Pennsylvania EFTC Status: Pending

Support Pennsylvania's EFTC Adoption

Josh Shapiro

Governor , D

“The governor is awaiting guidance from the feds that outlines how the new education tax credit would work -- including which students will be eligible, how this federal initiative will interact with existing programs, and more.”
Rosie Lapowsky, Governor Shapiro spokesperson, October 2025 (via WESA 90.5 FM)

Address: 508 Main Capitol Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120

Phone: (717) 787-2500

Contact: Governor's Contact Page

Online contact form is the most reliable channel for constituent messages. Phone is available for time-sensitive outreach. Written mail to the Capitol address is appropriate for formal advocacy letters.

EFTC Status in Pennsylvania

Governor Josh Shapiro (D) has not yet opted Pennsylvania in to the Education Freedom Tax Credit program. Through his spokesperson Rosie Lapowsky, Shapiro stated he is "awaiting guidance from the feds that outlines how the new education tax credit would work, including which students will be eligible, how this federal initiative will interact with existing programs, and more." Pennsylvania has not submitted IRS Form 15714. The governor has historically expressed openness to school choice -- he backed private school vouchers while serving as Attorney General -- but faces strong opposition from Democratic colleagues in the legislature. A January 2026 letter from the Pennsylvania House Education Committee, led by Republican Chair Bryan Cutler, formally urged the governor to opt in before the January 2027 program launch.

Progress is being made!

Pennsylvania is moving toward opting in to the Education Freedom Tax Credit. Show your support to keep the momentum going.

Show Your Support

Prepare While Pennsylvania Decides

Pennsylvania is moving toward opting in. Now is the time to prepare your school and strengthen the case for adoption.

1

Show Your Support

Contact your governor and legislators to express support for opting in. Use our advocacy kit to send personalized letters.

2

Assess Your Readiness

Use the school readiness assessment to identify gaps in governance, finances, enrollment, and compliance that need attention before the program launches.

Start Assessment

3

Estimate Family Eligibility

Check the income eligibility calculator to understand how many families at your school could benefit.

Open Calculator

4

Build Your Network

Connect with other schools and potential SGOs so your community is organized and ready to move quickly once the decision is made.

Support Pennsylvania's Adoption

State Context

Existing Programs

{"Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC)","Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC)","Charter Schools"}

State-Specific Context

Pennsylvania enrolls approximately 250,000 students in more than 2,000 private schools, the third-highest private school enrollment in the nation. The state operates two landmark tax credit scholarship programs: the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC), established in 2001 with a current annual cap of $590 million, and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC), created in 2012. Together these programs fund scholarships through more than 200 approved scholarship organizations. Despite this infrastructure, demand far exceeds supply: in the 2023-24 school year, approximately 69,000 scholarship applications went unfilled. FundEDU operates as an approved SGO under the EITC program.

Advocacy Angle

Pennsylvania's EITC and OSTC programs prove the tax credit scholarship model works at scale, but 69,000 unfilled applications show massive unmet demand. The EFTC adds a federal layer that can immediately expand scholarship capacity through the state's existing SGO network, including FundEDU.