Academic Opportunity of Arizona gives to more than 320 Arizona students
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
As the school year kicks off in Arizona, 326 students across the state will be attending a school befitting of their educational needs thanks to Academic Opportunity of Arizona.
The school tuition organization recently announced that more than $2.4 million in tuition assistance was awarded to qualified children living with developmental disabilities or from low-income families. For the 2023-24 school year, AOA will be facilitating the distribution of funds for the children to attend 30 of its partner schools across metropolitan Phoenix and Tucson.
Offering multi-year, full-tuition scholarships through corporate and individual tax credit donations, AOA partners with statewide schools to provide hundreds of students access to a comprehensive education.
“Over the last decade, we have seen so much change in the academic landscape, but at the core of that is that public school just doesn’t work for all children as each child has their own unique way of learning,” says Chad Bays, CEO of Academic Opportunity of Arizona.
“Each year, it brings us great pride to facilitate these scholarships so families can breath a little easier knowing their child is in a setting that better suits their needs and thankful to the companies we work with to trust we will distribute those dollars to the families and students who need it most.”
Founded in 2014, Academic Opportunity of Arizona’s mission is to help close the gap in education access for children living with disabilities and experiencing financial insecurity. Since their inception, the organization has gifted nearly $13 million in scholarships to benefit more than 1,300 students.
To secure the funding for these scholarships, AOA partners with Arizona-based companies of all sizes who leverage their corporate tax tuition credit, which was established for C and S corporations who conduct business and have income tax liability or insurance premium tax liability here in Arizona.
The tax credit program began in 2009 with an annual limit of $40 million, but has now grown to more than $158 million and the Arizona Department of Revenue is taking inquiries for this year’s cap.
