The applicant must submit documentation from ONE of the options below.

• If the school uses a third-party vendor to collect household income documentation to evaluate financial need and applicants have submitted all required information, the the school will not need to provide us with additional documentation.
• Copy of Federal or State Tax Return for ALL members of a household. MUST be for the taxable year IMMEDIATELY preceding the date the scholarship application was submitted. Tax returns should be for 2023 when applying for the 2024-25 academic year.
• Copy of participation cards or benefit statements for TANF or Food Stamps/SNAP.
• For the most recent two months, copies of all income documents for each income-earning member of the applicant’s household (pay stubs, unemployment, pension, social security, child support, etc.).

The following types of income should not be included in the household income calculation for verifying SGO Scholarship Eligibility:

• Payments received for the care of foster children
• Student financial assistance provided for the costs of attendance at an educational institution, such as grants and scholarships, awarded to meet educational expenses and not available to pay for meals
• Loans, such as bank loans, since these funds are only temporarily available and must be repaid
• The value of in-kind compensation, such as housing for clergy and similar non-cash benefits
• Occasional earnings received on an irregular basis, e.g. payment for occasionally babysitting or mowing lawns.
• Combat pay of a person actively serving in the military
• Family Subsistence Supplemental Assistance (FSSA) – By law, the FSSA is not counted as income in determining eligibility for free and reduced meals.
• Privatized housing allowances received under the Military Housing Privatization Initiative are not counted as income. Under this privatization initiative, a housing allowance appears on the leave and earnings.