) who we verified are enrolled/enrolling at ABC School, we would divide those funds equally amongst the 10 students. If no funds are received for your child’s school, there are no funds to distribute. Scholarship funds vary from year to year. PIFS does not provide a guaranteed scholarship amount prior to our distribution. Scholarships are meant to be a help to parents who are sending their child to private school. It is a rare circumstance that PIFS provides a full-tuition scholarship.

How are Pay it Forward Scholarships distributed to the school?

Pay it Forward Scholarships partners with ClassWallet to distribute scholarship funds. Schools and parents of scholarship recipients create a ClassWallet account. Parents authorize the scholarship funds through ClassWallet before they are transferred to the school via ACH. Other available methods of distribution include checks and/or credit card transactions.

Does my child’s school have to do anything to receive the scholarship funds?

No. Pay it Forward Scholarships does all the scholarship administration! We verify enrollment and eligibility of students, then once the scholarships are distributed, the parent will authorize the funds to be sent to the school either via the ClassWallet platform or checks. Once the school receives the funds, they credit your child’s account with the scholarship.

What if my school uses or promotes a different student scholarship organization?

No problem at all. We encourage parents to maximize their scholarship resources, just like college and layer scholarships from SSOs that have designated funds for the school. The Georgia Department of Education sets an annual cap of scholarship funds per child. Schools are not limited to receiving funds from only one SSO.

What if my child’s school says it won’t accept scholarships from other SSOs?

Just let them know that the Georgia Department of Education has ruled that your scholarship is your property and not the school’s. You don’t have to go through the school’s financial aid to receive a Pay it Forward Scholarship.

Do I have to reapply for my child to receive the scholarship each year?

Yes, you need to submit an updated application each year you wish for your child to receive a scholarship. Once your child is approved and receives a scholarship, he/she remains eligible for their entire school career, but Pay it Forward Scholarships must have an updated application on file each year.

I have applied for a scholarship, now what do I do?

We suggest that parents, especially those who are applying for a Pay it Forward Scholarship for the first time, register and attend one of our Info Sessions to learn more about the program and our process. We offer Info Sessions throughout the year. Register online now.

We also suggest that you add the following email addresses info@payitforwardscholarships.com and laura@payitforwardscholarships.com to your safe senders or contact list so that you don’t miss important emails from our team.

You may not receive a personalized email about your student and their status, until we begin the enrollment & eligibility verification process or the scholarship distribution process for your school. Typically, parents are automatically added to our newsletter list once you apply for a scholarship. The newsletter is emailed quarterly (January, April, July, October). If you are not receiving these emails, contact our office to make sure we have your most recent email address.