Interested households must complete AAA’s online or paper application and provide supporting documentation in order to prove their eligibility. The households must meet both the state and AAA’s requirements. Each household member is required to provide proof of income. AAA does not rely on a household’s enrollment in state food assistance or TANF program as proof of eligibility, a process sometimes referred to as “direct certification” since those programs audit less than 3 percent of their recipient households.
Once a household is determined eligible, they are provided with an award letter and school commitment form (SCF) for each scholarship student. The parent or guardian takes the award letter and SCF to the eligible school of their choice and enrolls their student(s). The school returns the completed SCF to AAA, certifying that the student has accepted the scholarship and enrolled in an eligible private school.
In Alabama, Florida and Pennsylvania all households must reapply annually. In Arizona and Georgia scholarships may be systematically renewed for multiple years without fully-reapplying. By completing the school commitment form (SCF), both the parents and the schools agree to abide by the terms of the AAA Parent/School Handbook.
Four times during the school year, AAA sends each participating school a verification form to ascertain whether the student remains enrolled and is current on any funds personally owed to the school. Once received back, AAA disburses one quarter of the scholarship award in the form of a check made payable to the parent/guardian but for deposit only by the school. The parent/guardian must restrictively endorse the check over to the school before it can be deposited.
AAA Scholarships are transferable at any time, if the school is not meeting the needs of the scholarship student, the parent/guardian may transfer the student and the student’s scholarship to a different eligible school at any time.
SCHOLARSHIP VALUES
The value of the awarded scholarship amount is limited by the state (except for Alabama). In an effort to ensure that the neediest families receive the most help, AAA goes one step further and awards scholarships based on the following sliding scale:
- 100% scholarship for families with incomes of 185 (new applicants) and 200 (renewing applicants) percent of poverty
- 75% scholarship for families with incomes of between 201 and 225* percent of poverty
- 50% scholarship for families with incomes of between 226 and 250* percent of poverty
- *In Florida, renewing families may earn up to 215 percent for a 75% scholarship and 230 percent for a 50 percent scholarship.
- For more information by state go to: