Tuition Assistance

Tuition Assistance

LESA Scholarships


LESA’s 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 $7.1 million in scholarships to over 4,000 individual students. Today, 1 in 7 students receives tuition assistance through LESA’s Scholarship Program. At LESA, our goal is to give meaningful financial aid to all who complete an application and qualify under LESA’s eligibility criteria.

Families are eligible for tuition assistance from LESA’s Scholarship or the Missouri District Scholarship Program (available to students in K-8 at a Missouri District LCMS 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 net tuition (provided by the school). 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. Students must be enrolled at a Lutheran elementary school in order for the award committee to review applications.

The Impact of Your Gift

Missouri District LC-MS Scholarships

Need-based tuition assistance is available to students in K – 8th grade who are enrolled in LCMS Missouri District elementary schools through the Loftus Trust, a tuition-assistance fund gifted to the Missouri District. The application process and procedures for families seeking funding from the Missouri District’s program are the same as the LESA scholarship process. 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 2024/2025 LESA 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 LESA Scholarship, 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 the 2023 federal income tax documents and other documents requested by FACTS in the application verification process to substantiate financial need. Students must be enrolled in K -8th grade at a Lutheran elementary school in order for the application to be reviewed. 

Tips on Uploading Documents to the LESA Scholarship Application

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 $40 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 (2023 W-2’s and 2023 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 April 10, 2024 and are verified as “complete” by FACTS by April 30th, 2024 will be considered for an award during the May 2024 award committee meeting.

5. If you have questions on the LESA Scholarship or Missouri District Scholarship programs, please do not hesitate to email Maureen Gersman or call 314-200-0790. If you have questions about the LASE Specialized Education tuition-assistance program, please email Amanda Ermer 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 866-315-9262 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, 2024 directly by the LESA office.  Families submitting applications for LASE Specialized Education tuition assistance will be contacted directly by the LASE office of those award determinations.

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