Saint Bede School is participating in the Illinois Tax Credit Scholarship Program for the 2019-2020 school year. Empower Illinois is opening scholarship applications at empowerillinois.org at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 15th . Here are four things you should know about this program. Everyone must reapply. Those who received a scholarship for the 2018-2019 school year or are currently on the waitlist must apply to be considered for the 2019-2019 scholarships. The application is 2 steps. First, complete Part One on January 15, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time, which will timestamp your application. Your timestamp matters. Then you will be notified when Part Two is available. You can complete this step whenever you are able, but we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible. Every family will have access to a new online portal. On the portal, you will find part two of the application and can track your application and award status. Before April 1, some applications received priority. Per Illinois law, priority will be given to students who meet one of the following categories: Received a scholarship from a scholarship granting organization during the previous school year; Are siblings of students currently receiving a scholarship; Are members of a household whose total annual income does not exceed 185% of the federal poverty level ($45,510 for a family of 4); or Reside within a focus district You can register for updates from Empower Illinois at empowerillinois.org. /documents/2018/12/TCS_Year_Two_Letter_for_Catholic_School_Families_December_2018.pdf