Every day in Arizona there are children who cannot afford school supplies, books, or a proper backpack. They may not be able to afford appropriate shoes.
There are students who struggle in Math or English, but cannot afford the tutoring they need to succeed. Other students want to play sports or musical instruments, but their family lacks the finances to back them.
The Institute for Better Education Foundation (“The IBE Foundation”) was established last year to serve these children. Executive Director, Kimberly Kirschner explains, “It has been on my heart to make more of a financial impact for our lower income families and as wonderful as Arizona School Tuition Organizations (STOs) are, they can only cover tuition.”
STOs – which have been in Arizona for over 25 years — are non-profit organizations certified by the Arizona Department of Revenue to receive income tax credit contributions that fund scholarships for students to attend qualified private schools. Arizona pioneered this tuition credit model, which has subsequently been adopted by many other states.
The Institute for Better Education School Tuition Organization (IBE-STO), headquarted in Tucson, has served Arizona youth since 1998, awarding millions of dollars in tuition scholarships so every child is given the opportunity to reach their full academic potential even if out of their financial reach. IBE’s corporate tax credit program provides scholarships specifically to children from low-income families, who are in foster care and/or who have a disability.
After working for IBE for over twelve years and serving on the board of the Arizona STO Association (ASTOA), it is apparent that Ms. Kirschner is highly passionate about IBE’s mission of “making a difference in lives of Arizona children.”
Ms. Kirschner expressed, “I want to be able to support all children in public and charter schools – as well as those attending private schools. I also realize that there are a wide range of school-related expenses that a child needs to receive a well-rounded education that tax credits are unable to cover.” Thus, the idea of the Foundation was born – to fill in the gaps that were left.
Kirschner continued, “With the Foundation, we can cover more than just tuition to help families with their educational resources that could directly impact a child’s life such as a proper backpack, shoes, tutoring, sporting fees, and even STEM classes.”
Shari Colson, who formerly served the community as the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Development Director and in several educational capacities, is IBE’s new Director of Community Outreach.
Colson shared, “We are excited about the additional impact we can make in the lives of Arizona children by providing them with the tools they need to be successful in their education. We strongly believe that when children are thriving in school, everyone in our community wins!”
The IBE Foundation launched its Building Bridges to Educational Success Campaign in August to raise money for the underprivileged and under-resourced K-12 grade students in Arizona.
The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that accepts tax-deductible and QCD donations. You can even earmark your donation for a specific qualifying Arizona school. Please visit ibefoundation.org or call 520.200.7275 for more information.
Donors can also participate in IBE’s Student Tax Credit Program or call 520.512.5438 for more information.
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