Category: Taxes

Can you help our Scholarship Fund?

As the result of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the understandable mandates regarding social gatherings, we have had to postpone 2 fundraisers, and may possibly have to postpone a 3rd. These fundraisers are crucial in helping fund scholarships and our reading programs.

Dyslexia and other reading issues affect 1 in 5 people in the United States. Sixty-five percent of Georgia 4th graders are not reading at the proficient level and 4th grade is considered the “watershed year”, meaning a child not reading proficiently has a 78% chance of NOT catching up. Two-thirds of those not reading proficiently by the end of 4th grade end up in poverty. We aim to prevent that for our students.

Most of our students attend private school out of need only, they are not being served in public school, it is not a luxury, and many struggle with our tuition, though it is among the lowest in the Northwest Metro Atlanta area.  Many of our students do not start with us until about 3rd grade, when parents start realizing their child is not progressing with reading. Our curriculum, combined with very small class sizes, gives these students an environment in which they can learn. You can read many of their stories HERE.

Our Ride 2 Read as well as our Spring Tea and Auction were postponed, and possibly our Dyslexia Rocks Concert, depending on upcoming developments. Combined, these fundraisers would have generated over $30,000 toward scholarship funds for our students. While we still plan to have these fundraisers, the timing & participation level are so uncertain at this time.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed Friday has measures to help non-profit organizations such as ours. This will apply only to charitable contributions made in 2020. You can read the full bill HERE.

The CARES Act temporarily creates something nonprofits have long sought: a “universal charitable deduction,” also known as an above-the-line” deduction for donations. That means taxpayers can easily claim the deduction on their tax forms without having to go through the extra step of itemizing.

If you, or someone you know can help, please support our school and our students, who need these services.

Here is how you can give:

  • You can text SCHOLARSHIP to 404-491-7724 or click HERE.
  • You can also donate on FACEBOOK. Just click the DONATE button.
  • You can also donate to the Georgia Tax Credit Scholarship, which not only gives us the much needed funds, but you get a dollar for dollar TAX CREDIT on your Georgia Income Taxes. You can read more about that HERE, and pledge and donate HERE. 
  • Businesses (Both S and C-corps) can participate too, depending on their Georgia Tax Liability, so share with any friends or family who are business owners. More details HERE.
  • You can read more about other Giving methods HERE.

We depend on and appreciate the generosity of donors, parents, grandparents, foundations, and community friends to support annual operating expenses, financial aid, and future growth. It really takes a village! <3

Brookwood Christian School respects your privacy and will never release your contact, check, or credit card information.

Brookwood Christian School is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
TAX ID [EIN]: 20-8499098.


“My only regret is not finding y’all sooner”

One of our Georgia Tax Credit Scholarship donors, who has continued to donate after his son graduated, had these words to say:

“You guys were so good for our son and we went through so many schools trying to find some place he would flourish.

“My only regret is not finding y’all sooner.

“I cannot say enough good things the school/teachers and especially Mr. Kevin.  He made a real impression on my son John.

“As long as the program is active you can expect me to participate.”


David Pereira

Thank you for your kind words and your continued support! Your generosity, along with our other donors, helped raise $42,750 for scholarships to aid our families!

John Pereira, class of 2019

#StopStruggling #StartPerforming #WeCanHelp

House Bill 939

Georgia House Bill 939 will keep the cap on Georgia’s Tax Credit Scholarship program at $100 million. House Bill 217 (March 2018) made a cap increase from $58 million to $100 million. However, the bill has the cap returning to $58 million by 2029.

We realize this is not an immediate concern, but we also realize how much this scholarship benefits many of our families, and want to keep it as an option for our younger students who may still be enrolled at that time, as well as future students.

The $58 million cap was first exceeded in 2016 (2015 pledge year), which had the approved pledged amounts diminished to keep the totals under the cap. At that time, the approval rate was 91% of what was pledged. During the 2017 and 2018 cycle, the approval rates were 42% and 55%, respectively.

Last year, 2019, we saw not only a marked increase in pledges (42%) over the previous year, with the cap increase, it generated 146% more scholarship money for our students, many of whom would not be able to attend without this assistance.

The chart below shows how amazing our families are, the increase in pledging support as well as fulfilling their commitment. In each instance where the yellow bar (fulfillment) does not meet the red bar (approved amount), there was an unexpected financial situation that reduced the amount they were able to contribute, which is entirely understandable.

As we are embarking on 15 years of helping students reach their full reading potential (you can see our RESULTS), our ultimate goal is to have no child unable to attend because of his/her family’s financial situation. This scholarship, as well as our fundraising events, are essential for that endeavor. The graph below clearly shows the negative impact the $58 million cap had, where red & yellow were considerably below the blue (pledged amount) for 2017 & 2018.

PLEASE REACH OUT to your Representative and share this information.

Also, the 2020 cap has not been met! You can still help!

Click HERE for MORE INFORMATION and HERE to PLEDGE

#UntilEveryoneCanRead #1in5

Ways You Can Give

As we approach the end of the year and the beginning of the Christmas season, please remember us whether it’s by directly giving, planning your tax season, or during your Christmas Shopping.

Three easy ways to donate:

1. Use Amazon Smile while shopping

2. Donate on Facebook during Giving Tuesday

3. Pledge then donate in March to the Georgia Tax Credit Scholarship

As you all know, Brookwood Christian depends on the generosity of donors, parents, grandparents, foundations, and community friends to support annual operating expenses, financial aid, and future growth. Tuition & the Georgia Special Needs Scholarship (SB10) support approximately 80% of the annual operating budget. Your generous donations helped us raise over $100,000 last year, and we are heading toward another successful year, thanks to all of you!

Less than $2,000 to reach our Goal!

As we are wrapping up the 2018-2019 year, we are blown away by the generosity of our families, businesses, and local community!

Your gifts make a huge difference in the academic experiences of each student and help us further our dyslexia reading programs. Tuition only supports 80% percent of the annual operating budget, and contributions from all members of The Brookwood Christian Community: parents, grandparents, alumni, past families, faculty & staff, foundations, community partners, and friends; bridge the gap to help us deliver the unique learning experiences our students deserve.

Our fundraising efforts this year, from Acworth Charm Tour to Ride 2 Read to Spring Tea & Silent Auction, and everything in between, including Apogee Tax Credit Scholarship donations, foundation donations & grants, #GivingTuesday & other Facebook donations, Henry’s Helps Dyslexia, Amazon Smile, Publix & Kroger, etc., have raised $96,120.29.

We never thought we would get this close, but we are going to try to get to $100,000 to close out the year. 

On May 9 we posted a fundraiser on Facebook with a $3,880 goal to reach that $100,000 mark. In 4 days we have only $1,770 to go! We are at 35% participation, let’s see if we can get to 50%, or better!

Many employers sponsor matching gift programs that can 2x or 3x the impact of employee, spouse or retiree gifts. Click HERE to find out if your company has a matching gift program that supports Brookwood Christian.

You can also donate HERE or send a check in to the office.

Again, thank you so much!

Privacy Statement
Brookwood Christian School respects your privacy and will never release your contact, check, or credit card information.





2018 Tax Information

Depending on your tax situation your child’s tuition may count as a deduction for “medical” expenses, your accountant will be able to offer more advice.

Below are the instructions for printing your 2018 tuition total (Spring 2017-2018 plus Fall 2018-2019). Once printed, attach with the Tax Letter (click HERE) and give to your accountant.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us.

======================

  • Click HERE to login to FACTS Tuition
  • After logging in, next to Payment Plan & Billing, Click on View Details,

  • Then click in the blue box that says View Payment Summary

  • The default should be 2018, click Print 

  • You should also be able to print as a pdf and email with the Tax Letter letter if necessary.

 

Still Time for APOGEE!

Thanks to the cap increase for 2019 to $100 million, it appears there is still time to redirect a portion of your state taxes to scholarships for deserving students through APOGEE for the Georgia State Tax Credit Scholarship as the cap has not yet been met!

There’s no telling how long this may last, so don’t delay if interested. You can find more information HERE.

To apply: https://www.apogeebase.com/donate

 

HB 217 Passed – APOGEE Cap increased!

We just received this email from APOGEE!!

Please take a moment to thank your representatives as well as those listed below.  More details on the scholarship can be found here.

“We have VERY exciting news to share!  Assuming Governor Deal signs the bill (which we fully expect), the Tax credit cap will be increased from $58 million to $100 million for the next 10 years starting in 2019.  After the 10 year mark, the cap would be reduced back to $58 million.
There will be an assessment of the program and its effectiveness in saving the state money and providing opportunities to families at the 5 year mark. With the expectation that the results will be in our favor, we could possibly expect an even more favorable result legislatively at that point.
The bill also includes some moderate fee reductions for SSO’s and improves the SSO reporting process.
We would like to take a moment to thank Representative John Carson. Without Rep Carson, the tax credit cap expansion bill would never have come to fruition.  Rep Carson expended a great deal of time, energy, and political capital to get this bill across the finish line in a format that was favorable to all of us in the program.  There will thousands of additional children who will directly benefit from the work done to accomplish this monumental task.
If you would like to personally thank Rep. Carson for his tremendous work on the expansion of the tax credit program, he can be reached at 
Another key player in the expansion of the program was Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, who supported the larger cap increase to take place immediately rather than the proposed escalator.  Casey Cagle’s role in the Senate was vital to the success of the bill.  
Words of appreciation can be sent to casey.cagle@senate.ga.gov.  
We are extremely excited for the long overdue expansion to the program and for the tremendous impact this expansion will have on providing educational opportunities for Georgia families.
We are thankful for your response to our legislative alert.  It is always refreshing to see our legislative body react favorably to the support of a bill we have all been working towards for such a long time.”

#GivingTuesday

As you are making your end of the year tax deductible donations…

TODAY ONLY Facebook and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be matching up to $2 million of funds raised on Facebook for US nonprofits. CLICK HERE to donate using the donate button at the top of our page.

Whether you have $10, $100, or $1000 to give, it all adds up! Especially when being matched! This is also a great way to maximize an end of year tax deduction.

WE need your help to reach our goal of raising $20,000 to furnish the new building and the Science Lab! Here are some ways to engage your friends, family and co-workers:

* Share information about #GivingTuesday on your social media accounts.

* Send an email challenging your co-workers, family and/or friends to give up the money they would spend on coffee and make a donation to Brookwood Christian! You could do the same with giving up lunch or dinner out. Stay home and play board games with your family instead of going to the movies, etc.

* Email your families, friends & contacts an email to encourage giving to Brookwood Christian.

And don’t forget to bring you gently used towels and blankets for our #GivingTowelTuesday!