Tuition & Financial Aid

Yes. All dancers interested in our financial aid program, new or returning, will need to submit an application via the online application form.

No, at this time Joy of Motion is only accepting applications via the online application form. 

Please allow 3-5 business days for Joy of Motion staff to review and approve your application. A week out from all session start dates, applications will be reviewed and awarded on a day-to-day, first-come-first-served basis to ensure prompt registration prior to each session.

We ask that you submit an application first (and receive a decision) before enrolling. If this presents an issue for you, please let us know.

At this time we are only able to award financial aid on tuition costs for one class registration per session for each financial aid recipient. This may vary depending on availability of funds and is at the sole discretion of Joy of Motion.

If you were not required to file at all, simply add a short explanation to your application in the appropriate field or attach any of the other mentioned documents, as you are able. If you have an extension, send us the most recent year that is available (and do let us know if it does or does not represent your current circumstances).

Our financial aid program is primarily income-based, but is entirely need-based; we consider both income and extenuating circumstances when awarding financial aid. As mentioned above, all of Joy of Motion’s financial aid is awarded on a case-by-case basis through income verification, as available funds allow. Students are typically awarded 100%, 75%, or 50%  in tuition assistance per registered session(s). 

To be awarded a 100% scholarship, the household of the student’s custodial parents/guardians should fall at or below the 2020 HUD Income Limits Documentation System’s definition for “extremely low-income” for the Washington/Arlington Metro Area. To be awarded tuition assistance across any of our other denominations, the household should fall at or below federal “very low-income” thresholds.

We recognize that the last year has presented many new financial and logistical challenges for our community members, and  Joy of Motion is committed to considering all circumstances when awarding financial aid. We encourage all interested dancers and families to submit an online application explaining their needs and circumstances as best as possible.

The last year has been very hard financially on businesses and individuals alike, and Joy of Motion is no exception. Prior to Covid-19, Joy of Motion received around 80% of its total income from our earned income channels, namely tuition payment and fees garnered from our dance education programs. This income, in partnership with contributed funds, enabled Joy of Motion to sustain the robust financial aid program we offered in the past. With our physical doors closed, we were unable to offer the classes and instruction in a way that would meet the expenses of our standard operations, let alone those of the six-figure financial aid program we had built, thus significantly impacting our financial position and forcing us to suspend financial aid awards temporarily. 

Until we are able to build our operations back up to a more robust volume, we must limit our financial aid resources to what we are able to raise in contributed funds to underwrite the program. This, along with our commitment to serve as many dancers in need as possible, may mean that prior financial aid recipients will see changes in the amount of aid that they are awarded.

If you are interested in supporting our financial aid efforts, you can make a tax-deductible donation to the Youth Financial Aid program right here.

While we cannot accommodate you as comprehensively as we would like at this time, we would be happy to work with you to make dancing with us possible. We offer customized payment plans for all of our tuition fees. If you need assistance in this area, please contact financialaid@joyofmotion.org as soon as possible.

All questions and concerns regarding financial aid should be directed to financialaid@joyofmotion.org.