Scholarships for Tennessee families who want a Christian education and can't currently afford it.
Beginning August 2027, Education Choice Fund plans to award scholarships covering up to 90% of tuition at qualifying Christian schools across Tennessee, scaled to household income. Families up to 200% of the area median may apply. The exact figure depends on your county and household size. Renewals and their siblings come first; other new applicants are ranked by need, lowest income first. ECF is also designed to stack with the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship, the Tennessee EFS ($7,530/student for 2026-27). For families who qualify for both, there is no fixed method yet for how the two combine.
We are not yet accepting applications. The Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC), created by Internal Revenue Code § 25F, goes live January 1, 2027. ECF expects to begin accepting scholarship applications in spring 2027, with first awards announced before the 2027-28 school year. If you'd like to be on the early-notice list, share your contact info below.
Five steps from application to a child in a classroom.
A clear process. Independent selection. Direct funding to the school.
Apply
Submit a one-page application: parents, child, school you want, household income, why a Christian education matters to you.
Eligibility
ECF verifies household income against HUD's published limits for your county, which also sets your award priority band.
Admission
Your chosen Christian school confirms your child's admission under their normal admissions process. ECF doesn't override schools.
Selection
An independent ECF committee awards scholarships from the general scholarship fund. Renewals come first, then their siblings, then a share set aside for documented hardship, then new applicants ranked by verified household income.
Award
ECF pays up to 90% of tuition to the school on its normal billing cycle. Your family pays its share. There is no fixed method yet for calculating an award, and it may differ by school. Every family contributes something; documented hardship may lift a family to the 90% ceiling, never above it. Stacks with the Tennessee EFS where applicable. Renewable annually.
Who qualifies for an ECF scholarship.
The federal § 25F program sets a wide income ceiling. ECF's internal priorities focus support where Christian schooling is genuinely out of reach.
Tennessee resident family
Parents and child must be Tennessee residents. The child must be eligible to enroll in a K-12 school (kindergarten through 12th grade). Homeschool families using ECF funds for a partial private-school enrollment may qualify, subject to case-by-case review.
Household income under federal cap
ECF sets its own eligibility cap at 200% of area median gross income for your county, below the federal § 25F ceiling. Limits are anchored to HUD's published figures and vary by county and household size. Check the eligibility page for your own number.
Wants Christian education
A short paragraph in your application explaining why a Christian education matters to your family. ECF doesn't adjudicate doctrinal differences. Catholic, Reformed, Episcopal, evangelical, and independent Christian schools all qualify.
Admission to a qualifying Tennessee school
Your child must be admitted to a qualifying Christian K-12 school in Tennessee. Families at any qualifying Tennessee Christian school may apply. Each school runs its own admissions process. ECF funds tuition; schools choose students.
A limited exception for documented special needs
Where a child has documented needs that no Christian school in Tennessee can serve, ECF's scholarship committee may review another accredited Tennessee school. This exception requires committee review and documentation, and it does not guarantee an award.
Applications open in spring 2027. Join the family early-notice list and we'll email you when they do.
Where your family sits, by county.
Income limits are set by HUD and differ by county and household size, so a single statewide number gives most families the wrong answer. ECF works in three bands, measured against area median gross income for your county: at or below 100%, where an award may reach 90% of tuition; above 100% to 150%, up to 75%; and above 150% to 200%, up to 50%. ECF makes no new award to a household above 200%. Renewing families come ahead of new applicants in every band, as § 25F requires.
See where your family sitsMeeting the income test does not guarantee an award. Awards are limited and are made in order of need, lowest income first, so a family near the top of the range may apply but is unlikely to be funded in an oversubscribed year. Bands use HUD FY2026 income limits, effective May 1, 2026, updated annually. Federal law sets a higher cap; ECF holds new awards to 200%. Ceilings are subject to final Treasury guidance. These figures are ECF's planning estimates, not an eligibility determination. Treasury has not yet published how § 25F income limits are to be calculated, so ECF derives them from HUD's published 50% limits and will update them when the rules are issued.
How families are chosen. Students already on a scholarship are renewed first, then their siblings, as federal law requires. A share of awards is set aside for families facing documented hardship. The rest are ranked by verified household income against the area median, lowest first. Nothing subjective enters it: no essay score, no interview, no letter of reference, and no weight given to who a family knows.
Figures are illustrative and are not tax or financial advice. There is no fixed split; award amounts depend on household income and available funds. Meeting the income test does not guarantee an award. The donor-side credit is nonrefundable and limited to a donor's federal income tax, up to $1,700 per individual; up to $3,400 for a married couple filing jointly if each spouse gives $1,700, under proposed rules.
Three structural commitments.
A scholarship program is only as trustworthy as the organization administering it. Here's how ECF is built, so you can decide whether we're the right partner for your family.
At least 90¢ of every dollar donated reaches a scholarship.
§ 25F requires SGOs to direct at least 90% of income to scholarships. ECF commits to that floor and publishes the actual ratio in our quarterly updates each year. No more than 10% covers minimal operations: legal, banking, software, and insurance.
People who serve without pay.
No director or officer receives compensation of any kind. The founder is unpaid. There is no fundraising staff and no office. We run lean intentionally, to maximize the share of every donor dollar that reaches a child in a Christian classroom.
Tennessee-focused, statewide eligibility.
ECF is Tennessee-only and will remain so through our launch years. Partner schools form the early network, and qualifying families at any Tennessee Christian school may apply. Our donor recruitment, partner schools, and scholarship awards all sit in one regional ecosystem.
"Families form children. Schools partner with them. ECF exists to make sure that partnership isn't a luxury reserved for the wealthy."
Honest answers for parents.
When can I apply?
Applications open in spring 2027. The federal § 25F program goes live January 1, 2027, and ECF’s Tennessee SGO status is in formation; gifts qualify only once ECF is on the state's list. First scholarships will be announced before the 2027-28 school year. Get on the early-notice list below. We'll email you when applications open.
How much does a scholarship cover?
ECF funds up to 90% of tuition at a qualifying Christian school, depending on household income, and your family pays the rest. There is no fixed method yet for calculating an award alongside the Tennessee EFS and school aid, and it may differ by school, so we cannot quote what your family would pay. For families with documented hardship, ECF can fund up to the full 90% ceiling, leaving the smallest family share the program allows.
Can ECF stack with the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship?
Yes. The Tennessee EFS, the state's scholarship program ($7,530/student for 2026-27), is designed to stack with ECF's federal § 25F scholarship. There is no fixed method yet for calculating ECF's award alongside the Tennessee EFS and school aid, and it may differ by school, so we cannot quote a combined family payment. If you qualify for the Tennessee EFS, apply for both. They work together. Some families qualify only for ECF (income above Tennessee EFS thresholds); some for both. ECF coordinates with the Tennessee Department of Education to verify your Tennessee EFS status before finalizing your scholarship award.
How many scholarships will be awarded in Year 1?
We are not publishing a projected award count. The number depends entirely on funds raised, and ECF awards only what donors have given for that year. The program scales with donor participation, which is uncapped at the federal level.
Are scholarships renewable?
§ 25F gives renewing recipients first priority for subsequent years. Renewal income limits and school requirements follow the rules in place at renewal, including the federal cap. If your family and school meet them, you have priority for renewal, as funds are available for the next year. Priority is not a guarantee of an award. ECF grants only what has been donated, so each year's awards depend on that year's contributions.
Can I choose which school my child attends?
Yes. You choose from qualifying Christian K-12 schools across Tennessee, and families at any qualifying Tennessee Christian school may apply. Your child must be admitted under the school's normal admissions process. ECF funds tuition; schools choose students. We do not override school admissions decisions.
What if my income is just above the cap?
ECF sets its own cap at 200% of area median gross income, which varies by county and household size. Most working and middle-class families are inside it. What changes as income rises is the share of tuition an award may cover: up to 90% at or below 100% of area median gross income, up to 75% from 100% to 150%, and up to 50% from 150% to 200%. ECF makes no new award above 200%. Check your county in our eligibility checker.
Can my donor designate the scholarship for my child specifically?
No. § 25F prohibits earmarking gifts to individual students. This is a federal compliance requirement, not an ECF policy. A donor may name a preferred qualifying Christian school. Donors cannot choose scholarship recipients or earmark gifts for individual students. ECF's independent scholarship committee selects recipients in order of verified need.
What if my school isn't a partner school?
You can still apply. ECF awards scholarships at qualifying Christian schools across Tennessee, and families at any qualifying Tennessee Christian school may apply. If your child's school isn't yet a partner school, email its name to info@educationchoicefund.org and we'll reach out to that school about future participation. Schools can also apply directly to become partner schools.
What if my child has special needs that no Christian school can serve?
ECF's primary mission is funding Christian education in Tennessee. In one specific situation, the scholarship committee may review another accredited Tennessee school: your child has documented needs that no Christian school in Tennessee can serve. This requires committee review and documentation, and it does not guarantee an award. If you think this may apply, email info@educationchoicefund.org.
What if § 25F is repealed after my child starts on the scholarship?
ECF's program depends on the federal § 25F tax credit remaining in effect. If § 25F is repealed, ECF will prioritize current students over new applicants. § 25F itself requires SGOs to prioritize existing recipients first, and ECF will maintain that priority regardless. We can't guarantee continuation if donations stop. ECF's funding depends on the credit, and we won't promise external fundraising we can't deliver. But we commit to priority: any § 25F-qualified contributions received during a transition will be applied to existing scholarships before any new awards. ECF will communicate transparently with all families within 30 days of any material change.
Will my participation be public?
ECF publishes aggregate program statistics (number of recipients, schools served, total funded). ECF never publishes student names.
Tell us about your family.
Share a few details and we'll add you to our family early-notice list. We'll email you when applications open in spring 2027 and send quarterly progress updates in the meantime. No marketing. No fundraising calls. Unsubscribe anytime.
That didn't go through. Please email info@educationchoicefund.org and we'll add you manually.
Thank you. You're on the list.
We'll include you in our next quarterly progress report. When applications open in spring 2027, you'll be the first to know.