The Buckeye Christian Scholarship Granting Organization Overview

The Buckeye Christian School Scholarship Granting Organization (BCSGO) is a state-certified, nonprofit scholarship granting organization that provides students with funding to attend Buckeye Christian School Organization (BCSO) member schools. The BCSGO is a division of the BCSO recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) organization. Our mission is to help all Ohio Christian families afford an excellent Christian education through the BCSO. 

The primary focus of the organization is granting scholarships through the tax-incentivized state Scholarship Granting Organization program. In this program, scholarship awarding is prioritized to low-income students. The Scholarship Granting Organization program was created in 2021 with the objective of providing a learning option they may not otherwise be able to afford. This program depends on the contributions of mostly individuals, who receive a tax credit for their contributions.

Scholarship Eligibility and Application

Eligibility Requirements

A student must meet the eligibility criteria requirements to qualify for a BCSGO scholarship award. Scholarships are awarded to primary and secondary students only.

Student Eligibility Criteria

• The student is a resident of the state of Ohio.
• The student has been enrolled, is currently enrolled, or has been accepted for enrollment in a BCSO-member school as a full-time (includes half-day for kindergarten students), in-person student. For a list of eligible schools, visit bcsoschools.org/member-schools.
• If the student is entering kindergarten, he must be five years old on or before September 1.
• If the student is entering first grade, he must be six years old on or before September 1.

Household Income Eligibility Criteria 

Scholarship awarding is prioritized by income level. However, students are eligible for an award regardless of income level. Students in households below 300% of the federal poverty level may receive 25%-200% more than students in households at or above 300% of the federal poverty level. Please reference the 2024 Poverty Guidelines Chart which shows 300% of the federal poverty level for different household sizes. In 2024, 300% of the Federal Poverty Level for a family of four is $93,600. Students that receive or students whose guardians receive public assistance as defined by Section 5101.26 of the Revised Code qualify as low-income.

The State of Ohio requires Scholarship Granting Organizations to prioritize low-income families in scholarship awarding. To maintain our organizational certification, we verify applicant’s household income. Please use the Income Verification Form to verify your income. Sources of income may include:

• Current pay stubs (multiple)
• W-2s for the most recent tax cycle
• 1099
• Current income tax returns
• Business records 
• Correspondence from the Social Security Administration, Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation, Department of Job and Family Services, and other providers of benefits showing the amount of benefits you are receiving
• Print out from child support enforcement 

Any misrepresentation of the information provided to the BCSGO for eligibility purposes will result in the revocation of the student’s scholarship and could be punishable as a crime.

Scholarship Continuity

Scholarship awards do not continue to the next school year. Students must apply annually to receive an award. Students may apply for an award in both the fall and spring award periods.

Apply for a BCSGO Scholarship

Use the links below to access the scholarship application. There is no fee to apply. Applications must be received by April 30 to be eligible for a fall scholarship award and by November 30 for a spring scholarship award. The contact information provided by the parent during the application process must belong to the parent or guardian on the application.

Individuals that complete the BCSGO Scholarship Application, agree with or authorize the following:

• You authorize the BCSGO to access information needed for income eligibility determination and verification held by other state or federal agencies, including the Department of Revenue, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Education, the Department of Economic Opportunity, and the Agency for Health Care Administration.
• You authorize the BCSGO to deliver prerecorded messages, including, but not limited to, application status updates and other pertinent scholarship information, to the home telephone numbers or the mobile telephone numbers that you provide in the scholarship application. You understand that your consent or lack of consent will have no effect on scholarship eligibility.
• You authorize the BCSGO to deliver text messages. In addition to any entry, submission, subscription, or other fee of which you are notified, your carrier’s messaging and data rates may apply to your entry or submission message, our confirmation, and all subsequent SMS correspondence. We will not be liable for any delays in the receipt of any SMS messages as delivery is subject to effective transmission from your network operator. SMS message services are provided on an as-is basis. Data obtained from you in connection with this SMS service may include your cell phone number, your carrier’s name, and the date, time, and content of your messages. We may use this information to contact you and to provide the services you request from us.
• You certify that the information presented is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge and belief. You understand that providing false representations constitutes an act of fraud. False, misleading, or incomplete information may result in the denial of the scholarship application or revocation of a scholarship award.

APPLY ONLINE

To apply by mail, download the Scholarship Application, complete it, and mail it with all required documentation to: BCSGO Scholarships, 2400 Chandlersville Rd., Zanesville, OH 43701. Paper applications and accompanying documents may be emailed to info@ohiosgo.org.

Download the Income Verification Form. For more information on income verification, read Income Verification FAQs.

The BCSGO privacy policy

Transferring Schools

A student’s scholarship may be transferred to another eligible, participating school during the school year if the student needs to change schools during the school year. Before you withdraw your student from the school, you should notify the school and understand the school’s policy regarding transferring to another school. The BCSGO will not transfer a scholarship award until it has confirmation of the student’s withdrawal from the school and notification from the new eligible, participating school of the student’s start date. The transfer process may include a final payment to the school the student is leaving. If a payment is owed to that school, payment must be approved by the parent or guardian. If the school has been overpaid, the school will be invoiced for the overpayment. Please email info@ohiosgo.org to request a scholarship award transfer. Award transfers are not guaranteed. Students transferring to a school not participating in the SGO program will forfeit a portion of their scholarship award consistent with the school’s refund policy for withdrawing students. The forfeited portion of the scholarship award will be sent back to the SGO or redistributed to other participating families at the school. 

Scholarship Awards and What Is Covered

A BCSGO scholarship is awarded to students to assist in the expense of attending a BCSO-member school. Scholarship award amounts vary depending on, among other factors, the total amount of contributions, the total number of participating students, and the total number of low-income participating students. It is possible that an award will cover 100% of eligible expenses. The following are eligible expenses: 

School Tuition and Fees

Schools participating in the scholarship program may not charge a different rate for scholarship students. The same published tuition schedule must apply to all students, whether they are on scholarships or paying privately. Likewise, the BCSGO will not pay for fees that are not included on the published fee schedule provided to all prospective parents.

Many eligible, participating schools charge more than the average value of a scholarship award. In some cases, eligible, participating schools may decide to provide scholarship students with supplemental financial assistance at their own discretion. Parents will be required to pay the difference between the value of the scholarship and the full tuition and fees.

The scholarship may be used towards the following school expenses, in this order:

• Tuition
• Books sold through the school (e.g. textbooks, workbooks, etc.)
• Registration
• Testing (e.g. standardized or entrance testing)

Before school and after school care or extracurricular sports are not a covered fee item. Also, fees paid directly to a third-party vendor (including books) will not be covered.

Scholarship Payments:

The BCSGO issues payments directly to schools. Awards are usually applied to all eligible payments for the school year the scholarship is awarded. Parents or guardians will be notified when a payment is about to be sent.

A student will receive the lesser amount of the student’s tuition and fees minus other scholarships, discounts, and financial assistance and the student’s scholarship award amount. If a student’s parents or guardians qualify for a tuition tax credit for attending a nonchartered, nonpublic school under the provisions of HB110, their household income has been verified to exceed 130% of the federal poverty level, and their allowable scholarship award amount would be equal to or more than the difference of their remaining eligible school expenses and the tax credit, the amount of the tax credit may be deducted from the scholarship award.

Students that withdraw or are expelled from an eligible, participating school and do not enroll in another eligible, participating school in the same school year may forfeit the remainder of their scholarship award.

Student Behavior and Scholarship Requirements:

Scholarship students must follow all academic and discipline policies of the school they attend. Individual schools have the right to expel or suspend students if their published policies are not followed. We recommend you carefully review those policies and procedures to ensure your child remains eligible for the scholarship. The BCSGO does not govern individual school policies regarding the retention of students due to academic or discipline failures. We urge parents to remain in constant contact with the school, its counselors, and teachers, and to seek tutoring or mentoring services that might be available through the school.

Parent Responsibilities

• Parents are responsible for selecting an eligible, participating school and applying for admission.
• Parents are responsible for applying for a BCSGO scholarship award.
• Parents are responsible to keep their participating child in school throughout the school year unless excused by the school for illness or other good cause to receive the full benefit of the scholarship award. 
• Parents and their participating children have an obligation to their school to comply with their school’s published policies.
• Parents must notified the BCSGO if their participating child is withdrawn or expelled from their school.

School Responsibilities

• To participate in the BCSGO scholarship program, a school must be a member of the Buckeye Christian School Organization. 
• Participating schools must verify student applicant information including admissions status and provide student applicant school expense details. If a school fails to provide the necessary information to the BCSGO in a timely manner, the BCSGO board may determine that the school is ineligible to participate in the program.

Important Items to Note

• Parents must notify the eligible, participating school before withdrawing their child during the school year.
• Parents must notify the BCSGO if moving, regardless of distance.
• Parents must keep a current, active email address on file with the BCSGO.
• The BCSGO does not govern participating school policies regarding the retention of students due to academic or discipline failures.
• Parents must complete a new scholarship application before the application deadline to be eligible to receive a scholarship award for the new school year.
• Please update your email server to accept email from the BCSGO (ohiosgo.org) and not automatically send it to your spam or junk folder.

Actions That May Lead to a Loss of the Scholarship

• Misrepresenting or withholding information on the scholarship application
• Enrolling the child in a school that is not eligible to participate
• Transferring to another BCSO-member school
• Failure to regularly attend the participating school
• Withdrawing or being expelled from the participating school

Contact Information

If at any point you have a change of address, telephone number, or e-mail address, please email info@ohiosgo.org your updated information.