The April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building directly impacted more than 200 children who either lost a parent, had a parent permanently disabled or were in the building s daycare center. Their stories touched the hearts of hundreds of donors who made charitable gifts to support the future education of these children. The response was so great that within weeks of the bombing, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation established the Survivors Education Fund (SEF). The single largest gift to the SEF occurred when then Gov. Frank Keating committed nearly $5 million from the Governor s Victims and Families Relief Fund. What the SEF Provides The SEF provides scholarship assistance with tuition, fees, books and room and board and is not based on financial need. Eligible students must attend an educational or vocational institution that is accredited or licensed by an appropriate governing body and be enrolled as a full-time student. If not enrolled as a full-time student, the SEF will pay for tuition fees and books only. At the time the fund was established, an age limit of 25 was adopted with the mindset that anyone over 25 would have not been dependent upon a parent for assistance. The age limit was modified in 2012 to include anyone who was under 25 at the time of the bombing. Coordinated Assistance In addition to the SEF, two additional scholarship programs were created to help the same target group of children: the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education s Heartland Scholarship Program and the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund. The coordinated support of these three programs ensures that each eligible student who has the desire and ability to attend an accredited university, community college or technical school can do so. The SEF has coordinated $7.3 million in scholarship assistance since 1995. The SEF Process To ensure that scholarship assistance is received in a timely fashion, each student is asked to apply for Federal Financial Aid. Doing so requires the institution s financial aid officer to provide SEF with a budget for the semester. Receipt of a Pell grant is not a determining factor in receiving SEF assistance. Students must also submit to SEF an official verification of enrollment form from the school s registrar office. Once required documentation is received, SEF will send the scholarship assistance to the school. Graduate School Stipends In 1998, the SEF began providing graduate stipends to eligible students. The stipends pay for tuition, fees and books. Initially, the stipends provided up to $5,000 in assistance for an academic year. While the amount of the stipend originally related to the cost of the specific graduate program and the amount varied in subsequent years, in 2013 the Disaster Relief Fund Trustees revised the SEF policy to state that the stipend will cover tuition, fees and books with no related dollar amount. The following pages document the SEF policies first implemented along with revisions and updates.
PURPOSE The purpose of the Survivors Education Fund is to assist the minor children who were dependents of persons killed, the children who were present in the Murrah Building day care center on the day of the bombing, and the minor children whose parent was permanently disabled due to injuries sustained during the bombing. Eligible participants include persons described above who were born on or after January 1, 1971. IRS AND DONOR COMPLIANCE The Internal Revenue Service of the United States requires that tax exempt scholarship funds be based on academic merit or need, else the funds are subject to taxation. Also, donors to the fund gave with the understanding that these funds would be used for educational expenses for undergraduate education or vocational training after high school. This assistance is based on the loss of the parent s income, advocacy and guidance. Therefore, the Surivivors Education Fund is a need-based scholarship program which provides a broad range of assistance to eligible participants including a relationship of advisement, advocacy, and, funding of educational endeavors. FUND INTEGRITY The Surivivors Education Fund will operate as long as there are eligible children to be served. It is expected that the educational needs of these children will continue for at least twenty years. Actuarial reports have been prepared to determine what level of support can be provided without endangering the ability of the fund to provide for all who will need scholarship help. COORDINATION OF FUNDS All assistance will be coordinated with the Heartland and Heart of the Heartland Scholarship Funds of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education; the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund scholarship; the U.S. Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation scholarships; and other academic scholarships, financial entitlements, campus fee waivers, and personal financial resources which eligible students may receive. Eligible participants will provide their social security number and authorize communication among funders and the staff of their educational institution in order to achieve this coordination of funds. August 1, 1996 1
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES The following policies and procedures will guide the implementation of the Surivivors Education Fund. Application: Any person who believes they may be eligible to participate in the Surivivors Education Fund must write or phone SEF Program Coordinator at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, P O Box 1146, Oklahoma City OK 73101-1146, AC 405-235-5603, FAX 405-235-5612, or a.rose@occf.org Persons applying to participate in the Surivivors Education Fund will complete an information sheet and provide support documents as requested - to establish legal age (date of birth must be 01-01-71 through 04-19-95) - to establish tax dependency (IRS Form 1040 for 1994) - to establish permanent disability of the parent (or temporary disability of the parent with substantial income loss for the family) Persons applying based on the temporary disability with income loss of their parent, must re-apply each academic period. Choice of Educational Institution: The Surivivors Education Fund will provide scholarship assistance at any educational or vocational institution which is accredited or licensed by an appropriate governing body. Based on actuarial tables and coordination of funds, it is anticipated that the educational plan of each student can be fully funded when the student is attending an Oklahoma educational institution. Students attending private educational institutions will be funded for an equivalent standard, and insofar as funds are available, fully funded for a four year undergraduate degree program. Federal Financial Aid: All participants in the SEF are required to make application for Federal Financial Aid. Receipt of a Pell grant is not a determining factor in eligibility for SEF. 2
Meeting with Financial Aid Officer: Each participant will meet with the Financial Aid Officer of their educational institution. This FAO advises SEF staff of the following: a) budget for the academic or vocational period (as authorized in Federal Financial Aid standards) including -tuition -fees required by the institution -books -room and board b) availability of other funds to meet the students need and c) unfunded portion of the budget The availability of loans will not be considered in calculating financial need. In the case of students with concurrent enrollment, (student attending more than one educational institution during a single term), the primary institution will submit the budget for the student; the secondary institution will submit a bill for tuition, and fees only). Student Status: Students must be enrolled and attending college on a full-time basis to receive scholarship funding for room and board. SEF trustees accept the academic institutions definition for full-time enrollment. Students electing to attend school on a part-time basis will be eligible for tuition, fees and books only. Maximum Participation: Eligible students may participate for a maximum of four academic years. Students electing to attend school on a part-time basis may not exceed the maximum number of course hours required for their degree. Students may elect to change their educational goal (degree program), however, such a change does not extend the number of years of scholarship eligibility or the number of equivalent part-time credit hours. Age of Eligibility: Rescinded by Trustees 11-15-12. 3
Notice of Award: SEF staff notifies the student in writing of the amount of funding available from SEF. In no case will the amount available from SEF exceed the unfunded budget needs as advised by the Financial Aid Officer. (Blank verification of enrollment and release of information forms accompany this notice). Student Responsibility: The student is responsible for returning to SEF a completed Verification of Enrollment form which has the impressed mark and the signature of the registrar of the institution. The student is also responsible for returning to SEF the completed and signed Release of Information form. Upon receipt of the properly executed forms, SEF staff will prepare a check and mail it with a transmittal letter to the Financial Aid Officer of the Institution. Student Withdrawal: As noted on the transmittal letter, the educational institution is responsible for reimbursing to SEF any refund of tuition, fees, books and undisbursed scholarship funds which may accrue as a result of a withdrawal. Transfer of Enrollment: Eligible students are responsible for notifying SEF of their transfer from one educational institution to another. Academic Standing: The SEF trustees require that students maintain the academic standards set by their respective institution for enrollment. Failure to earn credit may result in suspension of funding. Refer to page 5 of History, Policies and Procedures. Summer Sessions: Students are encouraged to obtain work experience during the summer months. However, the trustees do acknowledge that an accelerated academic program may serve some students better than the employment experience. Students requesting scholarship assistance for summer semesters may do so by writing a letter to the program coordinator. This request should include the reason that the summer session is being requested, identification of the course(s) to be taken, and an indication of the living arrangements for the summer session. 4
Graduate School Stipend: The Surivivors Education Fund was established to promote the undergraduate education of eligible students. However, subject to the availability of funds, SEF eligible students may apply for graduate school stipends. The stipend is only applicable to the cost of tuition, fees and books. Potentially eligible students should write a letter of request to the SEF Trustees. Approval is granted by a majority poll of the fund Trustees. If approved, the procedure for processing graduate stipends is the same as for undergraduate scholarships. Appeals to policies or procedures of the Surivivors Education Fund: Requests for exceptions to these policies may be addressed in writing to the Trustees of the fund. Surivivors Education Fund c/o Oklahoma City Community Foundation P O Box 1146 Oklahoma City OK 73101-1146 5
The following changes are effective for all enrollment periods commencing after January 1, 2001. Annual Registration Process Problem: Although each trustee group provides scholarship benefits which are renewable, many students have not kept the Scholarship Coordinator informed regarding their educational plan or provided the documentation required for distribution of funds. This failure on the student s part produces excessive paperwork for both the school and the scholarship funders. Policy Change: Therefore, an Annual Registration Process is being implemented with the coming scholarship year (June 1, 2001 through May 31, 2002) Student Requirement: The Annual Registration Process will consist of the following: 1) Submit a written notice to the Scholarship Coordinator of your intention to enroll. This notice should indicate the name of the school and living arrangement for the school year. The information is to be received by the Scholarship Coordinator before the enrollment period begins. 2) Complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The application should be submitted as soon as possible before the enrollment period begins. 3) Release of Information Forms (2). These forms authorize the Scholarship Coordinator to communicate with scholarship fund trustees and authorizes educational institutions to provide information to the scholarship fund trustees. 4) Verification of Enrollment signed by the school Registrar (original only). If a college transcript contains the same information, no additional verification form will be required. The Verification of Enrollment must be submitted no later than two weeks after the courses begin. Academic Progress Requirement Problem: Initially, trustees declined to establish academic standards which might conflict with those of any given school. However, it has come to our attention that some schools do not have any academic standards for enrollment, leading to student failure to benefit from educational efforts. Policy Change: Therefore, an Academic Progress Requirement is established. In order to qualify for additional scholarship funding, Students are expected to earn at least ½ of credits attempted in the previous semester. If the student does not, Trustees will: a) subsequently fund ½ of the computed scholarship amount, or b) suspend funding until the credits have been earned. Student Requirement: All students are required to submit an official transcript at the conclusion of each scholarship year (May 31). Students who have failed to earn credit in any prior enrollment period will be required to submit an official transcript at the conclusion of every enrollment period. 6
Limitation on Enrollment: Problem: Colleges offer Mini-sessions, Inter-sessions, Accelerated Semesters, etc. However, in many instances, these courses cannot be verified by Registrars and do not have associated financial aid budgets. Either circumstance creates IRS compliance issues for the scholarship funds which are based on a general definition of need. Policy Change: Therefore, only traditional semesters or quarters (summer, fall, winter and spring) will be subject to scholarship funding. Adult studies formats will be accepted for graduate study. Student Requirement: Carefully plan academic courses to avoid alternatively scheduled classes. Students within 30 credits of degree completion may request special consideration because of scheduling difficulties. In such circumstances, tuition, fees and books only will be subject to scholarship assistance. 7
Student Orientation: How It Works 1) Student submits documents to Survivors Education Fund Scholarship Coordinator: Educational Plan Releases of Information (2) Transcript All three scholarship funds are coordinated by SEF: Heartland Scholarship Fund, Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund, and the Survivors Education Fund. 2) Student files FAFSA on-line. 3) Survivors Education Fund coordinator requests student budget from Financial Aid Office of the college and asks that a bookstore charge be established, if possible. 4) College Financial Aid Officer certifies student budget. 5) SEF authorizes scholarship budget and issues award letter. 6) Student submits Verification of Enrollment that has been signed and seal-impressed by the college Registrar. 7) SEF issues notice to other scholarship funders (refer to item 1) to issue scholarship checks. 8) Scholarship checks are mailed to the Financial Aid Office. Financial Aid Officer records the scholarship and transmits to the College Bursar/cashier. 9) College Bursar/cashier releases excess scholarship funds to the student after all of the money that is owed to the college has been applied to student s billing. 10) Student attends class and makes good grades. 11) Steps 3 through 10 are repeated every enrollment period for the academic year. In the spring, the full process starts again.