How the money actually flows

EITC + OSTC (tax-credit scholarships) is a tax-credit program with limited/means-tested eligibility. Awards are OSTC 2025-26 max $8,500 (non-SPED) / $15,000 (SPED); EITC per-student cap unverified. Payments run through PA DCED (business credits via eGrants); Scholarship Organizations (SOs/OSOs) award to families. Confirm the current details on the official program site before acting.

1. Confirm how the money flows. Pennsylvania families use EITC + OSTC (tax-credit scholarships) funds through PA DCED (business credits via eGrants); Scholarship Organizations (SOs/OSOs) award to families to pay approved schools/providers. Your job is to be set up to receive them cleanly.

2. Get your business paperwork in order. Legal entity, tax ID (EIN), and proof you are a real operating school.

3. Meet the state requirements. PA: Licensed Private Academic Schools (State Board licensed, teacher cert), or Nonpublic Non-Licensed schools that must REGISTER with PDE.

4. Apply as an approved provider. Schools submit enrollment forms to PDE (which posts eligible-school list); families apply through an approved SO/OSO — the SGO is the gatekeeper.

5. Keep clean invoicing & records. Program spending is documented and audited. Clear invoices and audit-ready records are how you get paid and stay clear.

Important for Pennsylvania: Two programs; means-tested; donor-funded. EITC per-student cap unverified.

The one step that decides whether you get funded in Pennsylvania

We read the Pennsylvania rules and wrote up exactly what gates the money, what the law says word for word, and where founders stall.

Read the Pennsylvania funding gate →

Want us to walk the Pennsylvania approval with you?

Get set up in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania puts a state approval step in front of the money, so setup here takes more work than in a state without that gate. Both options are one-time. We never take a cut of your tuition.

Launch Kit · $1,450. Your Pennsylvania playbook: every step in the right order, the document each one needs, and the operator tools (roster, attendance, tuition billing, evidence vault). You do the filing.

Get the Launch Kit · $1,450

Concierge · $2,950. Everything in the Launch Kit, plus we do the ESA-vendor registration with you in a working session, inside Pennsylvania’s own platform.

Get Concierge · $2,950

Secure checkout via Stripe. We email you within one business day to confirm your state and school. Guidance, not legal advice.

Or start free: the Pennsylvania checklist

Free: the Pennsylvania microschool starter checklist

Where to begin, what your state requires, and how funding works. No fluff.

Questions founders ask

Do you take a cut of my scholarship money?

No. You pay us once, and never a per-student cut.

Do I have to use a specific curriculum?

No. MicroschoolLaunchKit is the compliance and operations layer — use whatever curriculum or model you want. We handle the paperwork around it, not the teaching.

What exactly is ESA / voucher approval?

Many states let families use public scholarship funds for private-school tuition. Getting approved as a provider/vendor is how that money reaches your school. We walk you through it, state by state.

Do you take a cut of my tuition?

Never. You pay us once. Your tuition is 100% yours — unlike franchise networks that take a fee for every student.

Is this legal advice?

No. We give plain-language guidance and sourced requirements, not legal advice. For legal-sensitive decisions we point you to an education attorney.

Official sources (verify current requirements): dced.pa.gov · dced.pa.gov

How to get funded in Pennsylvania