The Palmetto Promise

What The Palmetto Promise does

The Palmetto Promise Institute is a private, independent, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) policy think tank founded in 2013 and headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina. It operates across five policy verticals — education, fiscal policy, healthcare, energy, and quality of life — with education freedom as its dominant focus and highest-profile area of work. The organization introduced the Education Scholarship Account (ESA) concept to South Carolina in 2015, authored the design that became the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) in 2023, and led the integrated legal, legislative, communications, and fundraising campaign that restored and expanded the program in May 2025 after the SC Supreme Court struck it down in September 2024.

Its core products are non-software in nature: the annual Palmetto Freedom Agenda (a 20-policy handbook for SC legislators), the Beyond Policy Podcast hosted by Dr. Oran P. Smith, the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network (CALN) for school board members, the ESTF Families Rescue Fund (an emergency direct-tuition assistance initiative), and a family-facing information ecosystem anchored by SCSchoolChoice.com and PalmettoNavigated.org (with parent navigators). The organization does not develop proprietary technology products; its infrastructure consists of standard CMS-driven web platforms, digital advertising, email, mail, text outreach, and a podcast distribution channel.

The business model is fundraising-driven. Palmetto Promise is supported by tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and philanthropists, with a national donor base that includes Jeff Yass, Ravenel B. Curry III, the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, Children's Scholarship Fund, and JM Foundation. Approximately $2.5 million was raised through the ESTF Families Rescue Fund in roughly six months in late 2024 and early 2025. The organization does not sell products or charge for services; its "customers" are South Carolina families who benefit from the ESTF program it advocates for, and SC legislators and policymakers who consume its research and the Freedom Agenda.

Name

The Palmetto Promise

Legal name

Palmetto Promise Institute

Website

https://palmettopromise.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Palmetto Promise Institute is a South Carolina 501(c)(3) free-market policy think tank, founded in 2013, that researches and advocates for education choice, fiscal, healthcare, energy, and quality-of-life reforms. It serves SC legislators, low-income families, and school board members through policy reports, the Freedom Agenda, and family-facing programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Advocacy Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy, Research & Advocacy Organizations (Nonprofit) (BPAGADAN), Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

Keywords

• Public policy research
• Education advocacy services
• School choice programs
• Think tank publications
• Nonprofit policy institute

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Palmetto Promise Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and philanthropists. Major donors include Jeff Yass ($900,000), Ravenel B. Curry III ($500,000), the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation ($250,000), Children's Scholarship Fund ($100,000), JM Foundation ($100,000), and an anonymous donor ($500,000). The organization also receives support through its donation page and newsletter-driven fundraising campaigns.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Palmetto Promise Institute is a South Carolina-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy think tank that conducts research, educates policymakers, and advocates for free-market policy solutions across education, fiscal policy, healthcare, energy, and quality of life. The organization delivers policy research and legislative handbooks to state officials, runs family-facing school choice information and navigation services (Palmetto NavigatEd, SC School Choice Info), produces the Beyond Policy Podcast, trains school board members through the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network, and operates the ESTF Families Rescue Fund.

Product overview

Palmetto Promise Institute operates as a policy think tank offering research and advocacy services across five key areas: Education, Fiscal Policy, Healthcare, Energy, and Quality of Life. The organization provides educational programs including Palmetto NavigatEd (an information hub for families navigating South Carolina's school choice programs), SC School Choice Info (a comprehensive ESTF resource website), the Beyond Policy Podcast, and the Palmetto Freedom Agenda (a legislative policy handbook). Additional programs include the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network (school board training), an internship program, and the ESTF Families Rescue Fund emergency initiative. The organization does not offer a software product or technical platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Palmetto NavigatEd An information hub and parent navigator service for South Carolina families interested in utilizing the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) school choice program; parent navigators help families through the application and utilization process.
• SC School Choice Info A one-stop-shop information website about South Carolina's Education Scholarship Trust Fund program, featuring FAQs, ESA resources, eligibility information, and application links for families.
• Beyond Policy Podcast A podcast hosted by Dr. Oran Smith exploring how actions at the South Carolina Statehouse impact people in South Carolina; distributed on all major podcast platforms.
• Palmetto Freedom Agenda 2025-2026 A handbook for South Carolina legislators detailing twenty extensively researched policies aimed at improving the state; serves as the organization's flagship policy publication and legislative advocacy tool.
• Carolinas Academic Leadership Network (CALN) A network for school board members across North and South Carolina that hones leadership skills in governance, professional development, communications, legislative outreach, networking, and policy; awarded the 2024 Heritage Foundation Innovation Prize.
• ESTF Families Rescue Fund An emergency fund that pays school tuition on behalf of South Carolina ESTF scholarship students whose scholarships were cancelled by the September 2024 SC Supreme Court ruling; raised approximately $2.5 million and covered nearly 800 students.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000 scholarships restored and available for 2025-26 (up from 5,000 originally); program expanded to 300% FPL eligibility
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• State Policy Network (SPN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Palmetto Promise is an affiliate of the State Policy Network, a national association of free-market state think tanks. SPN provides networking, communications awards, and recognition. Palmetto Promise was named a finalist for multiple SPN awards and won the 2025 Bob Williams Award for Biggest Win for Freedom.
• John Locke FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Palmetto Promise partnered with the John Locke Foundation (North Carolina) and the South Carolina Policy Council to create the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network (CALN), which aims to empower school board members throughout the Carolinas by honing their leadership skills in governance, professional development, communications, legislative outreach, networking, and policy.
• South Carolina Policy CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2024Palmetto Promise partnered with John Locke Foundation and the South Carolina Policy Council to create the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network (CALN). CALN's mission is to advance student achievement by helping public school board members hone their leadership skills.
• SC School Choice Information Ecosystem (SCSchoolChoice.com, PalmettoNavigated.org)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPalmetto Promise operates dedicated web properties including SCSchoolChoice.com and PalmettoNavigated.org that serve as information hubs and application portals for families seeking to access South Carolina's school choice programs.
• Beyond Policy PodcastminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Beyond Policy Podcast, presented by Palmetto Promise with host Dr. Oran Smith, explores how actions at the South Carolina Statehouse impact people in South Carolina. Available on all major podcast platforms.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EdChoice: National 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated exclusively to advancing school choice and education scholarship accounts through research, polling, and state-level advocacy. Most directly comparable mission and product surface to Palmetto Promise's ESTF work.
• Goldwater Institute: State-focused conservative public policy and litigation organization with significant school-choice and ESA legal-strategy work. Comparable in pairing policy research with constitutional legal advocacy at the state level.
• South Carolina Policy Council: South Carolina-based free-market policy research organization and direct co-partner on CALN. Operates with a similar advocacy-and-research model targeting SC state policymakers on overlapping education and fiscal issues.
• John Locke Foundation: North Carolina's leading free-market state policy think tank and direct co-development partner on the Carolinas Academic Leadership Network. Operates the same model of policy research, legislative advocacy, and donor-supported publishing targeting a single state legislature.
• Mackinac Center for Public Policy: Michigan-based state-level free-market think tank with a similar integrated model of policy research, legislative advocacy, litigation support, and donor-driven funding. Long-standing State Policy Network affiliate serving as a structural blueprint.

Broad incumbents

• Cato Institute: National libertarian-leaning policy research organization producing broadly cited research across fiscal, education, healthcare, and regulatory topics. Comparable in multi-vertical policy-research and publication model, though at much larger scale and broader ideological scope.
• American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC): National membership organization of state legislators that drafts model legislation including ESA frameworks. Indirectly comparable as a channel for translating Palmetto Promise's state-level policy wins into bills introduced in other states.
• Heritage Foundation: National conservative policy institution and direct funding partner (Innovation Prize, Doer Award). Operates across many policy verticals and provides the national-stage platform that state-level shops like Palmetto Promise feed into.

Others

• State Policy Network: Umbrella association of free-market state think tanks of which Palmetto Promise is an affiliate. Comparable as an ecosystem orchestrator and convening body rather than a direct competitor — provides awards, training, and donor introductions.

Emerging players

• Foundation for Excellence in Education: Betsy DeVos-founded education reform organization focused on state-level policy and advocacy for school choice and accountability. Connected via shared donors (DeVos Foundation) and overlapping ESA policy work, but operates nationally rather than within a single state.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/palmettopromise
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@statepolicynetwork3803
• Facebookfacebook.com/palmettopromise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/palmetto-promise-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Palmetto Promise