A scholarship fund for your school, without starting a nonprofit
Your parent group runs a one-school chapter of an SGO we operate. Neighbors, grandparents and local business owners give through your chapter’s page, the federal scholarship tax credit gives it back to them, and the SGO awards scholarships on need.
To form
Nothing
No IRS filing, no state application, no board. Your group stays the group it is.
Back to a donor
Up to $1,700
A dollar-for-dollar federal credit, $3,400 for a couple filing jointly — for donors who owe that much federal tax.
Built around
One school
A chapter page with your school on it, and a dashboard of what came through your chapter.
Three pieces, one chapter
Your parent group
A one-school chapter
Your group’s name, your school, your own page and dashboard — as a chapter of an SGO that already carries every obligation.
Public-school families
A Student Success program
Scholarships for education costs other than tuition, paid to approved vendors. The cost list is approved by counsel before any item is promised.
Parents who want to help
A materials kit
Links, QR codes, flyers and a letter to hand local business owners — for parents to use, never students.
For most donors, the gift costs nothing.
The credit comes off federal tax the donor already owes. It is non-refundable, so a donor needs the tax liability to use it; unused credit carries forward for up to five years.
Six steps, and two of them are yours
Receipts, eligibility, awards, payments and the audit all stay with the SGO. Your group sets up a page and puts the kit in parents’ hands.
Talk to us
A free consultation: who your group is, which school, and whether its families need tuition help or a Student Success program.
You · one callThe SGO approves your chapter
If your school has its own account it accepts the chapter too. A public school that has not claimed its profile is covered by the SGO’s approval.
The SGOSet up your page
Your group’s name, story, logo and goal. The SGO’s legal name and disclosure sit on it automatically.
Your volunteersParents share the kit
Links in the newsletter, QR codes on flyers, a letter for local business owners. Adults asking adults.
ParentsNeighbors give to the SGO
Each gift is made to the SGO, which receipts it and records that it came through your chapter.
Donors, then the SGOThe SGO awards
Income-eligible families apply. The SGO’s committee decides on need and pays the school or an approved vendor — never cash to a family.
The SGOWhat parents get to work with
Everything is made for adults to share with adults. District policies on student solicitation vary, so nothing in the kit asks a student to raise money.
Links
One per place you share it — the newsletter, the group chat, the school website — so you can see which one worked.
QR codes
For flyers, event tables and the back of a program. Each one opens your chapter’s page.
Flyers
Plain-language explainers of the credit, with your chapter’s name and QR code on them.
A letter for local business owners
Something a parent can hand across a counter: what the credit is, what it costs the owner (for most, nothing), and where to give.
The rules, said plainly
Every piece says the gift goes to the SGO and that a school is a preference, never a destination.
What a first season looks like
One parent group, from the first conversation to award season.
This parent group is an illustration, not a customer. The federal credit begins January 1, 2027, in states that opt in.
- Before the first meetingBefore the first meeting
A board member books a consultation. We talk through the school, the families and which program fits.
One volunteer
- The next weekThe next week
The SGO approves the chapter. A volunteer sets up the page: name, story, logo, goal.
The SGO, then your group
- The first monthThe first month
The kit goes out: a newsletter link, flyers at pickup, the letter to a few local business owners.
Parents
- Through the giving seasonThrough the giving season
Gifts come in to the SGO. Your dashboard shows what came through your chapter.
Donors
- Award seasonAward season
Families apply to the SGO, its committee decides on need, and payments go to the school or approved vendors.
The SGO
Four things to be straight about
A chapter is part of an SGO, never an SGO of its own. Every gift is made to the SGO, which issues the receipt.
Your school is a donor’s preference, never a destination. Federal law forbids earmarking; the SGO’s committee decides every award on need.
Parents ask; students don’t. The kit is for adults to use.
Public-school programs pay costs other than tuition, from a list counsel approves before any item is promised.
Common questions
Does our parent group become an SGO?
No. Your group runs a chapter of an SGO we operate. The SGO holds the IRS recognition, the state listings, the board and the audit; your chapter has its own name, page and dashboard. Your group files nothing new.
Does the money go to our school?
No, and no page may say so. Every gift is made to the SGO, which receipts it. Federal law forbids earmarking, so a donor can name your school as a preference and the SGO’s committee sees that — but it decides every award on need. Your dashboard shows what came through your chapter; it is a report, not a balance.
We’re at a public school. Is there anything for our families?
Yes — a Student Success program for education costs other than tuition. Awards pay approved vendors, never cash to a family. Each program’s list of costs is approved by counsel before we promise any item on it, so ask us what your state’s list covers.
Can students help raise money?
No. The materials kit is for parents and other adults to use. District policies on students soliciting vary, so a chapter never asks students to.
Does our group handle any money?
No. Gifts go from the donor straight to the SGO. Nothing is paid to a chapter’s organizers — not a fee, not a share.
What does a gift cost the donor?
For most donors, nothing. The federal scholarship tax credit gives back every dollar, up to $1,700 a year ($3,400 for a couple filing jointly), against federal income tax they owe. It is non-refundable, so a donor needs that much tax liability; unused credit carries forward for up to five years.
When can we start?
Any month. The SGO already holds its IRS recognition, its state listings and its board, so a chapter does not wait on a filing season. Start with a free consultation.
Who runs the chapter?
Your group’s volunteers, as chapter admins. They edit the chapter page and see the chapter’s dashboard. They never see applications or award decisions, and never touch money.
The Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC), the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC), the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), and Section 25F are four names for the same federal program — a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $1,700 per year for donations to scholarship granting organizations, effective January 1, 2027.
Talk it through before you decide.
Tell us about your organization and we’ll set up a consultation on your formation path, your state, and the timeline. It costs nothing and there is nothing to sign — and if it’s useful, we’ll walk through the platform on the same call.
What happens next
We read your submission and respond within one business day
A working session, typically 45–60 minutes — your situation, not a sales pitch
Which of the three paths fits, what your state requires, and what the timeline is
You leave with a clear recommendation — including when the answer is to join an SGO rather than form one, or to wait