Question 1

How do I get started as a donor?

Accepted Answer

Create a free account via Adopt A Talmid, then open the Adopt A Talmid to browse approved students on the community map. You can also give a general gift anytime on the Adopt A Talmid page without signing in.

Question 2

What is the difference between a general gift and partnering with a student?

Accepted Answer

A general gift on Adopt A Talmid supports the overall scholarship fund and is not tied to one child. Partnering with a student means you commit monthly (or prepay for the school year) toward that child’s tuition bridge, up to the program’s monthly cap per student. Multiple donors can combine gifts for the same child until the cap is reached.

Question 3

How much does it cost to partner with a student?

Accepted Answer

A full partnership is $250 per month for twelve months ($3,000 per school year). A split (half) partnership is $125 per month ($1,500 per school year). A quarter partnership is $62.50 per month ($750 per school year). Combined active gifts for one student never exceed $250/month. When you check out, you can pay month-by-month or prepay the full school year in one lump sum.

Question 4

What payment methods are accepted?

Accepted Answer

On the donor dashboard and when partnering with a student: credit or debit card, ACH bank transfer (Stripe), and The Donors Fund (DAF giving card). On the public Adopt A Talmid page you can also use Zelle for one-time general gifts — tap the Zelle link to open your bank app, or send to the Zelle tag shown there. Monthly general gifts on Adopt A Talmid support card, ACH, or Donors Fund; Zelle is one-time only.

Question 5

Can I cover credit-card processing fees?

Accepted Answer

Yes. When paying by card or ACH through Stripe, or through The Donors Fund, you can cover processing so the program receives the full gift amount you intend. Zelle does not charge processing fees on our side.

Question 6

What is a community pledge?

Accepted Answer

If you want to support a community before choosing a specific student — or when no students are listed yet — you can pledge monthly (or prepay for the year) toward that town. Staff can assign your pledge to an approved student when a match becomes available. You can also pledge without picking a town to support any eligible student we assign later.

Question 7

How do multi-month gifts work on the Donate page?

Accepted Answer

Choose “Monthly for a set period,” pick how many months (2–36), and enter your email for card checkout. Stripe stops charging automatically when that period ends. With The Donors Fund, we submit a monthly schedule for the number of months you choose — Donors Fund charges that many times, then the schedule ends. You can view schedules in your Donors Fund account.

Question 8

Do I need to donate again each school year?

Accepted Answer

Monthly student partnerships bill for the number of months you choose at checkout (for example, 12 monthly payments), starting when you sign up — not tied to the calendar school year. When that installment plan finishes, card and Donors Fund billing stop automatically for that schedule. To support the same student in a new program year, sign in and partner again when the organization opens that year.

Question 9

When does my student partnership end?

Accepted Answer

Monthly partnerships run for the installment period you select at checkout (2–12 months). Your card or Donors Fund schedule is charged that many times from when you start, then stops automatically. If you end a partnership early in our dashboard, pause or delete the Donors Fund schedule so any remaining months are not processed. One-time full-year prepay covers the whole school-year amount in a single payment.

Question 10

What information do I see about students?

Accepted Answer

Listings show limited information to protect privacy — such as first name, last initial, grade, school, and program area — not full addresses or contact details. Our team reviews every family application before a child appears for donors.

Question 11

I already have an account. Where do I sign in?

Accepted Answer

Use Adopt A Talmid and choose the donor dashboard after signing in.

Question 12

How do I apply for a scholarship?

Accepted Answer

Start by creating a parent account via Adopt A Talmid. After you sign in, complete the Adopt A Talmid form for your household. You will answer questions about your family, children, schools, and finances, and upload verification documents such as a tax return.

Question 13

Does applying guarantee approval?

Accepted Answer

No. Every application is reviewed by our team. We may approve, waitlist, request more information, or decline at our discretion. Submitting an application does not create an obligation to fund your family.

Question 14

Does my child’s school need to be in the program?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Assistance only flows when both your family’s application and your child’s school have been approved in Adopt A Talmid. Parent approval alone is not enough if the school has not completed partnership review and been added as an eligible program school.

Question 15

What happens after I submit?

Accepted Answer

You will receive email updates as your application moves through review. While it is pending, you can sign in to check status. If we need more information, we will tell you what to provide. Approved families can see funding progress for each child on the application page.

Question 16

When can donors partner with my child?

Accepted Answer

After your application is approved and your child’s school is in the program, your child may appear on the donor map for that school year. Donors then choose full, split, or quarter partnerships. Combined donor gifts cover up to $250/month per child toward tuition assistance.

Question 17

Can I add another child later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Signed-in parents can request to add a child to an approved application when your family’s circumstances change. Each addition is reviewed like the original application.

Question 18

Do I need to reapply every school year?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Each program year runs September through August. When the organization opens the next year, sign in at Adopt A Talmid and use annual renewal to update your information for that year’s review. It is much faster than your first application because we keep your household on file.

Question 19

How is my family’s privacy protected?

Accepted Answer

We collect detailed information for review, but donors only see limited listings for approved children. Full application data is used by staff for eligibility and is handled according to our Privacy Policy.

Question 20

I already have an account. Where do I sign in?

Accepted Answer

Use Adopt A Talmid to return to your application and funding status.

Question 21

How does a school join Adopt A Talmid?

Accepted Answer

Create a school representative account via Adopt A Talmid, then submit the Adopt A Talmid form with your school’s details — enrollment, tuition, contact information, and program region. Our team reviews every partnership application.

Question 22

Does applying guarantee our school will be accepted?

Accepted Answer

No. Partnership applications are reviewed individually. We may approve, decline, or request additional information. Approval is required before scholarship funds can flow to families at your school.

Question 23

When can families at our school receive assistance?

Accepted Answer

Only when both the family’s scholarship application and your school partnership have been approved. Families on your roster may be approved first, but no tuition assistance is distributed through the program until your school is also set up as an eligible program school.

Question 24

What information do we provide in the application?

Accepted Answer

Basic school profile data: legal name, EIN, enrollment and class sizes, tuition (including cost after any state funding), what share of families pay full tuition or below the standard discounted rate, last year’s deficit and funds raised, region, school level (elementary or high school), and whether the school is boys, girls, or separate tracks. You also designate an official contact for partnership communications.

Question 25

What are transparency standards?

Accepted Answer

Schools that receive a meaningful share of program support may be asked to meet participation standards around tuition transparency and reasonable annual tuition increases. Details are shown during the school application. These standards apply only to participating schools above the stated threshold.

Question 26

How do donors connect to our students?

Accepted Answer

After families are approved, students may be listed for donors by program area and school. Donors partner monthly or prepay for the school year; our platform tracks commitments and caps total monthly support per child.

Question 27

Do schools need to reapply every year?

Accepted Answer

No. Once your school partnership is approved and you are in the program, you stay eligible until staff removes your school. Families still apply each year, but schools do not repeat the partnership application.

Question 28

Who should create the school account?

Accepted Answer

A authorized school representative — administrator, executive director, or designated tuition-office contact — should register and apply. The email on the account is used for official partnership correspondence.

Question 29

We already started an application. How do we continue?

Accepted Answer

Sign in at Adopt A Talmid and return to Adopt A Talmid to view status or complete your submission.

Frequently asked questions