Menu
Scholarship funds are awarded to eligible students by CFEF for the purpose of paying for qualified educational expenses. A qualified scholarship expenses means an expense that a parent or eligible student incurs in the education of the eligible student for goods or services that a qualifying private school or homeschool
The platform allows qualifying schools to upload invoices for tuition and fees. Additionally, parents or guardians can upload invoices or receipts. The CFEF staff will review and approve all invoices and receipts and initiate payments. Pre-approval for reimbursement must be submitted via CFEF form. Funds will be paid through the
Upon acceptance of a scholarship, the parent assumes full financial responsibility for the education of the scholarship recipient. The amount of funding available for scholarship in a given year varies based upon the amount of funds raised and the appropriation amount from the state. Funds will be disbursed based upon
A scholarship applicant is not eligible for a tuition scholarship if their parent or legal guardian is an administrator of the qualifying school they will attend. Children of employees of a qualifying private school are eligible to apply and receive a scholarship if they are approved. A scholarship applicant is
Funds are awarded to students using the weighted pupil unit (WPU) as defined by the state as the amount established each year as in the enacted public education budget. Scholarship award amounts are distributed as follows: For the 2024-25 school year the amount of scholarship awards based on this formula
The Utah state law governing the CSOS program requires that CFEF verify each applicant’s eligibility in key areas. The scholarship application will request a variety of information from the parent or guardian that must verify eligibility for a scholarship and determine the amount of a scholarship. The criteria below will
CFEF application will contain the following acknowledgement to be made by the parent or guardian of the student applying:
The CFEF application is required annually from all new applicants, all continuing students, and all students switching from the legacy Carson Smith program. Scholarship applications can be found at cfe-fund.org. Please adhere to the schedule posted below. CFEF will accept applications for the CSOS program after the closing dates posted
The Utah state legislature passed original legislation in 2019 called the Special Needs Opportunity Scholarship program and updated this legislation in 2024 by merging the program with the legacy Carson Smith Scholarship program. The new program is called the Carson Smith Opportunity Scholarship. The legislation requires that a private 501(c)(3)
Hours: Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm
Phone: (801) 477-0057 for application inquiries
Phone: (801) 477-0484 for donation inquiries
Email: info@childrenfirsteducationfund.org
Address: 5414 W. Daybreak Pkwy., C-4 #433, South Jordan, UT 84009
Copyright © 2023 Children First Education Fund - All Rights Reserved