In this episode of the Straight-Up 30, host Ross Izard talks with Erik Billinger, Chief Development Officer at ACE Scholarships, about how private school scholarship programs work and why the new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit could be a major shift for families across the country. They break down ACE’s role as a scholarship-granting organization, the difference between traditional fundraising and tax credit-supported giving, and the policy fight now unfolding in Colorado over how the new federal program could be implemented. The conversation also explores why school choice is about more than academics and how access to the right school can change outcomes for students.

What we cover:
• What ACE Scholarships does and how scholarship-granting organizations work
• The difference between charitable giving and state tax credit scholarship programs
• How the new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit is designed to work
• Why Colorado is becoming an early testing ground for how states regulate the program
• The legal and policy tension between federal law, state law, and school participation
• Why families choose different schools, including safety, values, and academic fit

About the guest:
Erik Billinger is the Chief Development Officer at ACE Scholarships, a national nonprofit that helps low-income families access private K-12 schools through scholarships. ACE has awarded nearly $400 million in scholarships and supported more than 121,000 students across 13 states.

Resources:
ACE Scholarships: acescholarships.org
Education Freedom Tax Credit: educationfreedomtaxcredit.org

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