Less Than a Week Left to Make a Difference

Great Hearts Academies April 13, 2023

The dreaded Tax Day is looming with less than a week to file your personal income taxes before the April 18^th deadline. Before you file your tax return, don’t forget to support your local Great Hearts Arizona academy by taking advantage of a fully refundable gift via the Arizona Public School Tax Credit. If you pay taxes to the state of Arizona, you can participate by making an Arizona Public School Tax Credit today, or any day prior to April 18, 2023.

Arizona law ARS 43-1089.01 enables taxpayers a tax credit contribution of up to $400.00 per calendar year if filing status is Married, filing Joint Return; $200.00 per calendar year if filing status is Single or Head of Household; and, $200.00 per calendar year if filing status is Married filing separate return — for contributions that fund extracurricular activities in public schools. A tax credit is a full refund, not a deduction.

Your gift provides nearly half of the funding for our vibrant co-curricular, athletics, and character-building programs for our students. With your participation, our students are offered experiences outside of the classroom that continue their transformation to become great-hearted leaders. Our students take part in co-curricular and character-building programs such as athletics, choir, orchestra, on-site and off-site field trips, robotics, and gardening, to name only a handful of the programs that are offered throughout the network.

Every Arizona taxpayer can take advantage of the Arizona Public School Tax Credit and support our academies. We ask every family to contribute their Tax Credit and invite their extended network of friends and family to do the same.

Regional Family Giving Manager, Tina Swartz, urges Arizona families to tell the state how to spend their income tax dollars and redirect them to our students. “Family participation in our Tax Credit drive makes Archway field trips, and extra-curriculars as well as Preparatory enrichment activities and athletic programs possible. By contributing your Tax Credit, you are helping uplift our Academies through the mission of cultivating the minds and hearts of young men and women in the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.”

Jon Rickey, Arizona Network Director of Athletics, says Tax Credits are crucial to athletics at Great Hearts. “With 7,000 Great Hearts athletes in Arizona, there is a large percentage of our Prep students that are involved in athletics. Without Tax Credits that make up almost 30% of our school’s athletics budget, there would not be athletics at Great Hearts,” said Rickey. “It is the single most important initiative that we do for our athletic programs, and how Arizona structures their state taxes, it is us as taxpayers being able… As taxpayers, I can’t think of a better way to designate how we want our taxes to be used than to help students at your school play the sport that they love? These activities give them identity at their school, increases their enjoyment, and provide a sense of belonging.”

Contributions eligible for a tax credit must be made directly to a Great Hearts academy, not to the state. 100% of your gift stays at your school. To participate, follow the links listed below to contribute online:

Arizona Archway Academies:

Arizona Preparatory Academies:

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts? Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.