Do you accept third-party/FMS payments?

Using Third-Party Funding for Swim Lessons

If a nonprofit, scholarship program, regional center, or other organization is helping cover the cost of your lessons, we want to make it as smooth as possible. Here is what you need to know before registering.

How it works

Our standard billing process charges the full lesson package upfront once you have been paired with an instructor. When a third party is involved, that changes depending on how your funder operates.

There are two common scenarios:

You pay first and get reimbursed. Some organizations reimburse families directly after the lessons are paid. In this case, you pay us as normal and we provide a detailed sales receipt you can submit to your funder. We can include specific information on that receipt if your organization requires it — just let us know what they need. We recommend confirming with your funder that they will cover our services before registering, so there are no surprises.

Your organization pays us directly. Some funders issue a Purchase Order (PO) and we invoice them on your behalf. In this case, we need to receive the PO and confirmation of approved funding before you register. Please do not complete registration until that is in place — our billing team needs to verify the authorization before we can set up your account correctly.

What counts as proof of funding?

Usually it is a document your service coordinator or case manager provides — commonly called a Purchase of Service agreement or an approval letter showing the funds have been set aside. If you have something different that shows your budget is approved, we can review it as well.

Once your funding is confirmed on our end, we will place a hold on your card on file and bill your funder directly instead. Simply provide us with your order or confirmation number and we will make the right accommodations to your account. If for any reason the funding falls through or does not get approved, we will let you know right away before anything is charged.

A note on your card on file

All clients are required to keep a valid card on file. Think of it as a way to confirm you are ready and that funding is actually in place — not a charge. We will not process anything from it unless your funder does not cover the full lesson cost, and even then we will notify you first before anything is charged.

Approved third-party funders

We are currently set up to work directly with the following organizations:

Blue Ridge Academy (charter school enrichment funds)
Cambrian FMS
Ritz FMS
Aveanna
LIBERTANA - MIJI Healthcare Services
On My Own FMS
Arch FMS
Mains'l FMS
Ace FMS
Sentinel Four
Dromen, Inc
Acumen
Fact Family
Accura FMS
AAA FMS
Action FMS
Home of Guiding Hands
Balance FMS
CEPS FMS

If your funder is one of the above, reach out to us before registering and we will walk you through the next steps.

Step Up Scholarship or ESA Funds

We are not approved vendors with Step Up or ESA programs, so we cannot invoice them directly. However, many families have paid for lessons out of pocket and been reimbursed afterward. We recommend contacting your Step Up or ESA representative first to confirm whether they will cover our services, then register as a standard client. We can provide a receipt for reimbursement purposes.

If your funder is not on the list

We are open to working with other organizations, but we need to make sure our billing process is compatible with theirs before you register.

Here is what we will need from you:

A Purchase Order from your funder confirming they will pay for the lessons.
A copy of their invoicing requirements — what information they need on the invoice, how and where to submit it, and any deadlines.

Once we have both, our billing team will review and confirm whether we can proceed. Please email us at office@sunsationalswimschool.com before completing your registration so we can avoid any delays.