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School-Age Financial Aid Program


About the Program

The School-Age Financial Aid program is for students with hearing loss who use listening and spoken language and who are in first through twelfth grades and attending a parochial, private or independent (not public) mainstream school. Awards are intended to help with educational costs such as tuition, room and board, books, equipment, auditory and speech language support services, academic tutoring, transportation, and other school-related expenses. This program is not applicable for students who are being homeschooled, attend public school or are in college. These are one-time awards made generally in the month of August. Award amounts vary; over the past three years, awards have ranged from $500 to $1,500. 

2013 School-Age Program Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for this program, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

  • The child’s bilateral hearing loss or Auditory Neuropathy (AN) must have been diagnosed before the child’s fourth birthday. Children with unilateral (one-sided) hearing loss or unilateral AN do not qualify.
  • The child’s hearing loss must be in the moderate to profound range. This means that applicants must have an unaided Pure-Tone Average (PTA) of 55 dB or greater in the better hearing ear, in the speech frequencies of 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz. Children with cochlear implants meet this eligibility requirement. Note: This may not apply for children who have been diagnosed with AN. For information on required documentation for AN, please see the "documentation" section on the Application Submission Instructions page in the application packet.
    Formula for calculating the PTA: On the unaided audiogram, look at the results for the better hearing ear at 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz and add those three numbers together, then divide that total by three. The result is the Pure Tone Average. To be eligible for this award, the child’s PTA must be 55 dB or greater.
  • Listening and Spoken Language must be the child’s primary mode of communication.
  • The child must be between 6 and 21 years of age as of December 31, 2013.
  • The child must be enrolled or registered as a full-time student for the school year beginning in the fall of 2013 between grades one and twelve in a mainstream parochial, independent or private elementary or secondary school. Please Note: Public school, oral school, OPTION school, home school & post-secondary students do not meet this criterion.
  • The child must reside in the United States (including territories) or in Canada.
  • Parents/guardians should be able to clearly outline their need for financial assistance and plans for usage of grant funds.

Note: While membership in AG Bell is not required, preference may be given to AG Bell members.

Application and Deadline


Click here to download the application packet (PDF).

The deadline for applications is June 17, 2013. All materials MUST ARRIVE together in one package at the address below by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on June 17, 2013. No supporting materials will be accepted separately from the application.

Send Application Package to:

Wendy Will – School-Age Program
8745 Gary Burns Drive, Suite 160-504
Frisco, TX 75034

Please Note:

  • Due to the volume of applications for multiple programs, we are not able to confirm receipt of applications. If you would like to know whether or not your application was received, you may choose to send your application using a service that can confirm delivery – preferably without requiring a signature as this can delay delivery. AG Bell does not accept responsibility for any delays or delivery errors on the part of delivery services. To ensure timely delivery, applicants are encouraged to submit applications well in advance of the deadline.
  • Faxed applications are not accepted under any circumstances.
  • Late and incomplete applications are not considered under any circumstances.
  • Applications are not returned for any reason.

Please do not contact AG Bell seeking an exception to these policies.

Administrative Process

In the weeks after the application deadline, all applications are screened for eligibility and completeness. Eligible applications are then forwarded to the award selection committee for review; ineligible applications are discarded.

If an email address is provided on the application, once the screening process is complete (a minimum of two weeks after the deadline), you will be notified via email of the status of your application. In that email, you will also receive information about when you can expect to be notified of the award decisions. If an email address is not provided, you will not receive this notification.

Letters of notification will be mailed to all eligible applicants – those who were selected as well as those who were not selected to receive an award.

Do You Have Questions?

Click here to see the most commonly asked questions about AG Bell's Financial Aid Programs. If you still have a question or would clarification, please send us an email. Responses may take up to three business days, so please plan accordingly when submitting your email.