Financial Aid

There are many sources of financial aid available to families at St. Francis Schoool. Please note that some of these have strict deadlines. Financial aid forms are given out to all current familes in late January/early February when registration packets are sent home. New families may receive financial aid forms when they apply for admission to SFS. Click here for Financial Aid Directions 2023-2024.

Diocese of Erie Financial Aid

The following sources of financial aid are available through the Diocese of Erie. These grants are awarded on the basis of financial need. Click here for Diocese of Erie Financial Aid Applications. | Click here for Diocesan Tuition Assistance Overview.

  • Star Foundation – Application must be sent directly to Erie along with all necessary forms and fees. The deadline for this is April 15, 2023. Applicants must meet income and residency guidelines.
  • Bishop’s Tuition Assistance – This source of financial aid is included on the same application as the Star Foundation and follows the same guidelines for fees and application due dates.

St. Francis School Financial Aid

The following sources of financial aid are awarded by St. Francis School directly. Click here for the St. Francis Scholarship Applications.

  • Sonnenberg  Scholarship – There is a separate application form for this grant. It does have income restrictions, although not usually as strict as the Star grants. Current SFS families must complete their 20-hour volunteer requirement within the current school year to be eligible for this aid in the next school year. There is no fee to apply for this grant. The application and all required documentation must be submitted directly to the school office by March 31, 2023.
  • Adopt-a-Student Scholarships – This money is generated by donations from private individuals who designate their gifts to be used for tuition assistance. The amount of money available varies from year to year. This aid is included on the Sonnenberg Scholarship application and there is no fee to apply.

In order to be eligible for the full amount of the St. Francis School scholarships, families are required to perform 20 service hours per year toward our fundraising events or other approved areas. These hours must be completed in the school year prior to receiving aid. (This requirement is waived for the first year for families whose children were not enrolled the previous year.)

Raise Right

Raise Right (formerly called Scrip) is an ongoing way to earn tuition credit year-round, simply by paying for everyday items with gift cards instead of cash. There are no income guidelines for this – absolutely every family is eligible to use it. You can even have family and friends use it to earn credit on your child’s tuition.

Please note that you can set up Raise Right at any time – even before your child is old enough to attend SFS. The funds you generate will accumulate in your child’s account until he or she is ready to attend. Some families in the past have set up Scrip accounts for their babies and earned enough to pay for their entire first year’s tuition!

How Raise Right Works

You purchase gift cards at face value and your coordinator orders those cards from RaiseRight and local businesses at a reduced price. The difference is an instant rebate that you can designate to your tuition bill or to a family of your choosing to reduce their tuition bill for the following school year. You can even choose to give your rebate directly to the school. It’s really that simple! RaiseRight offers more than 700 of the country’s biggest retailers and over 30 local businesses, including grocery, department stores, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, home improvement, and more.

Raise Right Retailers

Get Started with Raise Right

Please contact Sheila Clancy, RaiseRight Coordinator at St Francis School at sclancy@stfrancisclearfield.org or 814-765-2618 ext 214 to start putting your shopping dollars to work.

RaiseRight gift cards are also sold after all Masses on the first weekend of every month and every weekend in November and December.