A national Catholic funding partner for your diocese or network

We help Catholic dioceses, networks, and schools participate in the federal scholarship opportunity through a national Catholic donor network and proven SGO infrastructure provided by ACE Scholarships, the leading scholarship provider in the US.

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See how it works
OFFLOAD ALL SGO-CREATION BURDENS

Scholarship management Infrastructure, compliance, and support through ACE Scholarships

ACtivate local donors strategically

Marketing strategy, assets, and guidance to enable activation of local audiences

Leverage ECONOMIES OF SCALE

Access to a national fundraising network of tax credit contributions from states that have not opted to allow their own schools to benefit from the tax credit

THE OPPORTUNITY

A new funding pathway

Beginning Jan 2027, the Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC) will reward private donors with a dollar-for-dollar federal tax credit, up to $1,700 annually, for contributions supporting K-12 scholarships.

For CEF Partners, that means a new path to nationwide education funding, without the compliance or infrastructure burden.

Become a partner now
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HOW WE HELP

Infrastructure, strategy, & marketing for activating Catholics for education

Running an SGO means legal structure, state compliance, donor management, eligibility verification, and constant oversight. We've absorbed that weight so you don't have to.

Donation processing & tracking

Co-branded portal for donors, parents, & schools

US-based, multi-lingual 24x7 customer support

In-depth strategy & specialized resources for marketing to Catholic audiences

Become a partner today
ACE Scholarships logo

Our partner in enabling your schools' success

ACE brings the infrastructure we need to help you win, all at zero out-of-pocket cost to our partners.

121k
scholarships delivered across 50 states
$395,000,000
in scholarships awarded
$200,000,000
in scholarships to Catholic schools alone
ACE's technology Solutions

EmpowerEd by Ace Scholarships

The only co-branded, end-to-end scholarship management platform driven by a national Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO) this innovative platform unleashes the full power of the Education Freedom Tax Credit, generating life-changing scholarships for students.

School Marketplace

Partners select eligible items and services for their custom marketplace

Students can purchase eligible items

Partner Dashboard

Real time access to donations and student applications

Data download available to integrate with partner systems

Pre-built Marketing assets available for download

Why we partnered with ACE

ACE helps us keep the money where it belongs - with families

Parents can apply, be awarded and funded, and pay educational expenses

Donors can financially support more students

Vendors and schools can promote their learning resources/spaces and submit tuition invoices

No subscription or annual platform fees for partners

No product markups in the marketplace

No transaction fees

The Timeline

The tax credit is coming soon, and we are here to help you prepare for it.

Fundraising Estimator

How much could your community raise?

Enter rough counts for each circle of supporters. Our calculator makes a guesstimation at what total fundraising could be through the federal tax credit after January 1, 2027, at three levels of participation.

For dioceses and networks in opted-in states only. The Education Freedom Tax Credit is available only in states that have chosen to participate. Confirm your state has opted in before using these numbers to plan. If your network crosses state lines, count only schools and supporters in opted-in states.

Your network

Network-wide totals in households, not individuals. Count each household once, in the circle that fits best.

$

What you could raise

Estimated network-wide giving in the first year of the credit.

How we estimate

Estimates only, for planning conversations. This is not tax or legal advice, and actual results depend on your community and outreach.

The credit is nonrefundable, so donors need enough federal income tax to use it. Any state tax credit claimed for the same gift reduces the federal credit.

Under Treasury’s proposed rules (October 2026), spouses filing jointly are treated as separate taxpayers: a couple can claim up to $3,400 only if each spouse gives $1,700. These rules are not yet final.

Scholarships are awarded to eligible students under the program’s rules. Scholarship counts here are a dollar equivalent, not a guarantee of awards to any particular school.

Partner responsibilities

What partnership looks like

We have structured our partnership to enable schools to stay focused on their core mission, while taking advantage of the federal tax credit without the burden of managing an SGO.

What we handle

Marketing & Outreach Support

Donation & Fund Management

Comprehensive Support & Training

Application & Eligibility Management

Marketplace & Vendor Governance

Data Access & Insights

What you handle

Promote Locally

Guide Contributions

Maintain Donor Relationships

Define What Scholarships Can be Used For (tuition, books, tech, etc)

Become a partner

Bring the tax credit to every school you serve

Setup takes minutes and costs nothing. Get your school ready before contributions open in January 2027, so your community can start funding scholarships on day one.

Sign up your diocese or network
I'm an independent school
No platform or processing fees
Backed by ACE Scholarships
Vetted by the USCCB