LEAD Financial Aid | Student Statesmanship Institute

Before you begin...
How Does Financial Aid Work?
SSI is a non-profit, faith-based, educational organization that depends upon the generosity of donors for all of our needs, including financial aid.

Who Should Apply for Financial Aid?
Financial Aid is intended for families who require monetary assistance to come to LEAD. Our goal is to ensure that any student can attend LEAD at least once a summer. We ask all financial aid applicants to pay as much of the full registration cost as possible. There are many ways that families can seek outside assistance for offsetting the cost of LEAD, including approaching their church or other civic organizations for scholarships.
If you are a student who wants to attend multiple weeks of camp and looking to offset your costs, financial aid is not necessarily for you. We encourage you to look to our LEAD Discounts page where we list different ways that students have raised money in order to attend LEAD.

Required Payments:
We require a minimum payment of $100 per each first-time recipient or a minimum payment of $175 for each repeat recipient.

Notification of Financial Aid
We will inform you as soon as we can whether your financial aid request has been approved. After being notified, you will be asked to register for LEAD. Upon registering, you must pay the required $50 deposit.

Special Circumstances
Except in extreme circumstances, which should be communicated directly to our office in writing, even those requesting Financial Aid need to include at least a $50 deposit at the time of registration. If you feel you are unable to attend LEAD because of this, please contact us at (517) 321-6233 or by emailing office@ssionline.org. We want to do all we can to work with you and your situation.

First Year Student Scholarship
Students who have not attended LEAD before are eligible for the Youth Empowerment Scholarship (YES), a $100 scholarship to help students come to camp for the first time. SSI Onsite alumni are eligible to receive this scholarship. This is available to all first-time students regardless of whether you have applied for Financial Aid.
To request a Youth Empowerment Scholarship code, complete this form or reach out to our office (517-321-6233, office@ssionline.org). After you receive the code, complete your registration for LEAD and enter the scholarship code in the discount box on the payment page. The $100 scholarship will be applied automatically. Do not register until you have received the scholarship code.
If you have any questions, please contact our office at (517)-321-6233 of by emailing office@ssionline.org.

Basic Information
Parent/Guardian Full Name(s)*
Parent/Guardian Primary Phone*
Parent/Guardian Primary Email*

Providing your email permits SSI to send periodic updates unless you opt to unsubscribe. All personal information is used solely by Student Statesmanship Institute and our partner organizations, and will not be released, rented, sold, or otherwise distributed to anyone at any time for any reason.
Student Full Name(s)*
Please briefly explain your current financial situation and why you are requesting financial aid:*

Fundraising Ideas
If you are looking for ways to help offset the costs of registration, the following is a list of different fundraising ideas as well as different programs offered by SSI.
Send out a letter to 40 people asking each for a minimal contribution of $10.
Approach your church and area community service clubs (VFW, Lions Club, Rotary Club, Political Clubs, Chamber of Commerce) and ask if they will sponsor you for $50.
Approach area businesses and ask that they sponsor you.
Ask local or state elected officials to sponsor a portion of your fee.
Don’t forget about family, friends, and neighbors. The people close to you will be happy to contribute $10 to assist you in fulfilling your goal.
Find a donor who will match contributions. Some will agree to a 2 to 1 match; others will commit to less, but it is a way to motivate people to contribute knowing they are not responsible for the entire amount.
Have a garage sale.
Have a bake sale at your church or school.
Have a car wash.
Do chores, such as mowing or raking lawns, or shoveling driveways and sidewalks for the elderly in your neighborhood.
Ask 5-10 people to save their spare change for you for the entire month.

Early Registration Discount
This is simple! Just submit your registration and pay in full by 11:59pm on March 31, 2024 and the cost will be $425 instead of the regular cost of $449. Register now!
Referral Rewards
For every first-time attendee you refer who attends camp (with the exception of siblings), you will earn $25. There is no limit to how many friends you can refer. You can even save your friends $100 by sharing a code for the Youth Empowerment Scholarship. For you to be credited the $25 per referral, enter the name(s) of any student you are referring in this form. Any students you refer must also put your name on their registration form as the person who referred them. The total money earned will be given by check.
If you have any questions, please contact the office at 517-321-6233 or email office@ssionline.org.

TIPS:
Be sure to keep a detailed list of your contributors, their addresses, emails and phone numbers, and the amount they contribute.
Mail thank you notes to your donors both when they contribute and again after your LEAD experience to tell them how much you enjoyed what they made possible.
If your donors want to claim their donation on their taxes, they must make the check out to SSI, and we must receive the original check – please do not collect checks then cut one large one – instead, forward the original checks (made out to SSI) to SSI. This only works if the donors are not your parents or guardians.

Payment Options
We are incredibly thankful to our generous donors who make the financial aid fund possible. However, this fund is limited. We ask that each family consider how much you are able to contribute to your student’s cost of LEAD before requesting financial aid.
The full cost of registration after March 31st is $449. (If you register and pay in full before March 31st, the full cost of registration is $425.) Registration is required to be paid in full the week before camp. If it would be helpful, we can establish a monthly payment plan that could extend up to the end of the year.
Would the option of extending the payment deadline allow you to afford the registration cost in full, thereby eliminating the need for financial aid?*
- Yes, I can make payments and pay in full.
- No, I still need financial aid.
How many months would you like in order to make the payments?*
Please note that we require a minimum payment of $100.00 (or $175.00 for previous financial aid recipients). This payment includes the $50 deposit with registration.
Are you able to contribute anything beyond the minimum? ($100 for first-time financial aid recipients. $175 for previous financial aid recipients).*
- Yes
- No
How much total can you contribute? This number should include the minimum $100 payment for first-time recipients or $175 for previous financial aid recipients plus the amount over the minimum you are planning to pay.

One last thing...
Verification*

Parent's initials are required to complete this form. This indicates that you have answered everything truthfully to the best of your knowledge.

Financial Aid

LEAD 2023 Financial Aid Application

Before you begin...

Basic Information

Fundraising Ideas

Payment Options

One last thing...