Having trouble homeschooling because of financial needs or an unexpected disaster? There may be a grant for that.
The Home School Legal Defense Association has offered educational assistance grants to financially struggling families for more than 20 years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, HSLDA has seen an increase of almost 10 percent in grant requests.
“The uncertainty surrounding the pandemic means that the need for educational assistance is going to continue, at least for now,” Tracy Klicka, HSLDA’s director of development, writes on the association’s website. “But we are incredibly grateful to witness the outpouring of generous support to meet the needs of increasing numbers of homeschooling families.”
Critics sometimes maintain that only people above a certain income level can afford to homeschool. This is not the case: families from all demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds have chosen this educational option for their children.
Analysis from the National Home Education Research Institute finds that homeschoolers come from low-, middle-, and high-income households. Additionally, about 41 percent of homeschool students are from black, Asian, Hispanic, and other non-white backgrounds.
Moreover, homeschooling requires minimal public resources. “Taxpayers spend nothing on the vast majority of homeschool students, while homeschool families spend an average of $600 per student annually for their education,” writes Dr. Brian Ray on the institute’s website. “Families engaged in home-based education are not dependent on public, tax-funded resources for their children’s education.”
Since the pandemic, U.S. homeschooling rates significantly increased across demographics – with the highest growth among African-Americans.
Many homeschooling families face economic hardship, and HSLDA has responded to their needs with more than 15,000 grants since 1994. Families must meet certain requirements, such as actively homeschooling for at least three months before applying for the grant.
HSLDA defines an “active homeschool” as one where the parent or legal guardian is privately funding the homeschool program, conducting the majority of schooling at home, and choosing the child’s studies independent of other schools or factors.
HSLDA’s curriculum grants can fund initiatives beyond educational materials and classes. They can pay for school supplies, homeschool co-op fees, and academic testing and tutoring. Families also can put these funds toward diagnostic testing and therapies for children with special needs. The grants depend on family size and circumstances, but they average a few hundred dollars for each student.
If they provide receipts, families can receive reimbursement for past educational spending if it occurred within six months of the grant check date.
HSLDA also provides disaster-relief grants to families recovering from home damage after natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, blizzards, or wildfires. These grants can fund emergency needs such as meals, blankets, diapers, and other items. They also can assist with replacing household goods (e.g., furniture, food, electronics, and appliances) or curriculum and school materials.
The disaster-relief grants don’t exceed $500, and they cannot be applied to COVID-19 recovery efforts. To qualify, applicants must show physical or financial damage to their homes or families caused by a natural disaster in the past 18 months.
HSLDA also encourages homeschool organizations to apply for annual group grants if they meet certain requirements.
The grants can go toward various efforts such as lending libraries, field trips, and other events – or school equipment and other education-related enterprises. Grants cannot fund direct lobbying initiatives; they must be used for tax-exempt purposes to further homeschooling.
Applicant groups need to meet certain criteria: they must have at least 15 HSLDA member families, they must serve families who are privately homeschooling, and they must not receive any government funding for their services.
Shanxi Omoniyi is a staff writer for The Lion and serves as Online Content Director at Midwest Parent Educators. Originally published by RealClearEducation. Republished with permission.
