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 Support for Catholic Schools 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.

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 $750 in Kansas income taxes and you contributed $1,000 to Support For Catholic Schools, you would receive a 75% Kansas tax credit of $750, which would eliminate your Kansas tax liability.

Donors may chose to partially reduce their tax liability or eliminate their tax liability altogether through their gift and 75% tax credit.

Other 501(c)3 non-for-profits offer a charitable deduction that generally reduces your Kansas taxes by $57 for every $1,000 donated, based on Kansas’s 5.7% income tax rate.

In essence, you are redirecting where your tax money goes, allowing you to support Catholic education while reducing your tax burden!

Yes, the following eligibility requirements exist for all Support for Catholic Schools Tax Credit Program gifts:

• Minimum gift of $500
• Contributions cannot exceed $500,000 per donor for any one tax year
• Tax credit applies to Kansas income tax liability only
• Gifts cannot be designated to benefitting school(s)
• Gifts must be made directly to Support for Catholic Schools in order to receive a tax credit; third party (including Donor Advised Funds) or employee giving program gifts are not accepted

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, $3.4 million in funding will be awarded to diocesan schools! 

There are three ways to make a gift to the Support for Catholic Schools 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 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 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 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 Support for Catholic Schools. 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.