ISAC and TAP Help Illinois Taxpayers Get College Aid

State agency trains Tax Assistance Program volunteers who help low-income taxpayers complete FAFSA and qualify for more financial aid; $10 million generated last year

CHICAGO, IL –  Chicago teenager Mercedes Williams dreamed of attending college in pursuit of a career in advertising. She was the first in her family to consider college, but funds were tight and Mercedes wasn’t sure where to turn. Her life changed, however, when she sat down to discuss her aspirations with a volunteer from the not-for-profit Tax Assistance Program (TAP).

The TAP volunteer had undergone intensive training by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) to assist students from low-income families and their parents in completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), the first-step in obtaining college financial assistance. The volunteer helped Mercedes and her family complete the FAFSA. As a result, she secured $29,000 to enable her to afford a four-year university. “TAP is an incredible program that really helps and cares about the people it serves, and without their help, my path to a great future would not be set as so,” Mercedes said.

Mercedes is not alone in reaping the benefits of this unusual partnership. Since the initiative began four years ago, more than 4,000 Illinois families have completed the FAFSA with help from ISAC-trained TAP volunteers. In addition to visiting high schools, TAP volunteers work Tuesday and Thursday evenings and all day Saturday at 26 sites around the metropolitan area to assist low-income taxpayers complete their income tax forms. When a family indicates there’s a high school senior in the household, the TAP volunteer begins the FAFSA completion process right on the spot.

“Since the FAFSA requires information from the income tax return, it makes sense to help our clients with both at the same time,” said TAP Chairman and Founder Robert M. Burke. “And with success stories such as Mercedes’s, we are delighted to partner with ISAC on this creative initiative.”

Last year, at least $10 million in college financial aid was garnered by Illinois students who used TAP volunteers to help complete their FAFSAs, according to TAP estimates.

ISAC Executive Director Andrew Davis noted that the FAFSA is the basic building block of a college financial aid package and must be submitted soon to qualify for any federal or state aid.

“Next to a marriage license, the FAFSA may be the most important form you ever complete,” Davis said. “The cost of college tuition and books has outpaced the availability of financial aid over the past decade, so we want to ensure that no Illinois family misses any opportunity for help. This partnership with TAP helps more Illinois families get in the game.”

The 1,900 TAP volunteers - many of whom are employed at major banks or accounting firms - deserve a salute for helping many young people reach for their dreams, Davis noted.

“That TAP volunteer who helped Mercedes Williams obtain $29,000 in college aid is a hero in the struggle for affordable higher education,” Davis said. “One person truly can make a difference.”

A recent analysis by the American Council on Education reported that of the four million students who did not complete a FAFSA, 1.7 million were from low-income households and would have been those most likely to have received federal assistance. Reaching the families of students who may be the first in the family to consider college has become a primary goal of ISAC. As the profile of the “typical college student” changes, ISAC has crafted a range of outreach initiatives to best inform students who come from households which are low-income, immigrant or in which English is not the principal language spoken that college can be a reality.

The typical TAP client is a single mom with an annual income of less than $15,000, so the help with FAFSA completion can yield huge rewards.

The Tax Assistance Project was created in 1994, when Burke - then a 22-year-old accountant - recruited 90 coworkers and friends to donate their time to help 120 Chicago West Side taxpayers complete their income taxes. It has since grown to 1,900 volunteers who annually donate 74,000 hours of time to helping low-income families with their taxes. Since TAP’s inception, at least 70,000 Illinois families have benefited from TAP for an economic impact of $117 million, including $40 million in college aid generated thanks to the FAFSA completions by TAP volunteers.

While the deadline for submitting the FAFSA to the United States Department of Education is not until June 30, 2008 for the 2008-09 academic year, Davis strongly urged families to submit them as soon as possible as many states and colleges use FAFSA data to award their own financial aid and have much earlier deadlines. “The sooner you complete and submit your FAFSA, the more likely you’ll be to qualify for substantial college aid,” Davis noted.

Taxpayers may receive free assistance with their income taxes and FAFSAs at 26 TAP service locations around the metropolitan area, including:

• Chicago West and Southwest: Austin Town Hall, Benito Juarez Community Academy, Piotrowski Park, West Side Technical Institute, and the WIC Food Centers on Kedzie and on Western.
• Chicago South: Chicago Vocational Career Academy, Holy Angels Church, Kennedy-King College and Olive-Harvey College.
• Chicago North and Northwest: 5th Congressional District Service Office, McCormick Boys & Girls Club, Roberto Clemente Community Academy, Wilbur Wright College, and the WIC Food Centers on Armitage and on Diversey.
• Suburbs: Cowherd School (Aurora), Unity Junior High School (Cicero), Public Library (Maywood), Office of Rep. Tom Cross (Plainfield), IDHS office (Villa Park) and Park Place Senior Center (Waukegan).

For exact addresses, hours and details, visit http://www.taxassistance.org/. For information about ISAC, visit collegezone.com.

About ISAC
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is the State’s centralized provider of financial assistance aimed at helping students and families access postsecondary education and/or training. Each year, the Commission awards an estimated $400 million in scholarship and grant aid to nearly 185,000 qualified students, and also provides an additional $740 million to borrowers through its student loan programs. The agency offers credit-based alternative loans, a 529 prepaid tuition program known as College Illinois!, and a broad array of outreach and informational services to ensure that families have access to the information they need to pay for a college education. More information is available by calling toll-free 800.899.ISAC (4722) or visiting the agency’s Web site at www.collegezone.com.