activities · 11
what they do
direct service · 5
- Administer K-12 Private School ScholarshipsAdministers four types of K-12 private school scholarships (Original, Overflow, Low-Income Corporate, and Disabled/Displaced Corporate) in Arizona, funded by individual and corporate tax credit donations. The organization awards 92% of donated funds as scholarships, exceeding the state-mandated 90% requirement, and makes award decisions three times per year based on financial need and student narratives.
- Administer tax credit-funded private school scholarships Arizona Tax Credit Scholarship FacilitationAdministers K-12 private school scholarship programs in Arizona using funds from individual and corporate tax credit donations, operating under state-established tax credit programs with annual caps of $166 million for low-income students and $6 million for disabled or displaced students.
- Administer tax credit-funded private school scholarshipsAdministers K-12 private school scholarships in Arizona through four state tax credit programs: Individual Original, Individual Overflow, Low-Income Corporate, and Disabled/Displaced Corporate, with annual award cycles and selection committees reviewing financial need and student narratives. The organization awards 92% of donated funds as scholarships, exceeding the state-mandated 90% minimum.
- Maintain high scholarship payout ratioDirects 92% of all donated funds toward scholarships, consistently exceeding the state-mandated minimum of 90% for tax credit scholarship organizations.
- Process and award scholarships based on financial need and eligibility Income-Based Private School ScholarshipsReviews scholarship applications annually starting March 1, evaluates financial need and student narratives through selection committees, and awards four types of scholarships—Original, Overflow, Low-Income Corporate, and Disabled/Displaced Corporate—three times per year to eligible students with family incomes up to 342.25% of the poverty level.
advocacy · 3
- Facilitate Tax Credit Donations Arizona Tax Credit Scholarship FacilitationFacilitates dollar-for-dollar tax credit donations through Arizona's withholding tax reduction law (A.R.S. 43-401) to fund K-12 private school scholarships.
- Facilitate tax credit donations for school scholarships Arizona Tax Credit Scholarship FacilitationEnables individuals and corporations to make dollar-for-dollar tax credit donations to fund private school scholarships under Arizona law (A.R.S. 43-401), channeling contributions into state-authorized scholarship programs.
- Facilitate tax credit donations for school scholarships Arizona Tax Credit Scholarship FacilitationEnables individuals and corporations to make dollar-for-dollar tax credit contributions to scholarship funds through Arizona’s tax credit laws (A.R.S. 43-401), facilitating donations that support private school attendance for K-12 students.
capacity building · 3
- Build partnerships with private schools Private School Partnership ProgramsInvites and establishes partnerships with private schools across Arizona through a contact form and staff follow-up, enabling schools to participate in scholarship programs and receive transferred unused funds if students change schools.
- Build partnerships with private schools Private School Partnership ProgramsInvites and establishes partnerships with private schools across Arizona to participate in scholarship programs, enabling transfer of unused scholarship funds and expanding access to tuition support.
- School Partnership Development Arizona Tax Credit Scholarship FacilitationInvites schools to initiate partnerships through a contact form and staff follow-up to expand the network of private schools accepting their scholarships.
strategies · 22
how they think
Theories of action extracted from this org's own source material. Click any to see the full field of orgs running the same approach.
- Compliance-Driven Scholarship Operations compliance_with_state_scholarship_lawsOperates all scholarship programs in strict compliance with Arizona state laws, including prohibitions on awarding scholarships based on donor recommendations or reciprocal agreements, ensuring legal integrity and public accountability.
- Corporate Tax Credit Redirection for Scholarships corporate_tax_credit_redirectionEnables corporations to redirect their state tax liabilities into scholarship donations for underserved students (low-income, disabled, foster care), leveraging tax credit mechanisms to generate private funding at no additional cost to donors.
- Corporate Tax Credit Redirection for Scholarships corporate tax credit redirectionEnables corporations to redirect their state tax liabilities into scholarship donations for underserved students without additional financial cost, leveraging Arizona’s tax credit system to fund private education access.
- Cost-Efficient Private Education Alternative cost_efficient_education_alternativePositions private school scholarships as a fiscally responsible alternative to public education, generating state cost savings while expanding high-quality educational opportunities for students.
- Donor-Recommended Scholarship Process with Independent Needs-Based Selection donor_recommended_scholarship_modelAllows donors to recommend students or schools for scholarships, but maintains compliance with state law by using independent selection committees that make final award decisions based on financial need, student narrative, and application content—not donor intent—ensuring equitable and legally sound distribution.
- Donor-Recommended Scholarship Selection with Independent Oversight donor_recommended_scholarship_modelAllows donors to recommend schools or students for scholarships, while final award decisions are made independently by selection committees based on financial need, student narrative, and compliance with tax regulations, ensuring equitable and need-based distribution.
- Enabling Convenient Payroll Withholding for Charitable Giving payroll_withholding_donationThe organization utilizes payroll withholding as a mechanism for individual employees to contribute to student scholarships. This allows for smaller, automatic, tax-credit-eligible donations without reducing the donor's take-home pay, making charitable giving more accessible.
- Facilitating Donor-Recommended, Needs-Based Scholarship Allocation donor_recommended_scholarship_modelThe organization allows donors to recommend schools or students for scholarships, while maintaining an independent, needs-based selection process. Scholarship awards are determined by selection committees that consider family financial information, student narratives, and application content to ensure equitable distribution.
- Holistic, Needs-Based Scholarship Allocation needs-based scholarship allocationUses a comprehensive selection process that evaluates household financial information, student narratives, academic and extracurricular engagement, and application completeness to award scholarships based on financial need and student merit.
- Holistic, Needs-Based Scholarship Allocation needs-based_scholarship_allocationUses a comprehensive review process that evaluates household financial information, student narratives, academic performance, and extracurricular engagement to award scholarships, ensuring both financial need and student merit are considered.
- Leveraging Tax Credit Scholarships for Educational Access tax_credit_scholarship_modelThe organization utilizes Arizona's tax credit system, including individual and corporate donations, to fund K-12 private school tuition scholarships. This mechanism expands educational options for students who might not otherwise afford private education, while also being framed as a cost-effective alternative to public education for the state.
- Multi-Year Scholarship Holding for ESA Transition multi-year scholarship holdingHolds tax credit scholarship awards for students currently receiving ESA funds so they can be used in a future year if ESA funding ends, ensuring continued educational access during transitions.
- Multi-Year Scholarship Holding for ESA Transition multi-year_scholarship_holdingHolds tax credit scholarship awards for students currently receiving ESA funds, allowing them to access scholarship support in future years if ESA funding ends, ensuring continuity of private education access.
- Payroll Withholding Donation Mechanism payroll_withholding_donation_modelEnables individuals and employees to make tax-credit-eligible donations to student scholarships through automatic payroll withholdings, allowing consistent, low-barrier giving without reducing take-home pay.
- Payroll Withholding Donation Mechanism payroll_withholding_donation_modelEnables individuals and employees to contribute to scholarship funds through payroll withholdings, allowing automatic, tax-credit-eligible donations without reducing take-home pay, thereby lowering barriers to donor participation.
- Private Education Access Through Tax Credits private_education_access_through_tax_creditsFocuses on increasing access to private education by leveraging Arizona’s tax credit mechanisms, enabling families who could not otherwise afford tuition to choose alternative schools.
- School Partnership Onboarding and Support school_partnership_onboardingProvides staff-supported application processes to onboard partner private schools into scholarship programs, facilitating institutional participation and program scalability.
- School Partnership Onboarding with Staff Support school_partnership_onboardingUses a staff-supported application process to onboard partner schools into the scholarship network, ensuring smooth integration and compliance.
- Structured Application Review Process application_review_processRequires fully completed applications before students are considered for scholarships, ensuring consistency, completeness, and fairness in the evaluation process.
- Supporting Partner Schools Through Onboarding and Scholarship Holding school_partnership_onboardingThe organization provides staff-supported application processes to onboard partner schools and holds tax credit scholarship awards for students receiving ESA funds to be used in a future year after ESA termination, ensuring continuity of support.
- Tax Credit Scholarship Model tax_credit_scholarship_modelUses Arizona’s tax credit programs to convert individual and corporate donations into private school tuition scholarships for K-12 students, expanding access to private education for low-income, disabled, or foster care students while generating state cost savings compared to public school funding.
- Tax Credit Scholarship Model tax_credit_scholarship_modelUtilizes Arizona’s state tax credit programs to convert individual and corporate donations into private school tuition scholarships for K-12 students, particularly those from low-income, disabled, or foster care backgrounds, thereby expanding access to private education without increasing public spending.
named programs · 5
what they call their work
Disabled / Displaced Corporate Scholarship
Scholarships for K-12 students with disabilities (IEP, 504 plan, or MET from an Arizona public school) or students who have been in the Arizona foster care system.
Disabled/Displaced Corporate Scholarship
Provides scholarships to students with disabilities (with IEP, 504, or MET plan) or those who have been in Arizona's foster care system
Low-Income Corporate Scholarship
Provides tuition scholarships to K-12 students from families with household income at or below 185% of the federal reduced lunch threshold who meet eligibility criteria such as switching from public school, being in foster care, or having a disability
Original Scholarship
Available to all K-12 students attending qualifying Arizona private schools regardless of income, funded through individual tax credits
Overflow Scholarship
Available to students who switched from public/charter schools, are entering kindergarten, are military dependents, or meet other specified transition criteria, funded through individual tax credits
relationships · 192
who they work with
- 91st Psalm Christian School Partner — Partner school in Phoenix
- ACCEL Partner — Partner school in Phoenix
- Acton Academy Partner — Partner school in Phoenix
- Aleph Bet Preschool & Kindergarten Partner — Partner school in Phoenix
- All Saint’s Catholic School Partner — Partner school in Sierra Vista
- All Saint’s Episcopal Day School Partner — Partner school in Phoenix
- Ambassador Christian Academy Partner — Partner school in Queen Creek
- American Federation for Children Partner — Supporting organization that promotes educational choice and innovation, including school vouchers and scholarship tax credit programs.
- American Indian Christian Mission Partner — Partner school in Show Low
- Annunciation Catholic School Partner — Partner school in Cave Creek
- Apache Baptist Academy Partner — Partner school in Bylas
- Arcadia Christian Academy Partner — Partner school in Phoenix
- Arizona Cultural Academy Partner — Partner school in Phoenix
- Arizona Department of Revenue Government — Administers rules under which scholarship awards are distributed to individual students only.
- Arizona Department of Revenue Government — Administers the tax credit framework under which School Choice Arizona operates.
- Arizona Department of Revenue Government — Complies with state tax credit regulations and uses ADOR forms (323, 348, 301) for donor tax credit claims.
- Arizona Department of Revenue Government — Follows regulations set by the Arizona Department of Revenue for scholarship awarding.
- Arizona Department of Revenue Government — Processes and approves corporate donation requests for tax credits under state law.
- Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) Government — Regulates compliance with tax credit scholarship laws, including donor confidentiality and scholarship award rules.
- Arizona Jewish Academy Partner — Partner school in Scottsdale
- Arizona Lutheran Academy Partner — Partner school in Phoenix
- Arizona School Tuition Organization Association (ASTOA) Partner — Provides mentoring, resources, training, and support to School Tuition Organizations in Arizona, including School Choice Arizona.
- Arrowhead Christian Academy Partner — Partner school in Glendale
- Arrowhead Montessori Partner — Partner school in Peoria
- Arrows Christian Academy Partner — Partner school in Chandler
- Ascension Lutheran School Partner — Partner school in Tucson
- Atonement Lutheran School Partner — Partner school in Glendale
- Autism Academy for Education and Development Partner — Partner school
- Banner Children’s Academy Partner — Partner school in Tempe
- Bayer Private School Partner — Partner school in Glendale
+ 162 more