Applications for the Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids (PIAK) scholarship program for the 2026-27 school year are now open for K-12 students in Arkansas at www.thereformalliance.org/scholarships.

“Every child deserves access to an educational environment that meets their specific needs, including those who live in households of limited financial means,” said Emmy Henley, managing director of The Reform Alliance, a nonprofit organization approved by the state to award PIAK scholarships. “Income and ZIP code should not be barriers to accessing education.”

To qualify for the PIAK, students must live in a household with combined annual income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty line. Students must also have either attended public school in the prior year, be new to Arkansas schools as an out-of-state transfer or first-time kindergartener, or have a disability identified in the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act.

The scholarship provides K-8 students with 80 percent of the prior year’s foundation funding – the minimum per pupil amount provided by the state to each public school. PIAK scholarships for grades 9-12 provide 90 percent of the prior year’s foundation funding. For 2026-27, these amounts are up to $6,500 and up to $7,300, respectively.

“We speak with families all the time who are in search of something different in education. It may be smaller class sizes, a purpose-built environment for specific learning differences, or an alignment of faith and values with education,” said Henley. “But too often when these families have found what they are looking for, they are unable to afford the cost. They have no meaningful access to these options. That is where the PIAK scholarship comes in and, in the words of so many, makes a life-changing difference for these students.”

The PIAK scholarship was created by the General Assembly in 2021. It is a tax credit scholarship, meaning it is not funded by state appropriation, but by individual Arkansas taxpayers who make a contribution and in return receive a matching credit on their personal and/or business state income taxes.

While most students cannot enroll in both the PIAK scholarship and the state’s Education Freedom Account (EFA) program at the same time, the law makes an exception for K-12 students with special needs when they qualify for the PIAK based on household income.

“People sometimes forget that the phrase ‘special needs’ necessarily involves additional expenses to meet those special needs, making finances especially tight for those with already stretched resources. By stacking the EFA and the PIAK scholarship, PIAK-qualifying families can get significant tuition assistance, while EFA funding can make up for any shortfall in tuition and also be used for therapeutic services, assistive devices and more,” Henley explained. “Those students who are among the most vulnerable can get the most help.”