What if you could solve all of America’s problems by focusing on just one?
The economy, healthcare, crime, human services, national security—these are just a few of the things keeping Americans up at night. It’s no wonder we’re losing sleep; each issue is scary enough on its own, so the thought of solving them all simultaneously… well, where would we even start? The answer might surprise you.
A recent survey of K-12 parents found that EDUCATION ranks 6th on the list of our most pressing concerns. But ACE Scholarships recognizes it should be our country’s top priority, and here’s why. Education is embedded in the roots of every single problem we’re up against. And it’s the proven solution to moving forward with hope for a brighter future. Because changing education changes everything.
Jessica Garcia-Tejeda, Initial Scholarship 2011, Software Engineer
Javon Brame, Initial Scholarship 2000, Senior Director of Client Success
Marissa Murdock, Initial Scholarship 2012, Assistant Director of Communications
Jimmy Pham, Initial Scholarship 2014, Project Manager
Dr. Vincenzo Artino, Initial Scholarship 2000, Owner of Lakewood Complete Dentistry
Loren Koszowski, Initial Scholarship 2000, Founder of Spruce Community School
Susanna Pasillas, Initial Scholarship 2001, 1st Grade Teacher
Emanuel Ornelas, Initial Scholarship 2000, Homeschool Curriculum Designer
Educational freedom for all.
ACE’s alumni are proof. What we’re doing is working… and our nation needs more of it.
ACE isn’t just an “organization.” It’s a passion to provide access to the best education for every kid in America. Yes, we have a headquarters, and there are people who gather to work there. But what we are goes way beyond our office or org chart. We’re supporting litigation like the case that drove school choice forward and delivered the biggest legal win in education since Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. We’re inspiring big-hearted, forward-thinking donors who make supporting the future a priority.
We’re backing the sharpest policy minds, creating more ways to fund access to quality education, and we’re innovating so states can distribute more scholarships than ever before. More than anything, we’re the link that brings students, parents, schools, philanthropists, business leaders, and legislators together to manifest a shared, singular goal: Educational Freedom for All.
Vision
That every child in America has equal access to a quality education.
Mission
To advance K-12 educational freedom, with a focus on securing financial support for families so they may access the quality education of their choice.
Our Four Pillars
For 26 years, ACE Scholarships has been a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and providing educational freedom. Our vision has remained consistent, but our mission has grown as we embrace opportunities to exponentially expand our impact by supporting nationwide educational freedom.
In addition to delivering privately funded scholarships, managing state tax credit programs, and advocating for school choice policies, ACE will also generate revenue through its proprietary technology and the upcoming federal tax credit for scholarships, beginning January 2027.
Scholarships Delivered
Scholarships Delivered
Over the past 25 years, ACE families have chosen the best ACE partner schools for their children.
Over the past 26 years, ACE families have chosen the best ACE partner schools for their children.
and counting!
All in on results.
ACE wants every child to have access to a great education. For lower-income families, that’s often not possible without financial support. That’s why partial scholarships are the first of ACE’s three-pronged approach to promoting educational freedom. From the beginning, ACE financially partnered with vetted schools and scholar families, because stewardship is strengthened when everyone has skin in the game.
That doesn’t just sound good. It is good, because it works. And we’ve got the numbers to prove it. Nationwide, ACE scholars outperform students of virtually all income levels. Their high school graduation rates are vastly superior to their peers. Nearly all of our graduates go on to college or enter the trades or military. All are equipped to pursue their dreams, accelerate social mobility, secure good paying jobs and thrive. We’ve poured ourselves into this for 26 years, and the returns have been priceless.
For the first time in 26 years, ACE recently increased the average scholarship amount across all states to $3,500 (to address rising costs of tuition).
The ACE Model
High School Graduation Rates
Our partner schools have some of the highest graduation rates in the country. And nearly all of our graduates go on to college or enter the trades or military.
The Hidden Cost
Dropouts in the U.S. in 2023 cost society $19.8 billion!
*State Department of Education for the 12 states ACE operated in 2024. ACE Partner Schools with analyses done by QREM.
The Hidden Cost
Dropouts in the U.S. in 2023 cost society $19.8 billion!
All rise!
Sometimes, standing up for something means getting up again… and again… and again. That’s the reality for ACE’s policy team, who fight for educational freedom in state capitals and courtrooms across the country— paving the way for hundreds of thousands of students to access the education they deserve and creating opportunity where there was stagnation.
The ACE policy team is proud to:
- Support the passage of school choice laws
- Protect and expand existing programs
- Operate tax credit programs
- Be a cooperative coalition partner to help pass and implement the federal tax credit for scholarships initiative
ACE worked alongside the
U.S. Department of Education and the White House on the inclusion of private schools
under federal COVID-19
relief legislation.
In 2020, our amicus briefs contributed to the defeat of the Blaine Amendments, the single biggest legal victory for School Choice.
In 2024-25, ACE
leadership, parents, and
students all played an active
and visible role in Texas’ historic passage of SB2—the largest state school choice program in history
(initially $1 billion)!
Proof ACE Works
The Alexander Family
Greta Alexander’s family exemplifies the triumphant impact of an ACE scholarship, and the tragic consequences of not having one. Due to her limited finances, her son Terrence had to go to a poorly performing school, where he was introduced to drugs that eventually took his life. Her daughter, Miracle, on the other hand, received an ACE scholarship and is an honor roll student, multi-sport athlete on her way to becoming a nurse. In a twist of even more good news, thanks to ACE, Terrence’s daughter, Ahkira is now getting the opportunity her late father never did. The Alexanders are now giving back by engaging in speaking opportunities, interviews and podcasts to help other families experience the hope of educational freedom.
Greta and Miracle
speaking at the ACE
2025 Annual Luncheon
ACE worked
alongside the U.S.
Department of Education
and the White House on the
inclusion of private schools under
federal COVID-19
relief legislation.
In 2020, our
amicus briefs contributed
to the defeat of the Blaine
Amendments, the single
biggest legal victory
for School Choice.
In 2024-25, ACE
leadership, parents, and
students all played an active
and visible role in Texas’ historic
passage of SB2—the largest
state school choice program
in history (initially
$1 billion)!
Hear the Alexander Family’s incredible story.
The Alexanders with Governor Greg Abbott at the signing of Texas’ school choice bill
Scholarship Software Made Simple
After more than two and a half decades of delivering scholarships, ACE has become an innovator of technology solutions that make the entire process seamless. We’ve built a robust platform that serves as a streamlined one-stop shop for families, schools, and service providers. This world-class technology ensures that ACE, schools, governments, and other Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) can implement federal tax credits at scale, administer ESAs, (including account management, approved vendor onboarding, and spending guardrails), and maximize efficiency for processing student scholarships.
In the ACE Platform:
- Parents can apply, be awarded and funded, and pay educational expenses
- Donors can financially support more ACE scholars
- Vendors and schools can promote their learning resources/spaces and submit tuition invoices
- Scholarships Granting Organizations (SGOs) can partner with ACE to manage their operations more effectively
and we’re just getting started
Over the last 26 years we’ve delivered more than one-third of a billion dollars in scholarships and with the Education Freedom Tax Credit (coming in 2027), the sky is the limit for the impact we can have on families.
MILLION
Delivered in Scholarships and ESAs
Million
Delivered in Scholarships and ESAs
Transformational Opportunities for
Students
Beginning in 2027, the new federal tax credit for scholarships has the capacity to bring educational freedom to families across America in a truly unprecedented manner by offering a dollar-for-dollar tax credit (up to $1,700) for individuals who donate to qualifying nonprofit Scholarship Granting Organizations (like ACE Scholarships). This is a monumental opportunity because every child deserves access to an excellent education, regardless of their zip code. This new federal tax credit has the power to make that happen.
Once in a Lifetime
Opportunity!
Just 1% participation of
47 million potential donors*
= $799 million for
scholarships each year!
*ACE estimate based on ERN ECCA Calculations, Oct. 2025
*Gallup, 2024 Confidence in Education History
Sheras, P.L. and Bradshaw, C.P. (2016). Fostering Policies That Enhance Positive School Environment. Theory into Practice, 55(2), 129-135.
Parents are Losing Faith in the Education System.
Americans’ confidence in public schools have declined substantially over the past 35 years. Down from 49% in 1988 to 26% in 2023.
*Gallup, 2024 Confidence in Education History
Sheras, P.L. and Bradshaw, C.P. (2016). Fostering Policies That Enhance Positive School Environment. Theory into Practice, 55(2), 129-135.
Progress isn't partisan.
There’s a reason why more people than ever are ready to embrace equal opportunity in education. Our communities love their kids. And kids across the country are winning. ACE schools demonstrate a 48% jump in reading proficiency and 44% jump in math proficiency. And the benefit is dramatic.
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), since school choice was adopted in Indiana, their state ranking for lower-income student performance rose from 22nd in the nation to 3rd. In Florida, from 33rd to 1st. In the end, this is about
impact not ideology. And while we’re certainly moving forward, there are still too many students who’ve been left behind. But not for long. America is coming together around educational freedom. Turns out love likes to work both sides of the aisle.
4th Grade Reading Proficiency
32%
Public Schools
67%
ACE Schools
FRL 8th Grade Math Proficiency
14%
Public Schools
58%
ACE Schools
* National Assessment of Educational Progress at the National Center for Education Statistics (2024) and State Department of Education for the 12 states ACE operated in 2024. ACE Partner Schools with analyses done by QREM.
FRL = Free and Reduced Lunch
26 Years of Impact
ACE is currently in 13 states
and counting
* Tax Credit States
If you’re projecting to have a state tax
liability in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, or Montana, you may be able to redirect those funds into a partial or complete tax credit by giving to ACE instead! Reach out to your
state development officer for details. It’s
a powerful way to transform tax
dollars into life-changing
opportunities.
26 Years of Impact
ACE is currently in 13 states
and counting
* Tax Credit States
If you’re projecting to have a state tax liability in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, or Montana, you may be able to redirect those funds into a partial or complete tax credit by giving to ACE instead! Reach out to your state development officer for details. It’s a powerful way
to transform tax dollars into
life-changing
opportunities.
Create a Lasting Legacy Through Smarter Support
Planned Giving
ACE can introduce you to a variety of strategic ways to give that offer valuable tax benefits and the opportunity to help generations of lower-income students.
From bequests and donor advised funds to charitable remainder trusts and gifts of appreciated assets, the
possibilities are exciting and can extend the impact of your generosity for years to come. Contact Kari Hebble at [email protected] to explore your options.
When every kid has access to the best education, it sets a pretty incredible cascade in motion.
Kids who grew up in poverty lift themselves out, often bringing many around them along for the ride. Crime drops, because those who had no other way to survive are now busy skyrocketing to success. And, as the success of American student scales, it supercharges the economy, sending productivity and innovation through the roof. It’s all connected, and it leads without fail to a safer, stronger, more vibrant America. But the most important thing to remember is that it all starts with education. If we take care of that, everything else takes care of itself.
Join us!
By supporting ACE, you’re pulling a powerful lever that puts kids across America in a position to succeed, whether it’s through scholarships, policy advocacy, or technology.
Given the exponential impact that education can have on the most pressing problems of our nation, there’s no better place to invest your dollars. By supporting our endowment and participating in planned giving, you can ensure the future of America burns brightly for generations to come!
