A new federal school choice initiative is being hailed as the “greatest evangelism opportunity since the Billy Graham crusades,” with supporters expecting it to expand access to Christian education for millions of American children beginning in 2027.
The Ohio-based Center for Christian Virtue has established the Christian Education Network Scholarship Granting Organization to provide financial assistance to families seeking Christian schooling. The initiative will operate under the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, for which the U.S. Department of the Treasury released proposed regulations earlier this month.
Starting Jan. 1, 2027, qualifying taxpayers will be eligible for tax credits of up to $1,700 when contributing to approved scholarship-granting organizations. Those contributions will fund educational expenses, including tuition at Christian schools.
“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 a visit to Washington, D.C., this week. “It mirrors a program about 20 states have, including Ohio.”
Baer said the initiative could allow families nationwide to pursue faith-based education, provided Christians support the effort. He described the program as the “greatest evangelism opportunity since the Billy Graham crusades,” saying families “are going to be able to access a high-quality Christian education if the body of Christ is able to step up and respond.”
“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 organization is also raising awareness of the initiative through its “Stop Settling, Expect More” campaign.
Thirty states have joined the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, including 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. While taxpayers nationwide may claim the credit, scholarships are available only to students residing in participating states.
“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%.”
Based on that projection, Baer estimated the program could generate “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 currently has affiliates in 10 states: Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Although Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have not joined the federal program, Baer said the network intends to maintain a presence there because “Christian schools in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts need a voice in state public policy.”
