Tuition Assistance

Building Blocks Scholarships

LESA’s Building Blocks Scholarship program offers need-based tuition assistance to children who attend LESA member Lutheran elementary schools in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Since 2004, LESA has awarded more than $6.1 million in scholarships to 3,382 individual students. Today, 1 in 10 students receives tuition assistance through Building Blocks. At LESA, our goal is to give meaningful financial aid to all who qualify and complete an application.

Families are eligible for tuition assistance from Building Blocks Scholarships or the Missouri District Scholarship Program (available to students in K-8 at a Missouri District LC-MS school) if at least 10% of their income (taxable and non-taxable), as reported for the previous tax year, is used to cover the cost of their child’s/children’s Lutheran school tuition. Families expending less than 10% of their income on Lutheran elementary school tuition will be considered on a case-by-case basis where extenuating circumstances exist.

Missouri District LC-MS Scholarships

Need-based tuition assistance is available to students in kindergarten through 8th grade who are enrolled in LC-MS Missouri District elementary schools through the Loftus Trust, a tuition-assistance fund gifted to the Missouri District. The application process and procedures below apply for families seeking funding from the Missouri District’s program. If your child is enrolled in a Missouri District school that is a member of LESA, only one application is required to receive consideration under both LESA’s Scholarship and the Missouri District Scholarship Programs.

How To Apply

Application Procedure for 2021/2022 Tuition Assistance through LESA’s Scholarship, LASE Specialized Education, and the Missouri District tuition-assistance programs:

To apply for assistance, families must submit an online application.

Scholarships do not renew automatically. Families seeking assistance with the cost of tuition through the Building Blocks Scholarships, LASE, or Missouri District programs must apply for funding each year, as available funding varies from year-to-year based on funds available and the number of students qualifying for assistance varies each year.

In addition to completing the application and paying the application fee, families must provide 2020 federal income tax documents and other documents requested by FACTS in the application verification process to substantiate financial need.

Tips on Uploading Documents to the LESA Scholarship Application

Deadlines/Submissions

Deadlines & Submissions

Scholarship Application Deadline – April 10 • Application complete/verified – April 30

All documents must be submitted by April 10 in order for FACTS representatives to review them and mark your application as complete by April 30

1. All applications will be submitted ONLINE through FACTS

2. To submit an application, each applicant family is required to pay a $35 fee; however, if parents of the student(s) are divorced, each household must submit an application.

3. Once your online application has been submitted, remember to immediately submit required income documentation to FACTS (2020 W-2’s and 2020 federal income tax form, as well as any other information the FACTS auditors request to confirm information submitted on the application) , following the instructions on the application screen. Income documents may be uploaded to your application using a scanner or mobile device.

4. Only those applications that are submitted online by midnight April 10, 2021 and are verified as “complete” by FACTS by April 30th, 2021 will be considered for an award during the May 2021 award committee meeting.

5. If you have questions on Building Blocks Scholarships or Missouri District Scholarship programs, please do not hesitate to email Maureen Gersman or Sue Nahmensen or call 314-200-0790. If you have questions about the LASE Specialized Education tuition-assistance program, please email Diane Stout or call the LASE office at 314-268-1234.

6. FACTS service representatives are available to answer questions on the FACTS online application or required documentation. They may be reached by telephone at 866-441-4637 Monday – Thursday from 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM or Friday from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

7. Upon completion of application review and award determinations by the scholarship awards committees, school administrators and families will be notified of LESA’s Scholarship and Missouri District Scholarship award decisions by May 31, 2021 directly by the LESA office. Families submitting applications for LASE tuition assistance will be contacted directly by May 31, 2021 by the LASE office of those award determinations.