Funding Applications for Families
Get support in applying for external funding for your LDS fees.
Welcome
Welcome to your hub for LDS fees and funding applications. This page has all the documents, information and support resources you need to apply to CKNW, Variety and Autism Funding. LDS students receiving these grants are one way we can keep our fees as accessible as possible for all of our families.
You have indicated that you would like financial support in our onboarding process. Please follow the instructions below to complete the needed applications for financial support.
Your Fees and Funding
Watch this video to learn how your fees work in our RISE One-to-One program. Alice, Senior Manager, Programs, explains how our Bright Futures Bursary and third-party funders like the CKNW Kids Fund and Variety Children’s Charity make up the full fees for this program.
Applying to CKNW
If your family has a gross household income below $75,000, your family is eligible for CKNW Kids’ Fund.
The application must be completed within the first 14 days (two weeks) after your child’s first session with LDS.
The application requires you to collect documents, including a letter from a professional. Please give yourself enough time to complete all the steps.
Download a helpful checklist for putting your CKNW application together.
ApplicationHow to Video
Walk through the steps of applying for CKNW with support from LDS.
Applying to Variety
If your family has a net household income below $85,000, you family is eligible for Variety Children’s Charity.
The application must be completed within the first 14 days (two weeks) after your child’s first session with LDS.
The application requires you to collect documents, including a letter from a professional. Please give yourself enough time to complete all the steps.
Download a helpful checklist for putting your Variety application together.
Application Supporting DocsHow to Video
Walk through the steps of applying for Variety with support from LDS.
Autism Funding
You can use AFU funds (Autism Funding from the BC provincial government) to cover your child’s LDS sessions or program. Once AFU sends confirmation to LDS, we will directly bill them the full fee for your sessions or program.
**Please note that our sliding scale fees and internal bursary do not apply to families using AFU funding.**
AFU Request to Pay
We require confirmation that you sent an AFU Request to Pay for LDS. (See the Request to Pay form below from the AFU Portal.) Please email us as soon as you have sent this. For one-to-one instruction, we require this confirmation within the first two weeks of your child starting at LDS. For all other programs, we require confirmation before the program starts.
- You can charge all LDS fees to AFU using this form.
- You must print, sign, and send the Request to Pay form to AFU.
- You can also complete a request for funding via the online portal or over the phone.
- LDS can charge AFU for sessions or programs that happened up to 6 months ago. If we do not receive funds from AFU within this period (6 months of session), you will be liable to pay for your sessions or program.
When your AFU funding runs out
- For one-to-one instruction, you will pay a monthly fee to LDS for the remainder of the school year.
- For other LDS programs, you will pay the remainder of your fees for that program.
- Please refer to the sliding scale fee schedule on our families’ webpage to learn more.
AFU Help
Ask the Autism Funding team for help with funding paperwork or processes.
Victoria Office: 250 387-3530
Toll Free: 1 877 777-3530
Fax: 250 356-8578
Mailing: PO Box 9776 STN PROV GOVT Victoria, BC V8W 9S5
Email: MCF.AutismFundingUnit@gov.bc.ca
AFU PortalFees and Funding
Fee Structure
Our household income sliding scale is outlined below for the 2024/25 academic school year. It shows the hourly cost for students who attend two sessions a week in RISE One-to-One Instruction online, at one of our Learning Centres, on LDS Access, or at school.
| Annual Net Household Income | Hourly Fee |
| $0 – $65,000 | $15.50 |
| $65,000 – $85,000 | $51.50 |
| $85,000 – $120,000 | $91.00 |
| $120,000 – $160,000 | $95.00 |
| $160,000 + | $98.00 |
Click on the link below to learn about how we set our fees and sliding scale.
Funding
LDS’ fees are covered by a combination of:
- Fee payments by each family
- Grants, when a family is eligible
- LDS Bright Futures Bursary
We require families, where eligible, to apply for funding through individual grants to help cover the cost of their sessions. The funds from these grants ensure our internal bursary can go further and support more families.
If you’re not eligible to apply for the grants but you’re accessing our sliding scale, your fee rate is subsidized solely by LDS Bright Futures Bursary. We raise these funds through non-governmental grants and fundraising. You’re not required to do anything else to access the fee level, but we strongly encourage you to engage with and amplify our fundraising efforts.
Notice of Assessment (NOA)
If your family is accessing our Bright Futures Bursary and CKNW or Variety, we require verification of your household income. You must provide a copy of the CRA Notice of Assessment (NOA) for each adult in your household.
Learn More
See our FAQs to learn more about fees. Please also refer to our policies and procedures. If your question is still not answered, please contact us.