NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Son of a Saint Scholars, one of only three Student Tuition Organizations (STO) designated by the Louisiana Department of Education to help facilitate the state’s Tuition Donation Credit Program, has expanded its roster of schools for providing scholarship support. For the 2023-24 academic year, Son of a Saint Scholars will now include tuition assistance for St. Mary’s Academy, St. Mary’s Dominican High School, St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School and Archbishop Shaw High School. The latest school inclusions will join Son of a Saint Scholars existing roster, which is comprised of Holy Cross School, St. Augustine High School, De La Salle High School, Brother Martin High School, Archbishop Rummel High School, and St. Martin’s Episcopal School.
“Education is the great equalizer, but too many kids in New Orleans have the odds stacked against them by limited access, or no access, to schools of their choice,” says Son of a Saint Founder and CEO Bivian “Sonny” Lee III. “Thankfully, Son of Saint Scholars is working strategically to eliminate financial barriers to quality education by awarding scholarships to as many children as possible, including the addition of our city’s historic all-girls institutions.”
As a STO, Son of a Saint Scholars collects and redirects taxpayer donations to provide scholarships to students that meet the program’s income requirements to attend tuition-based private and parochial schools throughout the state. The STO designation has resulted in great impact for Son of a Saint’s mentees along with many more underserved kids across New Orleans and beyond. To date, Son of a Saint Scholars has awarded more than $522,000 and supported nearly 150 scholarships to attend tuition-based schools, and the numbers are still growing.
“Over the last 12 years, Son of a Saint has supported and transformed them lives of 100s of fatherless boys through our core mission, which includes much more than mentorship, from mental health to college prep and career readiness,” says Lee. “But now, thanks to this designation from the Louisiana Department of Education, the Son of a Saint Scholars program has grown strategically to assist girls in our region, providing them educational opportunities solely through financial support in the form of this tuition assistance initiative.”
The Tuition Donation Credit Program empowers Louisiana families by eliminating the financial obstructions that prevent deserving children from attending schools that will best prepare them for college and career. Needless to say, this program has provided Louisiana’s school-aged youth with otherwise unobtainable scholarship opportunities. The number of scholarships Son of a Saint Scholars can award is limited only by the amount of money the STO is able to raise.
Simply put, the Tuition Donation Credit Program enables participants to donate up to the amount of their Louisiana state tax liability and be credited back in full, dollar for dollar. That means 100 percent of donations to this program are credited back to the donor. So, if a STO donor owes the state $10,000 in taxes and chooses to give that amount to Son of a Saint Scholars, they can thereby provide a low-income family with tuition assistance at zero cost to the donor.
Son of a Saint Scholars is a golden opportunity to make real, lasting, positive change for kids throughout Greater New Orleans. Visit sonofasaint.org/scholars for more information and answers to frequently asked questions.
Contact Megan Baldassari at (504) 561-7508 or megan@sonofasaint.org, to discuss the program and learn how to get involved.
