Experts at every level of education and government have been talking about school reform for over 30 years. And while in that time we’ve made some progress, far too many kids are still trapped in schools that don’t work for them. And with the large bureaucracy that our educational system is, dramatic and practical improvements just won’t come soon enough, especially for kids from lower-income families. That means too many kids in each new generation will get left further and further behind. In fact, a large number of today’s kids from low-income families will never graduate high school, and that’s completely unacceptable.
WHY ACE
Everybody wants school reform. Kids like Javier actually need it.
98.9%
High school graduation rate
Our ACE Partner schools have a 98.9% graduation rate. Most of our graduates go on to college, trades, or military.
100,000
Scholarships
worth nearly $330M have been provided over 25 years
14,090
ACE Scholars 2023-24
We have helped over fourteen thousand students in the 2023-2024 school year.
Let’s face it. Trying to tackle school reform all at once is a pretty daunting task.
But then we realized something — we don’t need to. Instead, if we could help just one child at a time, we’d be able to have real impact starting from day one. And so we set out on a mission. We noticed something that everyone else seemed to overlook. While there were a lot of kids from lower-income families failing in their current schools, there were a lot of really great schools with extra capacity. We saw independent schools operating with their own philosophies and teaching styles. Yet, as different as they all were, each excelled with the type of students they served. Maybe the problem wasn’t that there weren’t enough good schools, but rather that low-income families didn’t have a way into these schools. So we decided to change that.
Why wait for others, when we could make a difference ourselves?
This is the philosophy behind ACE Scholarships, a nonprofit organization that raises money from generous donors and then awards financial scholarships to students from low-income families so they can attend the school of their choice. ACE Scholarships has quickly become an educational success story. In fact, since 2000, we’ve provided over 80,000 Scholarships worth nearly $212 million, giving children from low-income families the chance to succeed. And succeed they have, graduating high school with most going on to college, trade school, or military.
Who we help
ACE Scholarships works with low-income families from a variety of different circumstances across numerous states. To qualify for an ACE Scholarship, a family must meet the income requirements. ACE serves lower-income families who fall under the 350% Federal Poverty Guideline percentage. Our families have an average income of $56,686 a year.
Like any great idea, you have to start somewhere.
We started in Colorado. Click to learn more about the states we now work in.
We major in economics.
ACE Scholarships makes financial and economic sense. For each student that graduates high school, it saves society $9,434 each year. Funding for public schools has increased by over 300% in the last 45 years. Yet, the academic performance of students has remained virtually unchanged. Kids in elementary and high school today can’t afford to wait any longer for the system to change. Especially when there’s a proven and cost-effective alternative. For about $3,000 a student, ACE can provide a scholarship to a low-income family so their student can get out of a situation where they’re failing and into an environment where they can succeed.
Meet our board members and staff.
Guiding Principles
The founders were driven to launch ACE by these primary convictions:
-
The American public education system is flawed
The founders were well versed in education reform dating back to the early 1980’s when A Nation at Risk was published. Milton Friedman’s book Free to Choose was also an inspiration to them, as were pioneering education reform efforts in Milwaukee and Cleveland.The founders’ greatest inspiration was the late John Walton, who through his philanthropy encouraged leaders around the country to do something about an education system that doesn’t work for all kids, particularly students of color from low-income families. He was an early proponent of, and investor in, programs that provide immediate relief to students through privately funded programs offering private school choice. As Ralph Nagel put it, “the education of our children is the most important issue in our country and giving parents the ability to choose a school that works for their child is the simplest and most impactful reform we can champion.”
-
Free enterprise and democracy work.
Each of the ACE founders grew up in middle-income families and benefited greatly from the benefits of competition in business. Their personal life stories became the foundation of their belief that all families should be able to choose the academic environments that are right for their children. In every area of life where we have competition, products and services improve. Free enterprise breeds competition, which leads to innovation and efficiency and creates an accountable, customer-focused culture. If parents are able to leave, schools will work harder to keep them. This conviction was forged through the founders’ personal beliefs that America is the greatest country in the world and that democracy, free markets and competition work, allowing anyone to achieve the American Dream. Ed McVaney observed, “Free markets work and should be the basis of our education system because parents can then choose the right school for their children.”
-
Parents know the best education environment for their kids.
The founders believed that parents, not government bureaucrats, know what is best for their children. Cranberg explained, “ACE was created to empower parents to choose the best school for their children. Our mission is to ensure that parents and children have the ability to figure out which place fits them best.” Every child is different. Parents know their children the best and are therefore the best decision-makers for their children. The founders were impartial to the choice parents make, instead believing parents know best. ACE, therefore, does not limit the private school choices for parents or seek to influence parents in the choices they make other than financial eligibility, as defined by the federal Free & Reduced Lunch (FRL) guidelines. Over subsequent years, the ACE governing board has relaxed these financial requirements for families to better serve the communities we serve. However, in the spirit of our founders’ vision, in every circumstance, ACE families have significant financial need. Typical ACE families of four currently earn around $40,000 annually and an ACE scholarship covers at most only half of a student’s tuition, with a current cap of $2,000 for K-8 and $3,000 for high school. The ACE model expects parents to pay for a portion of their child’s tuition, and we know this comes at a great financial sacrifice. We also know that by having skin in the game, families are more invested and likely to succeed. As Cranberg reflected on this dynamic,“If they are coming to the table with their children, with their hopes, and with their money, I don’t see how we can fail them by not at least coming to the table with some funds.”
-
Private schools offer great value and have open seats.
During their initial investigation into how to improve education in America, our founders were struck by the quality and care that small private schools offer. These are not the elite college-prep schools that today charge $20,000 or more for tuition. Most private schools are small, humble enterprises with tuitions currently in the $8,000 to $12,000 range, but were able to do amazing things for kids. And these were schools with open seats and a willingness to serve low-income students who had been previously struggling in public school. “You could see that there was tremendous hope. That there were places in Denver where people were doing wonderful things with kids that weren’t supposed to be having wonderful things happen to them,” Cranberg recalled. The founders learned that the majority of private schools were faith-based and that in addition to finding a school that shared their family values, families chose such private schools because of safety and access to quality academics. Today, more than 85% of ACE partner schools are faith based. Over the past twenty years, as ACE data have demonstrated, year after year, that private schools offer all children a great education. ACE students usually enter their private schools one or two years behind grade level, but within three years at their new schools, catch up and thrive.
-
All people are created equal and deserve an equal chance to pursue the American Dream.
The founders subscribed to the great American principle underlying both our Declaration of Independence and our Constitution: all people are created equal. They saw the large discrepancy in educational outcomes between white students and students of color in public schools, and knew better was possible. This “achievement gap” is not only a stain on America’s education system but a root cause of countless other social ills, and our founders believed school choice would help eradicate it. The founders were therefore intentional in establishing ACE support as a need-based scholarship, not a merit-based scholarship. They believed that families with financial need should have equal access to quality private K-12 options to help level the playing field throughout society. The founders did not place additional academic or other requirements on the family, above and beyond whatever requirements their school of choice has in place in order to further this vision. This vision paved the way for ACE to enter tax credit states in later years (Louisiana and Kansas, currently), as all publicly-funded tax credit programs nationally are need-based. Alex Cranberg said, “ACE serves as a reproach that demographics are your destiny, that if you’re poor that it explains your likely output in life.” John Walton, founder of the Children’s Scholarship Fund, declared “educational choice is the last great civil rights issue of our time.”
Major Foundation Partners
Board of Directors
DEBORAH FLORA
Partner/Co-Founder Lamplight Entertainment and Whetstone Media Group
NATASHA HARRIS
Principal, Biegert Group, Inc.
ERIC KOEPLIN
CEO Alpha Principle
SCOTT MCLEAN
Denver CO
(Treasurer)
RICK SCHMITZ
Partner, SKS Ventures
JOE SMITH
Partner, Bartlit Beck LLP
(Chairman)
MATT TURNER
Managing Partner, MorningStar Senior Living
(Secretary)
LISA WALSH
Denver, CO
(Vice Chair)
MIKE WARD
Owner, Mike Ward Infiniti, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, McLaren, Fiat
BERT WILLIAMS
COO, Johnson Financial Group
LIZ WRIGHT
Denver, CO
National Advisory Board
JOY AND DONALD "BOYSIE" BOLLINGER
Louisiana
National Advisory Board Co-Chairman
GOVERNOR JEB BUSH
Florida
Honorary National Advisory Board Member
FRAN AND TERRY COMBS
CEO, Integrated Airline Services
Colorado
MARILYN AND PETE COORS
Colorado
CATHY AND ALEX CRANBERG
Chairman, Aspect Energy, LLC
Florida
HEIDI CRUZ
Managing Director, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Texas
CYNTHIA FISHER
Entrepreneur
LYNN FRIESS
Founder, Friess Associates
Wyoming
National Advisory Board Co-Chairman
BOBBI AND LANE GRIGSBY
Founder & Chairman, Cajun
Industries LLC
Louisiana
DIANE AND JEFF RIGGS
Principal, Essex Financial Group
Colorado
LINDA AND EDDIE RISPONE
Louisiana
MARY AND JEFF ROSS
Senior Strategic Advisor, Atlantic Aviation
Colorado
CAROL AND JOHN SAEMAN
Colorado
SUSAN AND RICK SCHMITZ
Colorado
KEELY AND SCOT SELLERS
Colorado
CECE AND MATT STULLER
Founder, CEO, and Chairman, Stuller, Inc
Louisiana
LISA AND TIM WALSH
CEO, Confluence Builders, LLB
Colorado
LIZ WRIGHT
Colorado
NANCY AND MIKE ZOELLNER
Managing Partner, ZF Capital
Colorado
State Boards
Arkansas
Arkansas Board of Advisors
Mary and Dabbs Cavin CEO, Mountaire Corporation
Greg Hartz Founder and Co-Principal, Foundation Resource Management
Janna Knight Little Rock, AR
Matt Machen Regional Executive, Arvest Bank
Cameron Machen Category Development Manager, Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits
Christina Snider Little Rock, AR
Jay Snider Owner, Jay Snider Inc, Shelter Insurance
Colorado
Colorado Board of Trustees
Austin Akers
CEO, Bison Oil & Gas
Don Bailey
Chairman & CEO, Triton Investment Company
Bill Bergner
President, Berco Resources, LLC
Ed Bernau
Denver, CO
Graydon Bevis
Denver, CO
Jim Boots
President & CEO, Boots Construction Company
Mark Brinkerhoff
Managing Partner, Brinkerhoff Restaurants
Dick Brown
Denver, CO
Matt Call
Principal & CEO, NavPoint Real Estate Group
Patrick Callahan
Broker, Confluence Land Company
Blake Carlson
Partner, Carlson Land Development, LLC
George Caulkins
Principal, Greendeck Capital
Scott Clark
Chairman & CEO, The True Life Companies
John Dietzler
Executive Vice President, Dietzler Companies
Stanton Dodge
Chief Legal Officer, DraftKings
Meg Duke
Denver, CO
Lori Durham
Denver, CO
Rick Eldridge
President & CEO, The Intuitive Companies
Gregg Engles
Partner, Capitol Peak Partners
James Evans
Founder, Lobo Logistics
Nate Ford
Partner, Perkins Coie, LLP
John Fox
Chairman, Augusta Jane Oil & Gas, LLC
Jim Francescon
President, Century Communities, Inc.
Mike Fries
President & CEO, Liberty Global, Inc.
Caleb Gates
Denver, CO
John Grier
President, Crimson Midstream, LLC
Tom Hamilton
President, HF Corp
Natasha Harris
Principal/Manager, Biegert Group, Inc.
Dave Hunter
Chairman, Financial Designs, Ltd.
Brandon Johnson
CEO, Johnson Financial Group, LLC
Mike Johnson
President, Johnson GEO
Mike Kennedy
President, Point Rider Real Estate LLC
Armen Khadiwala
Founder & Private Wealth Advisor, Apogee Wealth Advisors
Andy Klein
Founder & Managing Principal, Westside Investment Partners
Eric Koeplin
CEO & Chief Investment Officer, Alpha Principle
Dave Kornder
Denver, CO
Don Law
President, Prima Exploration, Inc.
Paul Libner
CFO & Treasurer, Royal Gold, Inc
Steve Lockton
EVP & Owner, Lockton Companies of Colorado, Inc
Sharon Maffei
Principal, SAM Lifestyles
Brook Mahoney
Founder & CEO, CCIG
Jonathan Marsico
Owner, Ship Sticks
John Martin
Denver, CO
Mark McCammon
Managing Partner, Strength Capital
Dirk McDermott
Managing Partner, Altira Group LLC
Scott McLean
Denver, CO
Kelly Millen
Denver, CO
Kevin Mize
Founder, KM Investments
René Morin
Vice President/Owner, RIM Operating, Inc.
Nick Morris
CEO, Western Paper Distributors
Jimmy Mulvihill
Academy Partners Group, LLC
Dan Murray
President, Suburban Toppers, Inc.
Ralph Nagel
President, Top Rock Investments, LLC
Joe Niebur
President/Owner, Niebur Development, Inc.
Mike O'Shaughnessy
President, Lario Oil & Gas Co.
Bill Owens
Senior Director, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
Walt Rakowich
Retired CEO, ProLogis Foundation
Scott Reiman
President, Hexagon, Inc.
Perry Rickel
Founder & CEO, Marrick Medical Finance LLC
Kristine Robertson
Denver, CO
Jeff Ross
Senior Strategic Advisor, Atlantic Aviation
Jamie Sabatier
CEO, J Sabatier and Company
Craig Saeman
VP of Philanthropy, FOCUS Mission Foundation
Dick Saunders
Founder , Saunders Construction, Inc.
Adam Sayers
President, Axia Energy II, LLC
Rick Schmitz
Partner, SKS Ventures, LLC
Mark Sexton
Chairman & CEO, Evergreen National Resources
Terry Shadwick
President, Barn Light Capital LLC
Joe Smith
Partner, Bartlit Beck LLP
George Solich
President, FourPoint Energy, LLC
Mike Starzer
Managing Partner, Sixth Creek Energy
Betsey Unger
Denver, CO
Wouter van Kempen
Denver, CO
Greg Vigil
President, Castle Rock Resources II, LLC
Tim Walsh
CEO & Founder, Confluence Companies, LLC
Mike Ward
Owner, Mike Ward Automotive
Dick Weil
Denver, CO
Charlie Wesley
CEO, Thoroughbred Resources
Don Wolf
Chairman, Enduring Resources, LLC
John Woodward
Partner, Spierer, Woodward, Corbalis & Goldberg, P.C
Julie Wright
Philanthropist and former biotech professional
Colorado Board of Advisors
Andy Aye
Colorado Market President, US Bank
Garry Beaulieu
Principal, Innovest Portfolio Solutions, LLC
Chris Bodnar
Partner, Prescriptive Capital
Lindsay Brown
Executive Vice President, Hughes Marino
Steve Buretz
Senior Vice President, CAZ Investments, LP
Tony Burke
President, Pinkard Construction Co.
Judy Cain
Partner, Plante Moran
Wayne Cavanaugh
CEO, Family Care Center, LLC
Melissa Corrado-Harrison
Managing Director - Wealth Management, Corrado Harrison & Associates
Leigh Dunn
Manager/VP of Philanthropy, Engineered Demolition, Inc.
Ann Durham
LIV Sotheby’s Global Real Estate Advisor, Ann B. Durham Real Estate LLC
Jae Edwards
Principal & Co-Founder, Dublin Development
Tracy Forst
Managing Director, Aon Risk Solutions
Jennifer Gilliland
Denver, CO
Sergio Gutierrez
Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Private Bank
John Hill
CEO, Quince Associates
Mike Hommel
Denver, CO
Craig Kinard
Managing Director, The Kinard Group at UBS
David King
Managing Loan Officer at SWBC Mortgage
Jon Kinning
EVP/COO, RK Mechanical, Inc.
Arun Kottoor
Natural Gas Trader, Tenaska Marketing Ventures
Jeff Lang
VP Energy Practices, IMA Financial Group, Inc.
Bruce MacDonald
Owner & President, MacDonald Hardwoods Co. Inc.
Travis McAfoos
Principal, Kentro Real Estate
Mike McCubbin
SVP, Property & Casualty, Employee Benefits Consulting, IMA Financial Group, Inc.
Marvin McDaniel
Denver, CO
Walker Monfort
VP Corporate Sales, Colorado Rockies Baseball Club
Sara Montgomery
Partner, Plante Moran
Lindsay Morton Gaiser
Owner and Vice President, Andrisen Morton
Doug Neil
Senior Account Executive, Aon Risk Solutions
Frank Nessinger
Executive Vice President, FourPoint Energy, LLC
Adam Ostermiller
Head and Business Development & Strategic Partners, Integrated Compliance Advisors, Ltd.
Carl Piske
President, Alta Products LLC
JB Richardson
COO, CCIG
Christy Schaack
Revenue Compliance, Agilent Technologies
Greg Schmidt
CEO & Chairman, Saunders Construction, Inc.
Melanie Schmieding
Director, Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated
Nate Schnabel
Owner, NAS Properties
Matt Smith
Partner, Holland & Hart LLP
Reed Smith
Employee Benefits Consultant, USI Insurance Services
Justin Soucie
CEO & CIO, G&S Capital, LLC
Brett Spitzer
EVP & Managing Director, NAI Global Corporate Solutions
Jenna Stapleton
Executive Director, Stapleton/Harmes C. Fishback Foundation Trust
Mark Stonehocker
Manager, Stonehocker Farms, LLC
Stephen Storey
Partner, BPT Performance Consulting
Adam Truitt
Principal, Financial Designs, Ltd.
Matt Turner
Managing Partner, MorningStar Senior Living
Cashin White
SVP/Director of Growth and Innovation, BOK Financial
Bert Williams
Managing Director, Johnson Financial Group, LLC
Paul Williamson
President, Colorado Region, UMB Bank of Colorado, N.A.
Colorado Associate Board
Matthew Alley
COO, Posterity Health
Craig Brede
Managing Partner, Lincoln Energy Partners
Brooke Carnie
Manager Premium Services, Denver Broncos Football Club
Cort Carpenter
Head of Production, Colorado Arts Productions
Sean Cuff
Associate Attorney, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
Mike DeLeon
President, Bank of Colorado
Tom Fitzgerald
CEO, Fitzgerald Investment Management Company LLC
David Foley
Principal, Makers Commercial
John France
CEO, Bear Peak Power
Maggie Francescon
Denver, CO
Lucas Giokas
Executive Director, J.P. Morgan Private Bank
Kelsey Goldberg
Enterprise Account Executive, Slack
Brian Hartley
Vice President/Broker, Live Water Properties, LLC
Marlon Hewitt
Director, Riveron Consulting LLC
Andrew Horsman
Managing Director at Ironhorse Exploration Partners, LLC
John Huemoller
VP, National Account Manager
First American Title Insurance Company
Kelly Johnson
Chief Legal Officer, Telarus
Annie Kay
Pilates Instructor, D Town Pilates
Ryan Lawless
Founder/ Managing Principal, Renegade Capital
Matt Lengel
Wealth Management Advisor, Denver Private Wealth Management
Greg Litvak
Principal, Highlands Vista Group
Chancy Love
Managing Partner, Protea Investments, LLC
Matt Miller
Chief Development Officer, Alliance Animal Health
John Obering
President, Helm Energy, LLC
Rob Peirce
Executive Vice President, USI Colorado
Natalie Piquette
Division Manager, Accounting and Finance, Bradsby Group
Andrew Rehm
Advisor, CCIG
Aiden Scott
Client Advisor, Johnson Financial Group
Brandon Sherwood
VP Investment Banking, Strong Capital Markets
Margo Simpson
Denver, CO
Sean Sjodin
Managing Partner, Ascent Commercial Real Estate
Charlie Smith
Attorney-Shareholder, Polsinelli PC
Scott Smith
Senior Vice President, CAC Specialty
Paul Tappon
Managing Director, Sterling-Rice Group
Matt Tracey
Director Rockies Marketing, United Energy Trading, LLC
Wesley Weise
Senior Vice President, Bank of America Private Bank
Mary Ann Whetzal
HR Director, Liberty Energy
Kansas
Kansas Board of Advisors
Chuck Bloom President, Personal Financial Management
George Bruce Wichita, KS
Cody Foster Topeka, KS
Chuck Mackey Louisburg, KS
Dave Newbery Newbery Ungerer & Hickert, LLP
Louisiana
Louisiana Board of Advisors
DONALD T. “BOYSIE” BOLLINGER Chairman and CEO of Bollinger Enterprises LLC
New Orleans, LA
MIKE DEHART Chief Investment Officer at Stuffer, Inc
Lafayette, LA
JOHN H. GIN Private Wealth Advisor at Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC
Metairie, LA
MILTON GRAUGNARD Executive Vice President at Cajun Industries, LLC
Baton Rouge, LA
LANE GRIGSBY Chairman of Cajun Industries, LLC
Baton Rouge, LA
MARK MUSSO Managing Partner of The Musso Investment Group
Lafayette, LA
MANNY PEREZ DE LA MESA Former President/CEO of POOL Corp.
Hollywood, FL
EDDIE RISPONE Chairman of ISC Constructors, LLC
Baton Rouge, LA
RALPH J. STEPHENS, CPA/ABV/CFF, JD Retired
Baton Rouge, LA
MATT STULLER Founder and Chairman of Stuller, Inc
Lafayette, LA
Montana
Montana Board of Advisors
CRAIG BARRETT Retired CEO/Chairman, Intel
ROBERT BEERS Billings, MT
JOE BILLION Retired Owner & Chairman, Billion Auto Group
JERRY CASHMAN Founder & Owner, Cashman Nursery & Landscape
BRIAN CEBULL President, Nance Resources, Inc.
JARED HAUSKINS Financial Advisor, Edward Jones Investments
COLLEEN HOWELL CEO, BuildUS
JAY JAMIESON Vice President, Leavitt Group
ELLIOT JUSTIN, MD CEO, Justin MD LLC
JENNI LEACH, Ph.D., LCPC Great Falls, MT
MATT MCDONNELL JR. Owner, Big Sky Collision Center
MARC PIERCE Co-Founder & CEO, Warm Springs Productions
RAY THOMPSON Founder & Former CEO, Semitool
RICK UNGERSMA President & CEO, Murdoch’s Ranch & Home Supply
Wyoming
Wyoming Board of Advisors
STUART ATNIP Casper, WY
SAM GALEOTOS Chairman & CEO, Linavi
ALEX MAHER Owner & Broker, Live Water Properties, LLC
BARBARA TRUE Crude Oil Marketer, Eighty Eight Oil, LLC
JENNIFER TRUE Verdad Foundation
PETER WOLD CEO, Wold Pol Properties, LLC
EVA ZIMMERMAN Evansville, WY
Leadership Team
ERIK BILLINGER
Chief Development Officer
JO BRINKERHOFF VP of Marketing & Events
JASON DIFRAIA
President
KIRSTEN EASTWOOD VP of Scholarships
JEFF EHMANNChief Program Officer
JACKIE GUGLIELMO VP of ESA Programs
MARK MCLAUGHLIN
Chief Technology Officer
MIKE PRITCHARD
Chief Financial Officer
NORTON RAINEY
Chief Executive Officer
Development & External Affairs Staff
LAUREN AULENBACH Director of School & Family Engagement, ACE Texas
SINDY BECKERLE National Foundations Manager
TINA BURKE Director of Development Operations
LIZ (COLE) FITZGERALD VP of Development, ACE Colorado
ALAN COX National Communications Director
KARI HEBBLE VP of Development & Planned Giving
DACIA HENSHAW National Director of Marketing & Public Relations
MICAH HIROKAWA President, ACE Hawaii
AJ KUHLE President, ACE Kansas & Missouri
JON LINEBERGER President, ACE Texas
HALLE MATHUES Human Resources Director
ASHLEY NELSONVP of Development, ACE Louisiana
BRITTANI O'BRIEN President, ACE Colorado
LISA RUSSELL President, ACE Montana & Wyoming
Want to see our report card?
ACE is proud to receive Charity Navigator’s highest rating, 4 stars.
THE RIGHT SCHOOL CAN CHANGE THE STORY FOR A CHILD IN NEED
Donate Today »EVERY CHILD DESERVES
A GREAT EDUCATION
That’s our stand. At ACE Scholarships we’re committed to helping lower-income parents provide that opportunity to their children. Our mission is 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.
