The volunteer income tax assistance (vita) grant was established as a matching grant program to provide funding for organizations who support community volunteer income tax assistance

The Internal Revenue Service awarded Westminster University $130,000 under the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Matching Grant Program (CFDA 21.009) on October 1, 2025, to deliver free tax return preparation and filing services to low- to moderate-income and underserved populations.

Westminster operates VITA sites in Utah serving taxpayers with incomes at or below the Earned Income Tax Credit thresholds, including persons with disabilities, individuals with limited English proficiency, Native Americans, rural residents, military families, and elderly taxpayers. The award funds volunteer training, quality control enhancements, electronic filing capacity expansion, and return preparation accuracy improvements. The VITA program expects recipients to file all eligible returns electronically, achieve 100 percent of return production goals, ensure at least 90 percent of returns prepared serve EITC-threshold-eligible individuals, and demonstrate incremental year-over-year increases in return preparation volume.

The period of performance runs through September 30, 2026. Westminster may utilize sub-recipients to deliver key program elements, provided they adhere to grant program guidelines. The VITA matching grant requires recipients to document matching funds and maintain records for a minimum of three years following final report submission.

Activities

The vita grant program provides financial support to organizations who 1) extend services to underserved populations in hardest to reach areas both urban and non-urban; 2) increase the capacity to file returns electronically; 3) heighten quality control; 4) enhance training of volunteers; and 5) significantly improve the accuracy rate of returns prepared at vita sites. End goal/expected outcomes: vita grant recipients are expected to 1) follow existing guidance governing vita site operations; 2) ensure at least 90% of returns prepared are for individuals whose income is equal to or less than the maximum earned income tax credit (eitc) thresholds; 2) file all eligible returns electronically; 3) achieve 100% of their return production goals; 4) become more efficient with grant funds; and 5) show incremental increases in return preparation each year.

Intended beneficiaries

Taxpayers who are low to moderate income individuals, persons with disabilities, those for whom english is a second language, native americans, individuals living in rural areas, members of the armed forces and their families, and the elderly.

Subrecipient activities

Subrecipients may be utilized by grant recipients to help deliver key elements of the program and must adhere to grant program guidelines. Broadband: specific activities relating to broadband usage are not known at the time of award.