Catholic Education Arizona

What Catholic Education Arizona does

Catholic Education Arizona (CEA), legally Catholic Tuition Organization, is a Phoenix-based IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit School Tuition Organization founded in 1998 (EIN #86-0937587) that administers K-12 tuition scholarships for underserved, disabled, and foster children attending 38 Catholic schools within the Diocese of Phoenix. The organization operates as a pass-through facilitator under Arizona's 1997 Private Education Tax Credit law — the first-in-nation statute of its kind — channeling redirected individual and corporate state tax liability into scholarships. Its revenue model is built on three streams: (1) individual tax credits capped at $1,571 (single) and $3,131 (married) for tax year 2026, (2) corporate tax credits allowing C-Corps, S-Corps, LLCs, and insurance companies to redirect 100% of Arizona corporate tax liability (subject to a statewide $110M Low-Income Fund and $6M Disabled/Displaced Fund cap for FY26-27), and (3) traditional donations and planned gifts via the Changing Lives with Legacy division.

Cumulatively since inception, CEA has facilitated more than $403 million in scholarships to over 165,000 students and is the largest STO in Arizona by scholarship count. Annual recent output is on the order of 4,100 scholarships per year, with reported 99% recipient graduation and 96% post-secondary matriculation rates. The organization maintains no proprietary technology of consequence; scholarship application processing is handled through FACTS Grant & Aid, donor engagement through Constant Contact email and a self-serve online contributor portal (give.catholiceducationarizona.org), and diocesan employee contributions through the bswift benefits platform. Marketing and donor acquisition run through a multi-channel mix including a podcast ('Creating Future Leaders' on Star Worldwide Networks), webinars, video, social media, and direct parish/school engagement.

CEA is led by President & CEO Nancy Padberg, MBA, with a leadership team of approximately 14–18 associates including a COO with 29 years of Diocese of Phoenix experience, a VP of Finance & Compliance with prior Arizona Department of Revenue tenure, four Directors of Development, a Director of Corporate Acquisition, and a Director of Parish Relations and Events. The organization is governed by a ~15-member Board of Directors and operates independently of the Diocese as a standalone 501(c)(3). Its sole material capital raise to date is a $750,000 grant from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust received in June 2023 to expand the Changing Lives Division.

Name

Catholic Education Arizona

Legal name

Catholic Tuition Organization

Website

https://catholiceducationarizona.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Catholic Education Arizona is a Phoenix-based 501(c)(3) School Tuition Organization that administers K-12 tuition scholarships for underserved, disabled, and foster children at 38 Diocese of Phoenix Catholic schools, funded via Arizona individual and corporate tax credits and charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Funding & K-12 Scholarship Administration

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Tuition scholarship programs
• School tuition organization
• Private school tax credits
• K-12 education funding
• Nonprofit scholarship administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Arizona Individual Tax Credits: Arizona taxpayers redirect their state tax liability to Catholic Education Arizona as a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. Funds are used exclusively for tuition scholarships at Diocese of Phoenix Catholic schools. Individual limits for 2026 are $1,571 for single filers and $3,131 for married filers.
2. Arizona Corporate Tax Credits: Arizona corporations (C-Corp, S-Corp, LLC, insurance companies) redirect 100% of their state corporate tax liability to Catholic Education Arizona as a dollar-for-dollar credit. Corporate contributions range from $5,000 minimum for S-Corps to $1.5 million or more. Low-Income Fund statewide cap is $110,000,000 and Disabled/Displaced Fund cap is $6,000,000 for FY26-27.
3. Traditional Donations and Planned Gifts: Non-tax credit donations through the Changing Lives with Legacy division. These include traditional charitable donations and planned giving instruments that support scholarships for underserved, disabled, and foster children.
4. Employer Matching Gifts: Corporate matching gift programs where employers match charitable contributions made by their employees to Catholic Education Arizona.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Catholic Education Arizona is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit School Tuition Organization that administers Arizona Private Education Tax Credit programs, enabling individual taxpayers and corporations to redirect their state tax liability as dollar-for-dollar credits to fund K-12 tuition scholarships. The organization awards scholarships to underserved, disabled, and foster children attending 38 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Phoenix, and supplements tax credit contributions with traditional donations and planned gifts through its Changing Lives with Legacy division.

Product overview

Catholic Education Arizona operates as a unified nonprofit platform offering Arizona Private Education Tax Credits and Corporate Tax Credits programs that enable individuals and businesses to redirect state tax liability to fund K-12 Catholic school scholarships. The core service portfolio includes Individual Tax Credits, Corporate Tax Credits, K-12 Scholarship Administration processed through FACTS, and the Changing Lives with Legacy planned giving division. Supporting modules include a Contributor Portal for online donations, Diocesan Employee Payroll Deduction, and Matching Gift Programs. The organization partners with 38 Diocese of Phoenix Catholic schools, serving underserved, disabled, and foster children, and has awarded over 165,000 scholarships totaling more than $403 million since 1998.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Arizona Individual Private Education Tax Credit Program Allows Arizona individual taxpayers to redirect their state income tax liability to Catholic Education Arizona as a dollar-for-dollar tax credit supporting K-12 tuition scholarships. 2026 limits are $1,571 for single filers and $3,131 for married filers, with a Tax Year 2026 deadline of 4/15/27. Funds are used exclusively for tuition scholarships at Diocese of Phoenix Catholic schools.
• Arizona Corporate Tax Credit Program Enables C-Corporations, S-Corporations, LLCs filing as C/S-Corp, and insurance companies to redirect 100% of Arizona state corporate tax liability to Catholic Education Arizona as a dollar-for-dollar credit. Contributions range from a $5,000 minimum for S-Corps to $1.5 million or more; statewide caps for FY26-27 are $110M for the Low-Income Fund and $6M for the Disabled/Displaced Fund.
• K-12 Scholarship Administration Administers tuition scholarships for underserved, disabled, and foster children to attend 38 Catholic schools in the Diocese of Phoenix. Eligibility is capped at 342.5% of the federal poverty level, and applications are processed through FACTS Grant & Aid. The program has supported 99% graduation rates and 96% post-secondary matriculation among recipients.
• Changing Lives with Legacy Division Traditional donations and planned giving division supporting scholarships for underserved, disabled, foster, and K-12 students through non-tax credit charitable contributions. Operates through a dedicated giving portal at myimpact.catholiceducationarizona.org and was bolstered by a $750,000 grant from the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust in 2023.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% graduation rate among scholarship recipients
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 131 Corporate PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 131 Arizona corporations participate in the Corporate Tax Credit program, redirecting their state tax liability to scholarships. Partners include Baker Bros, Shea Homes, Lumen Technologies, Sunwest Bank, Bank34, Meritage, and many others.
• Baker Bros FlooringcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBaker Bros Flooring participates in Arizona Corporate Tax Credits, redirecting corporate state tax liability to create future leaders through Catholic Education Arizona scholarships.
• Shea HomescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShea Homes, led by President Jeff McQueen, redirects Arizona corporate tax liability to support Catholic Education Arizona's scholarship programs.
• Lumen TechnologiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLumen Technologies participates in Arizona Corporate Tax Credits program to support underserved students through Catholic Education Arizona.
• Star Worldwide NetworksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStar Worldwide Networks features Catholic Education Arizona's 'Creating Future Leaders' podcast/vodcast on their platform, providing marketing and distribution support.
• Fasturtle (FT Media)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital marketing agency providing website and digital marketing services to Catholic Education Arizona. Partner logo displayed on corporate partners page.
• Grand Canyon UniversityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffordable, accredited Christian university based in Phoenix, Arizona. Partner logo displayed on corporate partners page.
• Arizona Public Service (APS)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerArizona Public Service generates clean, reliable and affordable energy for 2.7 million Arizonans. Partner logo displayed on corporate partners page.
• Diocese of PhoenixcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic Education Arizona supports 38 Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Phoenix. The Diocese provides the school network through which scholarships are distributed to students.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AAA Scholarship Foundation: Multi-state School Tuition Organization administering tax-credit-funded K-12 scholarships in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and other states. The most direct functional peer to CEA, sharing the same tax-credit scholarship administration model within Arizona itself.
• Step Up For Students: Florida's largest School Tuition Organization, administering the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship and Gardiner Scholarship programs for K-12 students. Operates the same state-tax-credit scholarship model as CEA, scaled to a much larger geography.
• Catholic Schools Foundation: Chicago-based nonprofit providing tuition assistance for underserved students to attend Catholic K-12 schools in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Mirrors CEA's mission of channeling donor contributions to Catholic school scholarships for underserved families.
• Inner-City Scholarship Fund: New York City nonprofit providing tuition assistance for underserved students to attend Catholic K-12 schools in the Archdiocese of New York. Closely analogous to CEA in mission (Catholic school access), though funded through traditional donations rather than state tax credits.
• Children's Scholarship Fund: National nonprofit providing K-8 tuition scholarships for underserved children to attend private schools of choice. Shares CEA's mission of expanding private-school access for low-income families and administering multi-school scholarship programs.

Regional players

• School Choice Scholarships Inc. Maryland-based nonprofit administering state tax-credit-funded scholarships for K-12 students. Operates an analogous STO model in a different state - relevant structural peer though no geographic overlap with CEA.

Broad incumbents

• Scholarship America: Large national nonprofit scholarship administrator managing corporate- and donor-sponsored scholarships across many programs and education levels. A broader-incumbent peer in scholarship administration, but without CEA's K-12 Catholic-school or state-tax-credit specialization.

Others

• EdChoice: National advocacy organization promoting school choice and tax-credit scholarship policy. Adjacent peer that shapes the legislative environment which enables STOs like CEA to operate.
• Arizona Tax Credit Coalition: Trade coalition representing Arizona School Tuition Organizations, of which CEA is a member. Industry body that supports the regulatory and legislative ecosystem for STOs operating in Arizona.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CatholicEDAZ
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWCW4tRr6kluoKeOPspE8mg
• Facebookfacebook.com/catholiceducationarizona
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catholic-education-arizona
• Instagraminstagram.com/CatholicEducationArizona

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Catholic Education Arizona