CEN exists to strengthen Christian education across the country. CEN SGO is the program that makes the federal scholarship tax credit work for your school. Registering connects your school to both. This page covers what joining involves and what your school gets out of it.
The short version: registration is the door, and most of the value sits on the other side of it. A co-branded profile, a marketing kit ready to use, network and back-office support, and a team that walks you through every step.
Why register before the giving window opens
The federal scholarship tax credit is not live until tax year 2027. Donors can give starting in January 2027, and the credit applies to contributions made after that date. Right now, the work is readiness, not fundraising.
For your school, readiness means being listed and ready before CEN goes to donors. When a supporter in your community looks for a school to direct their gift to, your school should already be there, with a profile that tells your story. Schools that register early are in front of donors first.
What registration involves
We keep the how-to simple on purpose, because the details get confirmed with you directly. The shape of it:
You tell us about your school, your mission, your families, and the costs you carry. We help you build a profile that represents your school well. Your team and ours work through the steps together, so nothing falls on your desk alone.
There is no fundraising ask in this stage. The goal is to get your school ready, listed, and confident in the message before any donor calls to action go out.
What your school gets
A co-branded profile
Your school gets a profile that carries both your name and CEN’s. Donors who want to support Christian education near them can find your school and direct their gift to it. A donor may designate a participating school, so being listed and well-presented matters.
A marketing kit
You get materials ready to use, not a blank page. Messaging that holds to the CEN voice, explainers families can understand, and the language that distinguishes a tax credit from a deduction. Your team speaks in its own words, but the foundation is built for you.
Network and back-office support
The tax credit is the opening. Joining CEN also brings the support around it: a national network of Christian schools, help with the administrative side, and people who have run this model before. You are not figuring it out alone.
A team that walks you through it
The part schools tell us matters most is the people. A real team guides you from first conversation to listed profile, answers questions as they come up, and stays available after launch.
How the gift reaches your families
When a donor redirects part of what they already owe in federal taxes to a scholarship granting organization, that gift becomes a scholarship for a student. An SGO spends at least 90 percent of its income on scholarships. Students qualify at 300 percent of Area Median Gross Income, which covers most families. A donor can designate a participating school, but not a specific student, so the gift supports your school community broadly.
For the full path a gift travels, see [internal: Where your gift goes, and how a scholarship reaches a family]. For how the SGO gives your school room to fully fund its costs, see [internal: How the SGO gives Christian schools room to fully fund their costs and reinvest in teachers and students].
Frequently asked questions
Does registering cost my school anything to fundraise right now?
No. This stage is about readiness. There are no donation calls to action until the giving window opens in January 2027. You register, build your profile, and get ready.
Can we tell donors to support our specific school?
A donor may designate a participating school when they give. They cannot earmark a gift for a specific student. Being registered and listed is what lets supporters direct their gift to your school.
Is this only for one kind of Christian school?
CEN SGO is the national scholarship granting organization built for Evangelical and Catholic schools. If your school teaches the Christian faith, this is built for you.
Get your school ready
Registration is the first step, and our team handles it with you. Get your school listed and ready before we go to donors. Register your school
For more on the federal credit behind all of this, see What is an SGO, and how does the federal tax credit work? and Resources.
Sources:
- U.S. Departments of Education and Treasury joint fact sheet on the Education Freedom Tax Credit
- Brownstein, Federal Scholarship Tax Credit: Q&A Guide
- IRS, Federal Scholarship Tax Credit (FSTC)