Independent Catholic Schools: How to Prepare with Catholic Education Fund

An independent Catholic school does not need to wait for a diocesan onboarding invitation to begin preparing with Catholic Education Fund. CEF provides an independent school onboarding pathway for institutions that are not coming through a partner organization’s school page.

What does “independent” mean for onboarding?

Here, independent describes the route into CEF’s preparation process. It does not determine a school’s canonical status, legal structure, or federal eligibility. A school should accurately explain its affiliations when completing the form.

If your school belongs to a diocese or network that is already coordinating with CEF, ask that organization for the appropriate partner-affiliated instructions. Using the correct pathway helps connect your school to the right organization and avoids duplicate records.

What should you gather before starting?

Have your school’s official name, website, address, grades served, and current enrollment information available. Identify a primary contact who can respond to onboarding questions and coordinate internally. Prepare a second contact where useful.

Information should be accurate and understandable to someone outside your community. For example, use the school’s full official name rather than an abbreviation known only to families. Check that the website and contact email are current.

What happens after the form?

The onboarding submission gives CEF information needed to start preparing marketing materials and setting up your ACE Scholarship's portal. All schools will have to fill out a second form in order to create an account in ACE's platform (EmpowerEd). This step will include adding banking details to manage payouts.

Can independent Catholic schools benefit from the credit?

Yes, definitely. The federal framework can support scholarships for qualified educational expenses at eligible schools, including Catholic schools. School classification under state law and the requirements for students, expenses, SGOs, and participating states still matter.

How should you explain the program to your community?

We will give you marketing materials that you can use with both donors and families, but the primary principles are as follows.

Give donors and families separate instructions whenever possible. Donors are considering qualifying contributions and the federal credit. Families are considering scholarship applications and eligible expenses. A contribution cannot be earmarked for a particular student, including a donor’s own child.

For donor communications, explain that the program starts in 2027 and that the credit is nonrefundable. Treasury’s October 1 proposal explains a $1,700 annual limit per individual and a potential combined $3,400 for married joint filers when each spouse contributes.

For families, explain that household eligibility and the award process must be reviewed. Meeting federal eligibility criteria is not a guarantee of an award, and your school should not advertise a guaranteed tuition reduction before funding and administration are established.

What can a small school do now?

• Begin independent school onboarding
  
• Choose an onboarding contact
• Gather accurate school information
• Check whether a partner organization already covers your school.
• Complete the CEF onboarding form
  
• Prepare a short announcement that invites updates without promising awards.
• Keep existing financial-aid information available to families.

Review the school partnership page and our family questions guide to prepare your team’s answers.

Sources and guidance status

Reviewed October 1, 2026. Sources: Treasury and IRS proposed regulations, REG-117199-25 (advance publication PDF supplied to CEF; scheduled publication October 2, 2026), including the statutory background and explanation of provisions.

Proposed provisions are identified as proposed; actual giving and scholarship participation require verification of the applicable rules and recipient eligibility. Tax outcomes depend on individual circumstances.