Financial Aid
As part of our practice of the Quaker testimonies of equity and community, SFCS is committed to making a Friends education available to as many students and families as possible and cultivating a socioeconomically diverse learning community. Our fundraising program and budgeting process prioritize allocating funds towards need-based financial aid for K-8 students.
Approximately 35% of SFCS families receive aid. While we aim to offer financial assistance to as many families as possible, the demand for financial aid typically exceeds available funding. Requests for financial aid are considered on a first-come, first-served basis, with families returning to SCFS given priority. Additional assistance may be available for Quaker families through our partner, Friends Council on Education.
SFCS uses the FACTS Grant and Aid financial aid application program to process financial aid requests using secure, encrypted data. Application data submitted to SCFS via the FACTS Grant and Aid portal is reviewed by our Financial Aid Committee, which makes all final award determinations. The process is confidential throughout.
Myrtle Wright Scholarship Endowment Fund
The Myrtle Wright Scholarship Endowment Fund helps enable SCFS to build a socio-economically diverse learning community. Soon after she joined State College Friends Meeting, Myrtle became an active supporter of the Friends School. She believed strongly that a Quaker education should be accessible to all children and their families. After her passing in 1990, her husband, Lauren Wright, established the Myrtle Wright Scholarship Endowment Fund in her honor. To this day, the fund is available to make a Friends education more accessible to Quaker students and students of color.
National Friends Education Fund
The National Friends Education Fund (NFEF), administered by Friends Council on Education, provides tuition aid to support Quaker children in Friends schools across the country. The fund aims to increase the ability of Quaker families to afford to send their children to Friends schools. Friends schools value the presence and active participation of their Quaker families; and Quaker families, likewise, value the institutional missions and commitments of Friends schools. For this reason, Friends Council on Education joins the efforts of families, schools, and Monthly Meetings to provide tuition assistance for Quaker families who demonstrate need.
Pre-K Financial Assistance Programs
Pre-K families may be eligible for two different subsidy programs.
- The Penn State Child Care Subsidy is available to student parents to off-set the cost of child care while they pursue their own education in a degree seeking program.
- The Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC) manages the Child Care Works program to off-set the cost of childcare for qualifying families that are residents of Pennsylvania.
