Tuition Assistance

Catholic education at Holy Family Catholic Schools is within reach. Holy Family is committed to keeping tuition affordable with multiple forms of assistance to help reduce out-of-pocket costs. We will work with you to establish a personalized tuition plan that's right for your family.

Students First Education Savings Accounts

Iowa families who choose to enroll their eligible children in an accredited nonpublic school, such as Holy Family, will receive an amount equal to the per-pupil funding allocated to public school districts for the same budget school year. Funds are held in an education savings account (ESA) to be used for tuition, fees, and other eligible qualified education expenses.

Learn More about ESAs and Apply

General Tuition Assistance

All tuition assistance begins with a confidential application through a third-party service called FACTS. Your financial information and federal tax returns are used to determine your School Tuition Organization (STO) award. The same information is used for scholarship eligibility and to support reconsideration requests if an STO award does not meet your family’s needs.

Apply for Tuition Assistance

How to Apply

All families are eligible to apply for tuition assistance, regardless of income level.

Submit your FACTS application by May 4, 2026. Only one application is required per family.
You will need to provide your 2025 federal tax return.
After round-one applications are processed, families may reapply for additional assistance through the reconsideration process (more information will follow round-one STO awards).
If you apply for reconsideration, a committee will review your application, and you will receive an award letter outlining additional aid that is available to you.

FACTS Support Information

Types of Assistance

School Tuition Organization (STO) Scholarships & Holy Family Assistance Other Assistance

School Tuition Organization (STO)

The School Tuition Organization, or STO, is Holy Family’s primary source of tuition assistance. It provides tuition grants for eligible students attending nonpublic schools in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The STO is funded through voluntary contributions from Iowa taxpayers, and those dollars are distributed as tuition grants based on a family’s demonstrated financial need.

To be considered, families submit an annual application that is confidentially reviewed through FACTS. STO grants are then awarded for the upcoming school year.

For more information and further FAQs, visit the Our Faith School Tuition Organization website.

Scholarships & Holy Family Assistance

Holy Family Grant
Families that live outside of Iowa, who do not qualify for STO, are eligible to receive a Holy Family grant. Families will need to complete a FACTS application to apply.

Reconsideration
Once monies from the School Tuition Organization (STO) are distributed, families may apply for additional aid if they have a special circumstance, such as job loss, divorce, illness, etc. Applications are reviewed by a special board of education subcommittee and your parish, and grants are fulfilled thanks to the support we receive from the Wahlert Foundation and donations made to the Holy Family Student Impact Fund. If your tuition assistance need was not met through STO funding, please complete a Tuition Assistance Reconsideration Form. Please note that you must have a verified FACTS tuition assistance application prior to your Reconsideration Form being reviewed.

Butler Scholars
With the gracious support of John & Alice Butler, the Butler Scholars program has been established through a $10.5 million endowment to provide greater access to a Holy Family Catholic Schools education than ever before.

Wahlert Foundation
The Wahlert Foundation has provided funds for more than 60 years to help parents with the cost of tuition. By Foundation regulations, the bulk of each annual grant provided by the Foundation is channeled to our supporting parishes for distribution to their parishioners.

Parish Grants
Many of our supporting parishes have funds from trusts and other sources available to assist their parishioners with tuition costs, with special consideration given to those who give of their time and talent to the parish and who attend Mass each weekend.

Other Scholarships

Other Assistance

Tuition Assistance FAQs:

What is the tuition assistance timeline?

What is needed to apply?

Are returning students guaranteed assistance?

Financial aid is never granted automatically or guaranteed from one year to the next. A renewed request for need-based assistance must be made by submitting a new FACTS form and tax information each year the student is in attendance. If, for any reason, your student is withdrawn from a Holy Family school, the financial aid award granted to that student is prorated based on the school year calendar.

What are the STO income guidelines?

Maximum Qualifying Taxable Income Levels (for 2026-2027)

Persons in Household	400% of Poverty Rate
2	$86,560
3	$109,280
4	$132,000
5	$154,720
6	$177,440
7	$200,160
8	$222,880

Important Notes About Income Guidelines:

STO qualifying levels listed are based upon 400% of 2026 Federal Poverty Levels. Final income-qualifying levels will be determined by the Our Faith STO Board, based on identified need and available funds.
Families are eligible for STO assistance if they are Iowa residents AND their taxable income is at or below the above listed income levels. Falling within these guidelines does not necessarily guarantee tuition assistance awards.
Family size includes parents/guardians plus total number of dependents claimed on the tax return.
For families/households with more than eight people, add $5,680 for each additional person.
Any available local tuition assistance beyond STO awards may not be based upon the above income levels, but will likely require completion of a FACTS application.