The Matching Scholarship Program (2016-2017 Academic Year)

Part of Iliff's Commitment to Reducing Student Debt

If you already know about the Matching Scholarship Program, and you're ready to opt-in, scroll to the bottom of this page.

Please note: there are significant changes coming to the Matching Scholarship Program in the 2017-2018 academic year. Please check back for more information!

What is this Program?

Iliff's Matching Scholarship Program is an important component of our commitment to reducing student debt. For students who qualify, Iliff will match up to $4,000 in scholarship funds which are raised by students (through their own fundraising efforts) during the 2016-2017 academic year. Each donation (there is no limit to the number of donations you can receive) may be provided by a church, diocese, synod, presbytery, denominational headquarters, annual conference, synagogue, temple, non-profit organization, or other related organization, business, or individual donor (some restrictions apply - those are described later on this page). To download a flyer which describes this program, click below.

Who Qualifies?

Iliff's Matching Scholarship Program is available to all students who:

• Are enrolled for four or more credit hours each quarter in Iliff's master's-degree level courses (although students may be degree-seeking, non-degree-seeking, or pursuing a certificate)
• Are in good academic standing according to federal and institutional guidelines
• Have met with Iliff's Fundraising Coach, either face-to-face or online, each academic year
• Have an approved Fundraising Plan on file with the Fundraising Coach

How Can Organizations Donate?

As noted above, funds may be provided by a church, diocese, synod, presbytery, denominational headquarters, annual conference, synagogue, temple, non-profit organization, or other related organization or business. Funds from employee educational reimbursement programs, or funds that are related to work performed as part of an internship or other employment situation will not be matched. It is important for businesses and other organizations to understand that these donations are not tax deductible, although each donor will receive a letter of appreciation from the school.

Organizations should send their checks to:

Iliff School of Theology
Attention: Financial Aid Office
2323 E. Iliff Ave
Denver, CO 80210

Please ensure that the check is designated (in the memo line if possible) for the specific student's financial support.

How Can Individuals Donate?

It is important for individual donors to understand that these donations are not tax deductible, although each donor will receive a letter of appreciation from the school. We cannot match donations from current Iliff students, staff, faculty, and Board of Trustees, spouses/partners of the student receiving the donation, or from anonymous donors.

Individuals should send their checks to:

Iliff School of Theology
Attention: Financial Aid Office
2323 E. Iliff Ave
Denver, CO 80210

Please ensure that the check is designated (in the memo line if possible) for the specific student's financial support.

As of August 2016, donations can be also made using the Iliff website. Click here to see the form.

What are the Restrictions?

Some specific restrictions apply:

• Funds from scholarships in which Iliff has nominated the student will not be matched. This includes Iliff institutional scholarships and non-Iliff scholarships.
• Employee educational reimbursement programs and funds tied to work performed in an internship or other employment situation will not be matched.
• Funds will not be matched from current Iliff students, staff, faculty, and Board of Trustees (keep in mind that staff, faculty, and Trustees are deeply committed to minimizing student debt, but are already contributing funds which support student education).
• Funds will not be matched from spouses/partners.
• Funds will not be matched from anonymous donors.
• Crowdsourced funding (i.e. “GoFundMe”) will not be matched after December 31, 2016, and will only be matched through that date for GoFundMe accounts started prior to the end of the 2015-2016 academic year. This funding approach has been replaced with individual donor matching beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year. The donation page on the Iliff site can be found here.
• Matching scholarship funds will be discontinued should a student drop below half-time status or withdraw from Iliff.

How Do I Opt-In?

There is no application process, but there are some steps you need to take in order to take advantage of this program. Please note that you must do all three of these steps (you must also submit a Fundraising Plan, but don't start that until after you have completed the coachign session - the Plan is not as complicated as you may think):

1. All students who receive matching scholarship funds must have completed a FAFSA for the academic year in which you will receive matching funds. If you haven't already completed a FAFSA, please do so before continuing with the next two steps.
2. Fill out this quick pre-assessment form which summarizes your educational loan situation and provides some basic information about you - this prepares you for the next step (below). You must be logged into your Iliff GMail account in order to access this link. If you with to have an online coaching session (see below), you can indicate your Skype ID in this form as well.
3. Students must meet, either face-to-face or online, with Iliff's Fundraising Coach, Tom Barlow. These meetings generally take around 45 minutes or less to complete. To see available appointment slots, and to schedule yourself for a one-on-one conversation, click here. Please do not sign up for an appointment that is less than 24 hours away!A few other notes about this:
   → You must be logged into your Iliff GMail account in order to access this link.
   → The Google Calendar system automatically adjusts for time zone differences, so the time slots you see should reflect your local time (unless your Google Calendar settings are wrong).
   → If we are more than 10 minutes late starting our meeting, we'll usually have to reschedule (these appointment are scheduled in blocks, so there is usually another one coming up soon).
   → Appointment slots that have not been claimed (i.e. no one signed up for them) may be cancelled so that other meetings and tasks can occur. This usually happens about 24 hours in advance of the meeting.

Resources for Fundraising

This document can be downloaded and shared with potential funding sources: