Tax Credit Program
As of September 6, 2024 there are $8,059,932.25 in available tax credits
Your gift to the SCS Tax Credit Program benefits low-income students across the Diocese of Wichita while you receive a 75% Kansas state income tax credit. Each year the State of Kansas offers $10 million in tax credits for the state’s Low Income Students Scholarship Program. The tax credits offered by the state reset on January 1st of each year and are available on a first-come first-served basis.
How to Give
Three Simple Ways to Make Your Tax Credit Gift!
Online
The most convenient way to make a secure donation is through the SCS Tax Credit Program giving page
By Mail
Print the donation form and send it with your gift to:
424 N. Broadway, Wichita, KS 67202
since 2017
schools benefited
Did you know?
In the past seven years Support For Catholic Schools, Inc. has infused more than $9.7 million in additional funding to schools of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, impacting more than 1,100 students and families along the way. For the 2024-25 school year SCS awarded $3.2 million in scholarships to all 38 schools on behalf of students who qualify for the free/reduced lunch program. Thank you!
Low-income scholarship program awards $3.2 million to diocesan schools
Students and teachers to benefit from generosity of Support For Catholic Schools contributions
Fr. Rick Kotrba knows first-hand how far Support For Catholic Schools (SCS), the Diocese of Wichita’s Low-Income Student Scholarship Program, has come in just seven years. Now the pastor at St. Cecilia parish in Haysville, Fr. Kotrba is one of SCS’s biggest cheerleaders. Since the program’s inception in 2017, more than 1,100 students have benefitted from more than $9.7 million in additional funding to Catholic schools of the diocese. The program is mutually beneficial for all parties involved. Donors who contribute to SCS receive a 75% Kansas state income tax credit for their gift, while every school of the diocese receives additional funding to assist low-income students who would otherwise struggle to financially assist the mission of Catholic education in their parish.
Thanks to the generosity of 511 donors last year, SCS will award $3.2 million in total funds to all 38 diocesan schools for the 2024-25 academic year. The impressive total being distributed by SCS this school year provides scholarships to every school in the Diocese of Wichita on behalf of low-income students. Schools may use the funds for any educational costs, including classroom supplies and materials, reduction of student fees, technology and books, or teacher salaries.
“This year at St. Cecilia, nearly 40% of our students will come from low-income households and, as a result, qualify for the free/reduced lunch program. The added financial assistance we receive from Support For Catholic Schools allows us to provide an academic and faith-filled education for many students in our community as we strive to meet the needs of those families that value a Christ-centered lifestyle for their children.” -FR. RICK KOTRBA
The financial generosity shared by SCS donors is above and beyond their ordinary giving (tithe) at the parish level, and comes with the added bonus of reducing their own Kansas state income tax liability via a 75% tax credit. The tax credit issued by the state after an SCS gift is made can be subtracted from the income taxes a taxpayer owes. Kansas state tax credits, which are nonrefundable, are issued for the year in which the gift is made, and can be carried over to future years until the credits have been fully claimed by the taxpayer. “I hesitate to even think where we would be without this financial support. To the many SCS donors, please know that you are in my prayers of thanksgiving for your generosity. Your gifts are positively impacting so many young people throughout our diocese. There is no question in my mind that without you, I would not be able to say ‘yes’ to many families who hope to provide a Catholic education for their children,” added Fr. Kotrba.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have other questions or still not seeing the answer you’re looking for?
Please contact us at 316-269-3917 or development@CatholicDioceseOfWichita.org
What is Support For Catholic Schools, Inc.?
How can I make a gift to the SCS Tax Credit Program?
How does SCS use your gifts?
Is there a minimum or maximum gift amount?
How do the tax credits issued for making an SCS gift work?
Do I have to use the tax credits in the year I make the gift?
Does the SCS Tax Credit Program change the foundational way in which our parish school is funded?
How does participation in SCS impact my responsibility to be a good steward at my parish?
Stewardship is the grateful response of a Christian disciple who recognizes and receives God’s gifts and shares them in love of God and neighbor. A parish family with a student receiving a scholarship grant from SCS is still expected to live an active practice of stewardship by:
- Attending Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation
- Participating in the sacramental life of the church
- Participating in parish ministries
- Participating in parish religious education programs for children and adults
- Consistent Catholic moral values in all areas of life
- Completing an annual pledge of time, talent, and treasure
- Making and keeping a good faith pledge of treasure, with a goal of 8% of your gross income to the parish and 2% to other charities
No, schools in the Catholic Diocese of Wichita continue to be funded through a combination of three primary sources:
- The generous, sacrificial and proportionate contributions of all parishioners through their stewardship of treasure
- Fees paid by the individual school family
- Extraordinary giving opportunities, which includes Support For Catholic Schools, St. Katharine Drexel Catholic School Fund, and Holy Family Special Needs Foundation. For more information on all extraordinary funding opportunities that benefit our schools, please click here.
While the issued tax credits are nonrefundable, they can be carried over to future years. Credits in excess of a taxpayer’s annual state liability can be applied until those credits have been fully claimed. Please consult your accountant or tax adviser for more information.
A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your tax liability. For example, if you owed $1,000 in state income taxes, making a $1,000 gift to Support For Catholic Schools (SCS) and receiving a 75% tax credit would reduce your tax liability by $750, leaving you with $250 in state taxes owed.
In essence, you are redirecting where your money goes, allowing you to support Catholic education while reducing your tax burden!
Yes, there is a minimum gift amount of $500, and contributions cannot exceed $500,000 per donor for any one tax year. Last year, the average gift to SCS was $7,300.
Diocesan schools may use the money for any educational costs, including classroom supplies and materials, reduction of student fees, technology and books, or teacher salaries.
Each year, at least 90% of all gifts received are distributed to 38 Diocese of Wichita schools on behalf of low-income students. Low-income students are considered eligible for scholarship if they qualify for the free and reduced lunch program and will be entering the school for the first time (kindergarten or transfer students).
For the current academic year, $3.2 million in funding will be awarded to diocesan schools!
There are three ways to make a gift to the SCS Tax Credit Program. Your taxpayer identification number will be required in order to receive the 75% Kansas state income tax credit.
- Donate Online
- Mail a donation form to 424 N. Broadway, Wichita KS 67202
- Call 316-269-3917
The following types of gifts are accepted:
- Credit Card, Check, Cash – checks should be made payable to Support For Catholic Schools, Inc. with “low income scholarship tax credit program” included in the memo line. Credit card gifts can be made by using the link above.
- Appreciated Securities – please complete and submit the Authorization for Transfer of Gift Securities form.
- Personal and Real Property – valuation of personal and real property for purposes of the Tax Credit Program are specific and can be discussed with a SCS staff member. Please call 316-269-3917 for more information. Personal and real property gifts will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Support For Catholic Schools, Inc. (SCS) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita, that was created as a result of the 2014 Kansas law that established the Low Income Student Scholarship Program.
This law allows taxpayers to make a charitable contribution to an approved Scholarship Granting Organization, like SCS. In turn, taxpayers receive a 75% Kansas income tax credit that can be applied to their Kansas income tax liability. For donors who itemize at the federal level, a 25% deduction may also be possible.
– Janet Eaton, Catholic Schools Superintendent