ISAC Gift Assistance Programs

1. ISAC Gift Assistance Programs Grant Programs for Dependents of Police/Fire/Correctional Officers Bonus Incentive Program Student to Student Grant Program Higher Education License Plate Program June 2011

2. Grant Programs for Dependents of Police/Fire/Correctional Officers • Grant program for the spouse and children of Illinois police, fire and correctional officers killed or at least 90% disabled in the line of duty • Recipients must be enrolled at least half-time in undergraduate or graduate study • Provides payment toward tuition and mandatory fees for 8 semesters or 12 quarters • Factored into the financial aid package prior to receiving MAP gift assistance

3. P/F/C Eligibility • To be eligible, a student must either be: • a natural or legally adopted child or a child in the legal custody of the police, fire or correctional officer who was disabled or killed in the line of duty • the spouse of the individual who was disabled or killed in the line of duty • Common law partners are not eligible

4. P/F/C Eligibility • A student must also be: • a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen • enrolled at least half-time at a MAP-approved school • making satisfactory progress toward a degree or certificate • A student does not have to: • be an Illinois resident at the time of enrollment • demonstrate financial need

5. P/F/C Eligibility • An applicant is ineligible if he or she is: • A spouse who remarries after a police, fire or correctional officer is killed • A spouse who divorces a permanently disabled police, fire or correctional officer • A stepchild who, at the time of an officer’s death or permanent disability, was not in the legal custody of the officer

6. Eligibility Clarification • 2011-12 Program Rules clarify that when a disability is involved, the child must be in the legal custody of the officer at the time the injury was sustained. • A qualified applicant shall be: • 1) either: • A) the natural child, legally adopted child, or child in the legal custody of a correctional officer at the time the officer was permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty or at the time a permanently disabling injury occurred in the line of duty; or • B) the husband or wife of a correctional officer at the time the officer permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty or at the time a permanently disabling injury occurred in the line of duty; and

7. Applying for P/F/C • An ISAC application must be submitted each year by the deadline dates: • October 1 for consideration for all terms • March 1 for consideration for second semester/second and third quarter • June 15 for consideration for summer term • Eligibility in one academic year does not carry over into future years

8. Applying for P/F/C • First-time applicants must also submit a certified death certificate or certified physician’s statement • Documentation must also prove that the death or disability occurred in the line of duty • Once eligibility has been established for one member of a family, it is established for all qualified applicants in the family.  • Thereafter, a simplified application will be required from each student on an annual basis.

9. P/F/C Benefits • Pays tuition and mandatory fees • At a public institution, student may receive a grant that does not exceed its cost of tuition and mandatory fees • At a private institution, student may receive a grant that does not exceed the maximum amount payable to a student enrolled in the most expensive comparable program of study at a public institution.

11. P/F/C Benefits • May receive eight semesters or 12 quarters of full-time enrollment • for undergraduate or graduate study • Funds are disbursed in multiple installments unless eligibility is not determined until final term

12. P/F/C Payment • Certification of Enrollment for Payment Rosters are sent to schools each term after the application deadline has passed. • Must return the roster even if a student isn’t eligible • Provide the reason for ineligibility

13. P/F/C Payment • If funds are insufficient to pay all eligible applicants, determinations will be made based on application date • In a withdrawal situation, the recipient can receive the grant for costs incurred, up to the term award

15. P/F/C Resources • ISAC Administrative Rules • Part 2731 (Dependents of Correctional Officers) • Part 2732 (Dependents of Police or Fire Officers) • Grant Program for Dependents of Police, Fire or Correctional Officers Application • Explains eligibility requirements, benefits and application procedures • College Zone, FAA Zone, Gift Assistance Programs section

16. Bonus Incentive Grant (BIG) • Provides an incentive to use proceeds from Illinois College Savings Bonds at Illinois colleges and universities • Incentives range from $40 to $440 • Application will be made available at collegeillinois.org Web site on August 1

17. BIG Eligibility • To be eligible for the grant, bondholder must: • Have continuously owned the bond(s) for at least 12 months preceding the date of maturity • Use at least 70% of the bond proceeds for educational costs at an eligible Illinois institution • Use the proceeds from the bond(s) in either the academic year in which the bond(s) matured, or the academic year immediately following maturity. • Designate only one student beneficiary for each bond that matures • the same student beneficiary may be named to five bonds with no more than $25,000 of aggregate compound accreted value at maturity for each academic year

18. BIG Eligibility In addition, the student: • Must be enrolled on at least a half-time basis as an undergraduate or graduate student at an ISAC approved institution. • Cannot be attending an educational institution organized solely for the purpose of religious instruction • Cannot be enrolled in an academic program of divinity for any religious denomination or pursuing a course of study to become a minister, priest, rabbi, etc.

19. Applying for BIG • Application becomes available August 1 • Must be completed by the bondholder, the student beneficiary, and the institution • School official must certify the student's enrollment status and forward the complete application to ISAC. • Should submit on or as soon after August 1 as possible • Applications will be accepted until all available funds are awarded • An application must be submitted to ISAC each year for which assistance is requested.

20. Applying for BIG • ISAC may require applicants to provide documentation verifying that the bondholder owned the bond(s) for required length of time. • The bondholder can designate only one student beneficiary for each bond redeemed. • State law (Public Act 93-812) prohibits exempting money held in college savings bonds from calculation of financial aid eligibility. • Counts as an asset in determining a student's eligibility for state and federal financial assistance.

23. Student-to-Student (STS) Grant Program • Need-based program for undergraduate students at state-supported colleges and universities • Funds are derived from voluntary contributions of students and matching grants from ISAC • No state appropriation for 2011-12

24. STS Eligibility • To qualify for an award, students must: • be enrolled on at least a half-time basis at a participating institution • demonstrate financial need through completion of the FAFSA

25. STS Program Procedures • Students must approve the plan for raising voluntary contributions by a majority of those voting in a campus-wide referendum • Contributions must be voluntary and optional • Only voluntary contributions made by enrolled students are eligible for matching

26. STS Program Procedures • Funds can be collected from graduate students, however the STS program can only provide aid to undergraduate students • A portion of student contributions can be set aside and used to aid graduate students, but those funds cannot be matched by ISAC • No eligible contribution can exceed $12 per academic year

27. STS Benefits • Annual award amount maximum is $1,000 • it is applicable to all terms, including the summer term • The institution awards the grant to students according to the plan developed and approved by its student body.

28. STS Resources • ISAC Administrative Rules • Part 2770 • College Zone, FAA Zone, Gift Assistance Programs section

29. Higher Education License Plate (HELP) Program • Provides grant money to students who attend Illinois institutions that participate in the special collegiate license plate program • A portion of the proceeds of plates sold are used to fund the program • Institutions determine the amount of each grant according to program guidelines

30. HELP Eligibility • To qualify, a student must be: • a resident of Illinois • enrolled at a college or university that participates in the collegiate license plate program • demonstrate financial need through completion of the FAFSA • maintaining satisfactory academic progress • an undergraduate student and have not received a baccalaureate degree

31. HELP Procedures • Secretary of State deposits $25 for each set of license plates sold into the University Grant Fund. • All moneys deposited into the Fund are appropriated to ISAC to make reimbursements to participating colleges for HELP grants • Each January, ISAC is notified of the amounts deposited on behalf of each participating institution during the previous calendar year.

32. HELP Benefits • The institution determines the amount of each grant, which is the lesser of: • $2,000 for two semesters or three quarters of full-time undergraduate enrollment or $1,000 for two semesters or three quarters of half-time undergraduate enrollment • the amount of tuition and mandatory fees applicable to two semesters or three quarters of full-time or half-time undergraduate enrollment • the amount of the applicant’s financial need, or • the remaining funds available.

33. HELP Payment • At the beginning of each State fiscal year, ISAC notifies each participating institution of the amount of funds available for their institution • A payment request form is sent to the institution that must be signed and returned to ISAC. • Funds are then remitted to the institution. • The institution must award the full amount of funds disbursed in the academic year that it was received.

35. HELP Resources • ISAC Administrative Rules • Part 2737 • College Zone, FAA Zone, Gift Assistance Programs section

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