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How Do I Accept Scholarship Payments for Events?

A scholarship on Famlo is your own money, set aside in advance and given to a named family. It comes off automatically when they register, so nobody has to ask you at the door and nobody has to be told no in front of their child.

This guide is for owners and co-leaders, who are the only roles that can open Scholarships in the console.

Quick Answer​

Fund a budget, award part of it to a family in advance, and turn scholarship payments on for the activities the award can pay for. The award applies itself when the family completes their booking — there is nothing for them to request, choose or submit at checkout.

How it actually works​

Four things happen, in this order.

  1. You fund a budget — the pot the awards come out of.
  2. You award some of it to a family, before they register.
  3. The award applies itself when that family registers.
  4. You invoice your own fund for what has been used, period by period.

The order matters. An award has to exist before the booking does, because there is no way for a family to ask for one during checkout.

Step 1: Fund a budget​

Decide how much you are giving away, and over what period. The budget is what the awards draw down, so it is the number that stops you promising more than you have.

Fund it before you promise anything. An award with nothing behind it helps nobody.

Step 2: Award it to a family​

An award goes to one family, for an amount you choose, and it is either:

  • Tied to one activity — it applies to that registration and nothing else, or
  • Open across your organization — it applies to any eligible activity you run.

You can set a date the award runs out, or leave it open.

The family gets an email headed "You've received a scholarship". It names your organization, the amount, the activity if there is one, and the expiry date if you set one.

That email is the entire notification. There is no scholarship page in a family's account settings, nothing for them to accept, and nothing to activate. If a family tells you they cannot find where to apply, that is why — there is nothing to apply for.

Step 3: Turn scholarship payments on for the activity​

Scholarship payments are switched on per activity, and that switch covers the whole activity.

Every ticket on an activity that accepts scholarship money is payable from an award. There is no way to hold one ticket back from scholarship families while allowing the rest. If some part of what you are charging should not come out of an award, price it as its own activity.

The Eligible for scholarship checkbox on an individual ticket row has no effect today. Set eligibility on the activity. See Scheduling activities.

What the family sees at checkout​

Nothing different. They register exactly as anyone else does, and there is no "pay with scholarship" option for them to look for.

When they complete the booking, Famlo works down what is owed in this order:

  1. Any promo code they entered.
  2. Any account credit on their balance.
  3. Their scholarship award, against whatever is still left.

Whatever remains is what their card is charged. If the award covers the rest, no card is charged at all and the booking confirms straight away. Where a family holds more than one award from you, the one expiring soonest is spent first.

:::note The checkout page does not preview the award The award is applied when the family completes the booking, not when the page renders. The Total they see can be higher than what actually reaches their card. This is the single most common question families ask about scholarships, and it is worth putting in your award email. :::

What it costs you​

Nothing beyond the money itself.

Scholarship money carries no platform fee. It never passes through the card processor, so there is nothing to deduct and nothing routed anywhere — you and the family settle it directly, and Famlo records the award and spends it down.

The same is true of any money Famlo never handles. Cash, check and bank transfer carry no fee either. Record them against the same balance and that family gets everything a card payment unlocks. See What's free and what's paid.

If a family cancels​

A refund returns what a card was charged. Scholarship money was never charged to a card, so there is nothing for the card to get back.

Instead the coverage goes back onto the award. The balance is the family's again, to spend on another eligible activity you run. Nothing is lost and nothing leaves your budget twice.

Their cancel screen shows Amount paid as the full ticket price and Total refund as only the card money, which reads alarmingly when an award covered everything. Expect to explain it once. Scholarships, for families covers the same ground in their words if you would rather send a link.

Invoicing your fund​

Scholarship invoices are how your organization bills its own fund for what it has awarded. They are generated per period, in the child's name, so a funding body can see who the money was spent on. They are emailed to the organization's owner.

:::warning Families never receive a scholarship invoice An invoice belongs to your organization and bills your fund. It is generated for you, sent to you, and never appears in a family's account. There is nothing for a family to download, sign or submit through Famlo.

If a family's own funding program needs paperwork from you, send it to them yourself. :::

Scholarship invoicing belongs to the plan built for organizations funded this way. What's free and what's paid sets out which plan includes what.

What Famlo does not do here​

Worth knowing before you build a process around it.

  • There is no Pay with Scholarship option at checkout, and no way for a family to request an award while registering.
  • There is no Mark as Paid step that confirms a family's registration. A booking is confirmed by the booking, not by an invoice status.
  • There is no invoice generation wizard, and no batch run across a whole activity.
  • There is no invoice branding — no logo upload, no EIN field, no custom header or footer text.
  • There is no PDF for a family to download, because families do not receive invoices at all.
  • There are no usage tiers, no monthly invoice allowance and no overage charges.
  • There is no bulk status update. Move an invoice on one at a time.

If families use an outside ESA or scholarship program​

Plenty of families pay with money that never touches Famlo — a state ESA, a tax-credit scholarship, a private grant, a 529 distribution. That is between the family, their funding program and you.

  • Famlo takes nothing on money it never handled.
  • Different programs have different rules about what counts as an eligible expense. Encourage families to check with their provider before they register, not after.
  • Say in your activity description whether you can supply the paperwork a provider wants, and what you need from the family to produce it.
  • If you want the money to move through Famlo's scholarship mechanism instead, the route is the same as any other award: fund a budget and award it.

Tips​

  • Award before you advertise. A family who hears "scholarships available" and then finds no button at checkout will assume it is broken.
  • Say the amount in your award email context. Families cannot see a balance anywhere, so what you tell them is what they know.
  • Tie an award to one activity when it is for one activity. An open award is spent on whatever they register for first.
  • Set an expiry that matches your term. Money awarded for spring should not quietly carry into autumn unless you meant it to.
  • Explain the checkout total once, in advance. It is the question you will otherwise be asked every time.

Common Questions​

Can a family apply for a scholarship through Famlo? No. Awards are yours to grant, in advance. There is no application form and no request at checkout.

Can a family split payment between an award and a card? That is what happens automatically. The award covers what it can and the card covers the rest.

What if I award more than my budget? Fund the budget first. It is what the awards draw down.

Does a scholarship-covered registration cost me a platform fee? No. Scholarship money never passes through the card processor, so no fee is taken on it.

Can I refund a scholarship to my fund? When a family cancels, the coverage returns to their award automatically. It is theirs to spend again on another eligible activity you run.

Troubleshooting​

A family says the price did not change. Check three things in order: that the award came from your organization, that the activity accepts scholarship payments, and that the award has not expired or already been spent down.

A family says the checkout total still showed the full price. It always does. The award is applied when they complete the booking, and their card is charged the lower amount.

A family cancelled and nothing came back to their card. Their card was probably never charged. The coverage has gone back onto their award instead.

A family is asking me for their scholarship invoice. They will not have one. Invoices bill your fund, not the family. Send them whatever their funding program needs, directly.

I ticked Eligible for scholarship on a ticket and nothing changed. That checkbox has no effect. Eligibility is set for the whole activity.

I cannot open Scholarships in the console. It is limited to owners and co-leaders. See Members, roles, and messaging.