PA Education Tax Credit Programs

Qualified businesses and individuals can support scholarships at CPS through
the Pennsylvania Educational Tax Credit program!

For Individuals


In 2019, CPS established a special purpose entity (SPE) to facilitate individuals’ participation in the educational tax credit program.  Individuals have provided more than $850,000 in student scholarships in that time.

How does it work?

  1. Contact CPS to confirm the availability of credits

  2. Estimate your Pennsylvania tax liability for this year.

  3. Make a minimum contribution of $5,000 to support scholarships

  4. Claim a 90% tax credit & CPS is awarded 100% of your contribution for student scholarships

Not sure if you qualify to participate in the Pennsylvania Educational Tax Credit Program?

Take a brief 3-minute quiz to see if you could qualify.

  • The Educational Improvement Tax Credit program, or EITC, is available to individuals and businesses with a minimum of $5,000 in Pennsylvania state tax liability.

    For individuals, you must be an employee, owner, or shareholder of a company authorized to do business and pay taxes in Pennsylvania. For individuals employed by non-profit organizations or already enjoying retirement, you can participate in the EITC program as long as you own direct stock in a qualifying business in Pennsylvania.

  • Yes! Individuals who are retired or work for non-profit organizations can participate as long as they are a shareholder of a business authorized to do business in Pennsylvania. This means as long as you directly own stock in a business operating in Pennsylvania, you are eligible to join!

  • Special Purpose Entities, or SPEs, are legal entities whose sole purpose is to assemble individuals interested in accessing tax credits through the Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) or Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs. Community Partnership School facilitates two SPEs, one to support scholarships for students in grades K-12, and another to support scholarships for students in PreKindergarten.

  • CPS donors can now participate in the tax credit program year-to-year, allowing donors the flexibility to maximize their credit and contribution.

  • 100% of your contribution directed to CPS will benefit student scholarships. CPS does not charge any fees to participate in the tax credit program. We are also happy to help donors support other participating school communities by request.

  • The tax credit program allows donors to access just that - a tax credit! If your tax liability exceeds your contribution, you will likely not receive a refund. If after the tax credit you are owed a refund, donors typically receive their refunds in the Fall following their contribution. For example, if you made a contribution in November 2023, you would likely receive a refund in the Fall of 2024.

    We encourage you to speak with a tax professional about the tax refund process in Pennsylvania.

Frequently Asked Questions

For Businesses


Corporations apply directly to the State of Pennsylvania to receive two-year tax credits designated to one of the scholarship programs (OSTC, EITC-SO, EITC-EIO, or EITC PreK). New applications are due July 1, renewal applications are due May 15.

Those companies who are awarded tax credits make charitable contributions to CPS or other approved scholarship organizations, equal to the amount of their tax credit allocation.

The Scholarship Organization issues the necessary documentation to file with the state to receive the full tax credit!