How to Apply for a Tax Credit Scholarship

Empower Illinois Application: www.empowerillinois.org

On Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. applicants can visit empowerIllinois.org to access the reservation forms and begin your application. You cannot submit your reservation form until 7 p.m. 

Only one reservation is required per family, even if you are applying for several students in several schools. (If you forget a child, you will need to make a separate reservation for that child.)

Step 1: On the first page of the reservation, you will be asked to provide your name, phone number, home address, email address, and all your students’ names. You can take your time filling this in. On the bottom of the page you will see a countdown clock. As the countdown hits 0:00 the faded "Continue" button will become active. Once you click "Continue" you will be brought to a second page of the reservation, where you will be asked to confirm this information. DO NOT SPEND THE TIME REVIEWING THE INFORMATION. Hit the "Submit" button as soon as you can. Your timestamp will be recorded after you submit the second page of the reservation. 

For a video tutorial click here.

[Beginning on January 14th, Empower Illinois will reach out to applicants, via email, requesting applicants to complete Step-Two of the process by submitting and uploading verification documentation.]

Big Shoulders Fund Application: https://bigshouldersfund.secure.force.com/bsfapplication/

Submit your online application on January 13, 2022 at 8AM. Be sure to apply as soon as the application opens, scholarships are awarded in the order they are received. 

Step 1 is submitting the Application Eligibility Test. You can find our mock eligibility application here. Immediately after submitting the initial Eligibility Test, you will obtain your date-time stamp. Then you click "Next" and proceed to Step 2.

Step 2 is completing the Online Application Form which can be viewed here. Your date-time stamp is obtained after the Eligibility Test, so you may take your time completing the online application as long as you complete it all at one time. You may not save and return to the application. Inactivity may result in the loss of your date-time stamp. 

To find your public school district visit https://www.isbe.net/Pages/PublicSchoolDistrictLookup.aspx

[At a later date, Big Shoulders Fund will reach out to a limited number of applicants, via email, requesting applicants to complete Step-Two of the process by submitting and uploading verification documentation.

Due to limited funding for this program, not all applicants will be asked to complete Step-Two. Being asked to complete Step-Two is not a guarantee of a scholarship.]