Become a 2027 partner school.
Education Choice Fund is recruiting 10 Tennessee Christian K-12 schools as 2027 partner schools for the federal § 25F scholarship program launching January 2027. Sign a non-binding Letter of Intent by December 31, 2026 and become part of the launch network. Partner schools are named publicly as the launch network. Partner school status renews each calendar year.
Non-exclusive: your school may work with any other SGO at the same time. A non-binding LOI. No financial commitment from your school. Your school keeps full control of admissions, tuition, and mission. Approximately 5 hours of staff liaison time per quarter. Partner school status renews each calendar year. The 2027 partner school list is open through December 31, 2026. After that, schools join as Network Schools.
ECF runs the program. Your school teaches.
ECF is non-exclusive. Your school may work with any other SGO at the same time, and nothing in the Letter of Intent asks you to stop. Here is the division of labor.
| ECF | Your school | |
|---|---|---|
| Funding | Raises the gifts from donors, including your own families, alumni and grandparents. | Shares one donor mailing a year with your families and alumni. |
| Scholarships | Awards up to 90% of tuition, scaled to verified household income, and pays your school on its normal billing cycle. | Confirms enrollment and your published tuition. Bills the family for its share. |
| Selection | An independent committee renews current students first, then their siblings, sets aside a share for documented hardship, and ranks other new applicants by verified income, lowest first. It never sees donor names. | No role in selection. Points interested families to the application. |
| Verification | Collects and checks household income documents. Confirms Tennessee EFS status with the state. | Nothing. Your staff never handle income paperwork. |
| Donor paperwork | Donor numbers, receipts, school designations and IRS reporting under § 25F. | Nothing. |
| Compliance | 501(c)(3) status, Tennessee SGO listing, the annual audit and the 90% scholarship test. | Keeps its state registration and accreditation current. |
| Staff time | Runs the program year round. | One liaison, about five hours a quarter. |
| Cost | Funds its own operations from no more than 10% of gifts. | No fee, no discount, no financial commitment. |
Why partner with Education Choice Fund
Our mission is to fund Christian K-12 education for Tennessee families. Here is what that means for your school.
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We bring Tennessee donors to our partner schools.
We raise from Tennessee donors, CPAs, and business and church networks across the state, then grant scholarships to eligible students at qualifying Christian schools, partner schools included. Your families gain support from people beyond your own parents and alumni. A donor may name a preferred qualifying Christian school, but never a student. There is no fixed allocation per school; awards depend on each year’s gifts and each year’s applicants.
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We do the work.
ECF recruits donors and provides your school kit. We run the scholarship application and verify household income, so your staff never collects a family’s financial documents. We send every family its award decision in writing, send donor acknowledgments, and pay your school directly. Your school names one contact, shares the kit with families, confirms admission and tuition, and credits awards to tuition accounts, about five hours a quarter.
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Non-exclusive, and you can leave.
There are no exclusivities. Work with any other scholarship organization at the same time; the more you work with, the better it may be for your families. Our Letter of Intent is non-binding, and your school may withdraw it in writing at any time, for any reason.
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No fees for your school.
ECF charges your school no participation fee and no per-award charge.
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You keep admissions, tuition, and mission.
ECF never asks a school to admit a student or change its tuition. An independent selection committee chooses scholarship recipients, only among students your school has admitted or already enrolls. Neither your school nor any donor picks them.
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Tennessee only, church by church.
ECF is Tennessee only. We raise in Tennessee for Tennessee families, and we reach your families through their churches as well as through your school.
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Deep, not broad.
ECF caps new awards at 200% of area median income, below the federal cap. Within the federal priority order, we rank applicants by verified household income, lowest first, and awards reach up to 90% of tuition for the lowest incomes. Fewer of your families may qualify with us, and those who do may receive more.
Your kit includes one plain sentence your school can use about the credit and about designating your school, plus the words to avoid. Ready once ECF is on Tennessee's SGO list and giving opens.
10 partner schools in 2027. Named publicly as launch partners.
The Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC), created by Internal Revenue Code § 25F, applies to gifts made on or after January 1, 2027. Donors in any state can claim a federal tax credit of 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, limited to the federal income tax they owe.1 ECF is a 501(c)(3) public charity that intends to apply to the State of Tennessee as a scholarship granting organization, and is built to work alongside the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship.
Partner schools in 2027. Capped at 10.
Financial commitment from the school to sign the LOI. ECF funds scholarships; you educate kids. The LOI is non-binding.
Per quarter. Staff liaison time for coordination, not a full-time engagement.
2026 deadline. Sign by December 31, 2026. No extensions.
1 Under proposed rules. The credit is limited to the donor's federal income tax. Gifts qualify once ECF is on Tennessee's SGO list, for gifts made on or after January 1, 2027.
The 2027 partner schools.
Ten places. Sign by December 31, 2026.
Schools are named on this page as each Letter of Intent is confirmed. None are named yet. School conversations began in September 2026, and no school appears here until it has signed off on how it is described.
What a partner school gets
- Named publicly as one of the 10 launch schools, with editorial review of the description
- A school kit for families, alumni, grandparents and board
- A staff liaison relationship, about five hours a quarter
- Your full published tuition for every scholarship student. ECF pays up to 90% of tuition, scaled to household income; there is no fixed award method yet. No discount asked.
- No participation fee, no per-award charge, and no financial commitment of any kind
Your community can make your own school affordable.
ECF is Tennessee only and works school by school. Your families, alumni and grandparents can claim a federal credit for their gifts. ECF funds scholarships for qualifying Tennessee families. Your school receives its published tuition.
You are opening a door at your own school. No gifts or pledges are being requested yet.
Named by donors.
A donor may name your school, or any qualifying Christian school, as a preferred school when they give. A designation gives no advisory role and no say over selection. Donors cannot choose scholarship recipients or earmark gifts for individual students.
Awarded independently.
An ECF committee selects recipients using published criteria. Donors do not choose students, and neither does the school.
Reported back to you.
Your staff liaison receives ECF's quarterly progress reports and the number of scholarships awarded at your school.
One school community.
Every family it reaches.
Your community can change what is possible for local families, through the federal credit of up to $1,700 each of them could claim, limited to the federal income tax they owe, once ECF is on Tennessee's SGO list.
Explore an illustrative example.
$1,700 each
Illustration only, at $1,700 per donor, before operating costs. Smaller gifts produce smaller totals.
Who can be a supporter?
Alumni
Grandparents
Friends of the school
Board members
Church members
Parents
Designating your school. A supporter may name your school, or any qualifying Christian school, as a preferred school when they give. A designation never affects who is selected. An independent ECF committee awards scholarships to qualifying Tennessee families in order of verified need, lowest income first.
How recipients are chosen. Federal law prohibits earmarking a gift to a specific student. A donor may name a preferred qualifying Christian school, but cannot choose the student. ECF's independent committee awards scholarships in order of verified need, lowest income first.
The credit is nonrefundable and limited to each 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, for gifts made on or after January 1, 2027 to an SGO on a participating state's list. Unused credit carries forward up to five years. Proposed rules released October 1, 2026; final rules not yet issued.
Start the conversationUp to 90% of tuition. Flexibility built in.
ECF funds up to 90% of tuition, scaled to household income. Every family contributes. Your school is never asked to discount. There is no fixed method yet for calculating an award, and it may differ by school.
Figures are illustrative. Award amounts depend on household income and available funds. There is no fixed split. Not tax or financial advice.
Your school is never asked to discount.
ECF covers up to 90% of tuition for the lowest income families and less as income rises. Your school receives its published tuition once the family pays its share. Scholarships are renewable annually, as funds allow, while the family and school meet the rules in place at renewal and the child remains enrolled.
For families with documented hardship, ECF can fund up to the full 90% ceiling, leaving the smallest family share the program allows.
ECF Funds
Paid to the school on its normal billing cycle. Up to 90% of tuition, which is an absolute ceiling; documented hardship may lift a family to it, never above.
Your School Receives
Published tuition, paid in full once the family pays its share. No discount asked, ever.
Your school is not asked to contribute financially at any tuition level. We work with each school individually before signing the LOI.
Stacks with the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship.
The Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship ($7,530 per student for 2026-27) and ECF's federal tax credit scholarship are designed to work together. There is no fixed method yet for how the two combine, and it may differ by school. Every family pays part of tuition.
How the two work together.
Tennessee EFS (state scholarship), 2026-27
State scholarship toward tuition. Changes each year.
ECF scholarship
Federal § 25F scholarship, scaled to household income: up to 90% of tuition at the lowest incomes. There is no fixed method yet for calculating it alongside the Tennessee EFS and school aid, and it may differ by school.
Family share
The family's share depends on household income and on an award method that is not fixed yet. Your school receives its published tuition when the family pays its share.
There is no fixed method yet for calculating an ECF award alongside the Tennessee EFS and school aid; it has not been decided and may differ by school. We confirm Tennessee EFS status with the Tennessee Department of Education before finalizing ECF awards. Subject to final Treasury and Tennessee rules.
The economics, from your side of the desk.
Six things a head of school or business officer needs before signing. Five are settled. One of them, how an ECF award is calculated alongside the Tennessee EFS and your own financial aid, has no fixed method yet and is marked below.
ECF verifies income, not your staff
§ 25F requires a scholarship granting organization to verify household income and family size. ECF does that work. Your school does not collect financial documents, run a parallel aid application, or attest to what a family earns.
How an award is calculated: not fixed yet
There is no fixed method yet for calculating an ECF award. ECF awards are capped at 90% of tuition. How an award is worked out alongside the Tennessee Education Freedom Scholarship and other aid, including your school's own aid, has not been decided and may differ by school. The method for your school will be set out in the LOI before your school signs.
Paid to your school across the school year
ECF pays your school directly across the school year, not the family, and no third-party tuition platform sits in between. Your business office receives funds on a schedule it can plan against.
Pro-rated return of funds if a student leaves
If a scholarship student withdraws mid-year, the unused portion returns to ECF pro rata so it can be re-granted to another family. The return terms sit in the LOI rather than in a separate agreement.
No fixed allocation per school
ECF does not allot a fixed number of scholarships to a school. Awards depend on funds raised and on each year's applicant pool, not on a reserved quantity per school. Partner school status confers no priority in scholarship awards.
Your school pays nothing
No participation fee and no per-award administrative charge.
Three structural commitments.
A federal scholarship credit is only as good as the organization administering it. ECF is built for donor efficiency, not institutional sprawl. The structure is the strategy.
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 backbone, but qualifying families at any Tennessee Christian school may apply. Our donor recruitment, partner schools, and scholarship awards all sit in one regional ecosystem.
What you sign up for, in plain English.
The Letter of Intent is a one-page, non-binding document. It tells ECF to count your school in the launch network and unlocks the donor-recruitment kit for your families and alumni. Six commitments, none of them onerous.
Name a staff liaison
One person at your school (admissions director, head of school's assistant, business officer) who coordinates with ECF. About 5 hours of work per quarter.
Agree to the funding framework
In principle: ECF funds up to 90% of tuition, scaled to household income, and every family contributes something; documented hardship may lift a family to the 90% ceiling, never above it. Your school is not asked to discount and receives its published tuition. There is no fixed method yet for calculating an award, and it may differ by school. Hardship exceptions for families are documented in the LOI before signing.
Confirm admissions independence
Your school keeps full control of admissions decisions. ECF does not override school admissions. We fund tuition; you choose students.
Allow ECF to publicly list your school
As a 2027 partner school, on the ECF website, in materials, and in donor communications. You retain editorial review on how your school is described.
Distribute donor materials to your community
Once a year. To families, alumni, board, and supporters. ECF provides the kit; you provide the distribution channel. No fundraising calls; no donor pressure.
Renewed each calendar year, by mutual consent
Partner school status renews each calendar year. Either party may decline renewal without cause. The LOI dissolves automatically if ECF doesn't receive IRS § 501(c)(3) recognition by December 31, 2026. ECF received that recognition in an IRS determination letter dated September 24, 2026.
What partner schools receive.
Partner school status is the front door to ECF's full launch network. The benefits are practical and ongoing. There is no fee to your school.
Your school kit
A school giving page, three emails (announce, open, reminder), a chapel or assembly script, a bulletin insert, three social posts, a one-page parent FAQ, and the school phrasing card. Ready once ECF is on Tennessee's SGO list and giving opens.
Public partner school recognition
Named on the ECF website, in donor communications, and in our quarterly progress reports. Partner school standing continues for any school that signs by December 31, 2026, subject to renewal each calendar year.
Named publicly as a launch school
Your school is named on this page as one of the 10, with editorial review of how it is described, subject to renewal each calendar year. It is a relationship, not an allocation: awards depend on funds raised and on each year’s applicant pool, and ECF grants only what has been donated.
Quarterly progress reports
Regulatory status, donor pipeline, scholarship awards, financial transparency. Sent to your staff liaison every quarter. No surprises.
Activate your church network
Partner schools introduce ECF to their associated congregations: chaplains, board pastors, churches whose families enroll. We provide a complete Church Communications Kit (the email in two versions, newsletter copy, website text, a bulletin insert and an announcement slide, with no pulpit ask required). The number and location of scholarships depend on available funds, award amounts and eligible applicants. No school has a reserved number of awards. We provide the materials; you make the introductions. Optional, not required: schools that lean in get the multiplier; schools that don't, just get the basic benefits.
Direct access to ECF leadership
Your staff liaison gets direct email and phone access to ECF's founder and Board Chair. We don't put a coordinator between you and the people running the program. If there's a question or issue, you talk to us directly.
From this conversation to a funded seat.
Five moments between now and January 2028. Your school is involved in three of them, and the first one is a conversation, not a commitment.
Talk, then sign the LOI
ECF’s founder meets your head of school and board. You review the one-page, non-binding LOI internally on your own timeline. Signing by December 31, 2026 makes you a 2027 partner school.
You are hereFederal credit goes live
§ 25F takes effect nationally. ECF begins accepting contributions when giving opens: once it is on Tennessee's SGO list and its pledge page is live. Your donor kit, referral link and listing are ready when giving opens.
You are hereFamilies apply, you confirm admission
ECF takes applications and an independent committee awards the scholarships. Your only role is confirming admission for selected families. You do not administer funds or select recipients.
You are hereFunds paid to your school
ECF pays scholarship funds directly to the school across the school year, on its normal billing cycle. Students start on an ECF scholarship.
You are hereRenew for 2028
Partner school status renews each calendar year. ECF reports 2027 back to you, and your school and ECF each decide whether to renew for 2028.
You are hereStep one is the only one that needs you today. A conversation. You can then review the Letter of Intent at your own pace. The Letter of Intent is non-binding.
Start the conversationDates reflect the § 25F program schedule and ECF's planned operating calendar, and are subject to final Treasury regulations (proposed regulations were released October 1, 2026) and to ECF getting onto Tennessee's list of scholarship granting organizations. ECF is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 42-4473313). Becoming a 2027 partner school requires a signed Letter of Intent by December 31, 2026.
Questions schools actually ask.
Can a donor name our school?
A donor may name your school, or any qualifying Christian school, as a preferred school when they give. A designation gives no advisory role and no say over selection. Donors cannot choose scholarship recipients or earmark gifts for individual students. An independent ECF committee awards scholarships to qualifying Tennessee families in order of verified need, lowest income first.
Is this exclusive? Do we have to drop our other SGO partnerships?
No. ECF is non-exclusive. Your school may work with any other SGO at the same time. We don't ask for loyalty; we ask for participation. If a different SGO sends scholarships to your school, that doesn't reduce your standing as an ECF partner school.
Is ECF recognized by the IRS?
Yes. The IRS recognized ECF as a 501(c)(3) public charity on September 24, 2026 (EIN 42-4473313), so the LOI's condition on IRS recognition is met. What remains is Tennessee's SGO list. Gifts qualify for the federal credit only once ECF is on it, and we will tell every partner school the day that happens.
Does our school have to contribute anything financially?
No. ECF pays up to 90% of tuition based on household income, and your school receives its published tuition once the family pays its share. There is no fixed method yet for calculating an award, and it may differ by school. What we ask for is a staff liaison, about five hours a quarter, and one mailing a year to your families and alumni.
How does ECF coordinate with the TN Education Freedom Scholarship?
The Tennessee EFS is $7,530 per student in 2026-27 and changes each year. ECF's scholarship can cover up to 90% of tuition for the lowest income families and less as income rises. There is no fixed method yet for calculating an ECF award alongside the Tennessee EFS and school aid, and it may differ by school. Every family pays part of tuition. We confirm Tennessee EFS status with the state before finalizing awards.
Do we have to admit the families ECF sends us?
No. Your school keeps full control over admissions. ECF doesn't override your admissions process. Families apply to ECF for scholarships and to your school for admission, in parallel. If your school does not admit the family, no scholarship is awarded. Admission alone does not guarantee a scholarship; awards depend on eligibility, the committee's selection and available funds.
What if our school isn't ready to be public about this in 2026?
We can hold the public announcement until you're ready. The LOI itself is signed by December 31, 2026, but the public listing on ECF's website can wait until your school's communications timeline allows. Some schools may prefer to announce alongside their normal admissions cycle in spring 2027.
How is ECF different from other Christian SGOs?
Three things. (1) Tennessee focus. We are Tennessee-only in Year 1, which means our donor recruitment, partner schools, and scholarship awards all sit in the same regional ecosystem. (2) Cross-denominational. We partner with Catholic, Reformed, Episcopal, evangelical, and independent Christian schools without adjudicating doctrinal differences. (3) Operational discipline. Our bylaws, disqualified-persons protocols, and donor-receipt workflow are documented and in place before we take a single dollar, and we will share them with you on request.
What happens to our school if § 25F is repealed?
ECF's program depends on the federal § 25F tax credit remaining in effect. § 25F is permanent in the federal tax code, but future legislation could alter or repeal it. If § 25F is repealed: ECF will prioritize current scholarship recipients at your school over new applicants. § 25F itself requires SGOs to prioritize existing recipients, and ECF will maintain that priority regardless. Any § 25F-qualified contributions received during a transition period will be applied to existing scholarships before new awards. ECF cannot guarantee continuation if donations stop, because ECF's funding model depends on the credit. Partner school status renews each calendar year, as described in the LOI. ECF will communicate transparently with all stakeholders within 30 days of any material change.
Who do we talk to next?
Indicate interest below and we’ll reach out within two business days. We start with a phone call or video meeting, walk through the program, and answer questions. There's no pressure to sign, and the LOI itself is the last step, which only happens after your school is fully comfortable with the partnership.
Tell us about your school.
Share a few details and we'll reach out within two business days. We'll set up a phone call or video meeting, walk through the program, and answer your questions. No pressure to sign; no fundraising calls.
That didn't go through. Please email info@educationchoicefund.org directly and we’ll follow up.
Thank you. We'll be in touch.
We’ll reach out within two business days to set up a conversation. In the meantime, you can reach us at info@educationchoicefund.org.