Network launched to fund Christian school scholarships under new federal school choice program

A new nationwide school choice program is being celebrated as the "greatest evangelism opportunity since the Billy Graham crusades," as it is projected to give millions of children across the United States access to a Christian education starting next year.

The Ohio-based Center for Christian Virtue has created the Christian Education Network Scholarship Granting Organization to fund scholarships for students who want to attend Christian schools under the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, for which the U.S. Department of the Treasury unveiled proposed regulations earlier this month. 

Under the program, eligible taxpayers can claim a tax credit of up to $1,700 for donations to a scholarship-granting organization. That organization then uses the money to help students pay for education costs, including tuition at Christian schools. The program launches Jan. 1, 2027.

“We have seen school choice tax credits, like the one President Trump enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill, be transformational for Christian education,” Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue, told The Christian Post during his visit to Washington, D.C., this week. “It mirrors a program about 20 states have, including Ohio.”

Because of the program, he said, families across the United States "are going to be able to access a high-quality Christian education if the body of Christ is able to step up and respond," calling it the "greatest evangelism opportunity since the Billy Graham crusades."

“That’s what we’re working on is how do we prepare the states, prepare the Church, prepare Christians to maximize this once in a lifetime opportunity,” Baer stated. 

The Center for Christian Virtue is promoting the program through its “Stop Settling, Expect More” campaign.  

The campaign includes a 30-second video in which a narrator says, “We’ve been told to settle, settle for failing public schools, settle for classrooms that silence faith.” The ad shows a student hiding his cross under his shirt. The video then shifts to footage of students and teachers at Christian schools.

“The Christian Education Network is done settling; it’s time to fight for our kids," the video narrator says. "Through our scholarship-granting organization, we’re revolutionizing education. Soon, families can escape a broken system for a high-quality Christian education thanks to the Education Freedom Tax Credit. Stop settling. Expect more."

Baer contends that broken education systems are "failing millions of children today.” He cited the National Assessment of Educational Progress scores, which show that “around 70% of fourth graders in America aren’t proficient in reading.” He doesn't want Americans to accept the "status quo" or allow public schools to be overrun with progressive political ideologies. 

“We don’t have to settle. Because of this tax credit, we don’t have to settle for broken public schools anymore,” he stressed.

So far, 30 states have opted in to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming. Taxpayers in any state can claim the credit, but only students who live in states that have opted in can receive the scholarships.

“The potential is endless with this,” Baer said of the program. “The Wall Street Journal’s low-end estimate of year one participation was at 5%.”

If that estimate holds, Baer believes there would be "upwards of $17 to $18 billion in scholarships."

“You can see millions of families be blessed by these scholarships and be able to access a high-quality Christian education because of this,” he said.

The Christian Education Network has affiliates in 10 states: Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Two of those states, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, have not opted in to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit. Baer told CP he wants affiliates in states that don’t opt in because “Christian schools in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts need a voice in state public policy.”

“We want to help support those Christian schools to have their religious freedom protected and pressure their governor to opt into the program,” he added.