Each student's continuing enrollment is verified by the training program/school before the financial aid administrator releases funds to awardees.

BoostFundForStudents created an easy process to channel over 97% of your funds to student awardees directly with minimal fees. Funds contributed for student support are collected in the donation portal of our fund administrator, Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts(CFWM), making them tax deductible where applicable. The CFWM website's payment portal collects a transaction fee similar to that charged by any card payment processor (currently 2.9%). This is the only shrinkage between your donated amount and student awards. Boost Fund For Students does not handle the dollars or retain a platform fee. CFWM charges a small annual administration fee that has been prepaid by a generous booster. Funds are distributed from CFWM to schools, to be awarded to individual students. This process does not incur additional fees.

Funds contributed for student support are collected in the donation portal of our fund administrator, Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, making them tax deductible where applicable. BoostFundForStudents.com does not take the donated dollars directly. CFWM manages the funds and distributes awards directly to each school for their student awardees.

There are many crowdfunding platforms supporting worthy education projects that make a difference in the lives of the students they support. No matter where you give, we hope you've found a cause that matches your dreams for a better world, and makes you light up with the joy of giving. Boost Fund For Students works slightly different than other crowdfunding platforms, and the differences provide more transparency and assurance that donations are spent on your intended purpose. This chart compares Boost Fund For Students with some other popular crowdfunding sites where individuals can also post appeals to fund their schooling costs.

Donations go directly to our fund administrator the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. They are a 501(c)(3) organization and can provide you with documentation for your donation. Individual situations vary, so speak with an accountant or other tax professional to determine whether it is deductible for you.

BoostFundForStudents.com minimal overhead has been paid by a private donation so that all funds contributed to crowdfunding campaigns go toward student awards. No overhead or platform expenses are deducted from individual donations made to a student fundraiser.

If your question or concern was not answered here, please use the contact form below to ask or send other feedback. We'll send an answer to you and also update this list. Other site visitors may have the same question. We appreciate your help in improving the information on this site.

Boost awards are grants not loans. The student does not pay back the funds. There are no fees to the student to receive a boost award.

Massachusetts and other states are covering tuition for many of their residents to attend Community College, which is terrific, but these funds are for students in degree programs not certificate and license training. The tuition coverage often can be applied only behind loans, meaning that students must accept any offered non-subsidized loans before the tuition coverage kicks in. Also, vocational and trade schools that are not Community Colleges do not receive these state funds. Keep in mind also that on top of tuition, students pay many other expenses including books and supplies, equipment and uniforms for on-site training, license exam fees, and extra transportation and childcare costs. Many students also reduce their work schedules to clear time for classes and on-site training.

Common criteria for all awards: - the student is enrolled in a program that provides an employer-recognized credential, and it can be completed in a year or less. - the student is in good standing after the first term of their program - the student has no previous college degree - the student is supporting themselves independently (per FAFSA criteria) Each crowdfunding campaign tell donors which school program and cohort of student can receive awards. Cohorts are sometimes more specific, such as supporting students who are the first in their family to pursue post-secondary education, or student parents. The criteria for each fundraising cohort are established based on student need, as advised by the training program's administrators. Based on that advice, some fundraisers will specify that only particular categories of expenses will be covered. For example, students in a particular area might be struggling to pay for transportation to clinical practice assignments, so the fundraising effort would focus on providing transportation vouchers.

Yes. Awards are disbursed to students after they have completed an initial term of schooling and are on their way to completion. There is no obligation to return the money if a student does not complete the training or does not pass other licensing requirements.

The Boost awards team works with school administrators to understand student needs. Most Boost grants can be used by the student for any out of pocket expenses. If the fundraiser asked donors to contribute for a specific expense category, such as exam/license fees or child care, the awarded funds are applied only to that particular expense category. Each student's award letter will state the specifics of each grant.

Send an email to us using the Boost Fund For Students contact form in the footer of this page to propose your program. Our staff will review the school/program and work on adding a fundraiser if the school's financial aid administration can work with completion grants.