West Chester Friends School has teamed up with other Quaker schools in the region to make it easy for donors to support them and the life-changing education they provide.

As a result, you can help a low-income student attend West Chester Friends School by directing your state income taxes to fund need-based scholarships to the school.

West Chester Friends is one of 22 Quaker schools that belong to The Friends Collaborative, which was formed by a group of individuals who were passionate about increasing access to Friends education for families of all backgrounds. Friends schools operate on the Quaker principles of equality and diversity, and maintain financial aid programs to ensure accessibility and affordability. Children of all racial, ethnic, economic, and religious backgrounds are welcomed at Friends schools.

The Friends Collaborative was formed to secure a Special Purpose Entity (SPE) from the state, which, in turn, allowed it to receive funds from the Educational Improvement Tax Credit, Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit, and the Pre-Kindergarten Tax Credit (EITC/OSTC/PKTC) programs. Administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development, these programs were created as a way to contribute to private schools that provide scholarships to students from low- and middle-income families.

Nearly $6 million in tax credits were secured by The Friends Collaborative in fiscal year 2021. West Chester Friends School received more than $200,000 in scholarship funds in each of the past two years.

“The only thing we can use the money for is scholarships and giving students who otherwise don’t have the means to attend a private school that opportunity,” said Brian Fahey, Head of School at West Chester Friends School. “And that’s important to us as Quakers because we have a commitment to equity and community, and these funds help us achieve our goal of having a diverse student body.”

Businesses and individuals may participate. The minimum participation amount is $3,000. Participants sign a joinder agreement with the SPE authorizing it to aggregate individual donations for the purpose of supporting education and passing state tax credits to the donors.

Participants will receive a tax credit to offset up to 90 percent of their donation.

The difference between a tax deduction and a tax credit is that the former reduces the amount of income subject to taxes, while the latter directly reduces the amount of tax owed, providing a dollar-for-dollar reduction in tax liability.

Consult with a tax professional for specific tax advice.

West Chester Friends School provides early childhood and elementary-aged students with the essential foundation they require to become lifelong learners, contributing members of their communities, and citizens of the world. The school offers impressive advantages to students because it is small by design and dedicated exclusively to the education of children in preschool through fifth grade.

“We have a vibrant school community because we have students from different walks of life,” said Fahey. “Everyone benefits from that.”

For more information, contact Pam Sapko, West Chester Friends School’s Director of Development, at psapko@wcfriends.org or 610-357-6172.

“Seventy-five percent of our students get some kind of tuition assistance,” said Sapko. “The scholarship funds we receive are from state taxes, so public school budgets, which are funded through real estate taxes, are not impacted whatsoever.”

Learn more about West Chester Friends School.