Origins of Faith Scholarships
How a CPA's front-row seat to school budgets sparked a better way to fund Christ-centered education.
Founder / President Spotlight
Matthew Hale is a CPA, a husband, and a father of four children. He owns and operates a Christian CPA firm serving ministries, schools, and Christians across the U.S. Over the years he has advised school leaders, reviewed budgets, and walked alongside start‑ups and established campuses alike. His vocation blends technical finance with care for the people behind the numbers.
Matthew C. Hale, CPA — Founder & President
The Problem Seen Up Close
From years of advising school leaders and reviewing budgets line by line, Matthew saw a pattern: deep tuition discounts, even though offered with compassionate intent, were quietly draining many new Christian schools. Programs were squeezed. Teacher pay lagged. Financial stress mounted.
In particular, start‑up Christian schools often discounted tuition heavily to keep enrollments up. The unintended results followed a familiar arc: program quality eroded as classroom budgets thinned and resources for curriculum, technology, and student support were pared back; teachers, the people shaping hearts and minds, were paid less than they deserved; finances grew unstable, since discount‑driven enrollment made planning unpredictable and vulnerable to shocks; and families sometimes received a mixed message, because frequent discounts could imply the education was worth less than its stated cost.
Discounts met an immediate need but created long‑term fragility. Schools needed a way to welcome students while protecting the integrity of their budgets.
The Turning Point
Watching faithful educators shoulder financial strain, Matthew asked a different question: What if we separate compassion from pricing?
Rather than shrinking tuition to fit every circumstance, we could fund the student—bringing help to families—while keeping tuition whole so that schools can budget responsibly, pay teachers fairly, and plan for the future.
This new way of thinking became the origin of Faith Scholarships.
Our Solution: Scholarships That Strengthen Schools
Faith Scholarships channels donor generosity into direct student scholarships awarded in partnership with aligned Christian schools. The school keeps its published tuition, preserving program value and financial stability, while the family receives help where it’s needed most. This approach protects what matters most. Teacher compensation is no longer the pressure valve; schools can honor the calling of educators with fair, sustainable pay. Program excellence is safeguarded because full‑cost budgeting funds strong academics, discipleship, and student life. And mission integrity is preserved, as assistance comes through transparent scholarships rather than hidden discounts.
Oversight & Partnerships
Because Faith Scholarships is dedicated to serving Christian schools, we believed it was essential to establish ourselves on a firm foundation of faith, with clear guidance and accountability. For that reason, Faith Scholarships operates under the ecclesiastical oversight of Four Fringes. We automatically serve schools under Four Fringes’ oversight and schools that are outside that oversight may apply for partnership; eligibility requires both that the school itself be under the ecclesiastical oversight of a church AND that Faith Scholarships receives approval from Four Fringes to partner with the school. This ensures that our mission is grounded in shared religious convictions and that theological alignment and safeguarding standards remain consistent across all of our partners.
