BLOCS

What BLOCS does

BLOCS (Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools) is a Pennsylvania nonprofit organization founded in 1980 that serves as a regulated intermediary between corporate and individual taxpayers and need-based scholarship recipients. The organization administers three state-sanctioned tax credit programs: the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs, which provide donors with up to a 90% Pennsylvania state tax credit, and the Economically Disadvantaged Schools (EDS) program, which offers a 99% tax credit and is administered solely by BLOCS. BLOCS aggregates tax-credit-eligible donations through scholarship LLCs and distributes more than 96 cents of every donated dollar as tuition assistance to PreK-12 students attending 580+ Catholic, private, and faith-based schools across 65 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.

BLOCS's core technology stack consists of a Salesforce Community (branded "Disco") partner portal used by school administrators to manage scholarship workflows, alongside BLOCS University, a regional training program (BLOCS 101 and 102) delivered in-person across Philadelphia, Lancaster, Lehigh Valley, Pittsburgh, Erie, Scranton, and Harrisburg, supplemented by digital modules. Adjacent tools include a publicly available EITC Tax Calculator and a custom EITC materials printing service for partner schools. The organization operates with a lean staff of 1–10 employees supplemented by regionally assigned development managers who handle enterprise-style corporate donor relationships and school partner stewardship.

BLOCS's revenue model is donation-based, not fee-based: the organization collects no fees from scholarship recipients and instead channels corporate and individual tax-credit donations through state-administered programs, with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) acting as the upstream regulator. Donors typically commit on 1-year (75% credit) or 2-year (90–99% credit) cycles, with minimum thresholds of $35,500 in business net income or $3,000 in PA tax liability for individuals. The customer base comprises two distinct segments: corporate donors (Comcast, Chubb, Vanguard, M&T Bank, Independence Blue Cross, Marsh McLennan, Huntington Bank, WSFS, SEI, Customers Bank) seeking tax optimization and CSR outcomes, and 580+ partner schools receiving scholarship funding for redistribution to families.

Name

BLOCS

Legal name

Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools

Website

https://blocs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BLOCS is a Pennsylvania nonprofit intermediary that aggregates tax-credit-eligible corporate and individual donations through state EITC, OSTC, and EDS programs and distributes need-based scholarships to PreK-12 students at 580+ Catholic and private schools across 65 of 67 PA counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

King Of Prussia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. EITC/OSTC Donations: BLOCS collects donations through Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs. Donors receive up to 90% tax credit on their PA state tax liability for 2-year commitments (75% for 1-year). The organization raised $110 million in FY2023, representing a 59% increase from the prior year.
2. EDS Program Administration: BLOCS serves as the sole administrator for Pennsylvania's Economically Disadvantaged Schools (EDS) Program, a $110 million program providing 99% tax credits to corporate donors supporting schools with 51%+ need-based students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BLOCS administers Pennsylvania's EITC (Educational Improvement Tax Credit), OSTC (Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit), and EDS (Economically Disadvantaged Schools) programs on behalf of corporate and individual donors, channeling tax-credit-eligible contributions into BLOCS-managed scholarship LLCs that fund need-based PreK-12 tuition assistance at 580+ Catholic, private, and faith-based schools across Pennsylvania. As the sole administrator of the state-mandated EDS program, BLOCS is the only organization eligible to issue 99% PA tax credit EDS contributions on behalf of participating corporate donors, while EITC and OSTC enable individuals and businesses to redirect PA state tax liability in exchange for up to 90% tax credits.

Product overview

BLOCS operates as a unified scholarship administration platform organized around Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs. At its core, BLOCS aggregates charitable donations from individuals and corporations through tax credit-eligible scholarship LLCs and distributes need-based tuition assistance to PreK-12 students at Catholic and private schools statewide. The primary products are the EITC and OSTC programs (offering donors up to 90% PA tax credits), supplemented by the EDS (Economically Disadvantaged Schools) program — a separate $110 million initiative offering 99% tax credits and administered solely by BLOCS. These programs are supported by BLOCS University, a training and professional development platform (featuring BLOCS 101 and 102 courses delivered regionally and digitally via the Salesforce Community/Disco portal), a Tax Calculator tool, and custom EITC materials printing services for partner schools. The EDS Impact Report rounds out the portfolio as a reporting and donor recognition tool. Together, these products form an end-to-end scholarship facilitation ecosystem spanning donor recruitment, tax credit administration, school partnership enablement, and scholarship distribution across over 580 schools in 65 Pennsylvania counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program A Pennsylvania state-administered tax credit program allowing individuals and businesses subject to PA tax liability to make contributions through BLOCS-managed scholarship LLCs in exchange for up to a 90% Pennsylvania state tax credit on 2-year commitments (75% on 1-year commitments). Funds are distributed as need-based scholarships to eligible PreK-12 students attending BLOCS partner schools across Pennsylvania.
• Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) Program A Pennsylvania state-administered tax credit program enabling PA-liable donors to redirect state tax liability into scholarship contributions through BLOCS-managed scholarship LLCs, yielding up to a 90% Pennsylvania state tax credit (2-year commitment). Funds support K-12 tuition scholarships for students to attend qualifying tuition-based schools.
• Economically Disadvantaged Schools (EDS) Program A Pennsylvania state-mandated tax credit program administered solely by BLOCS, offering corporate donors a 99% Pennsylvania state tax credit with no cap to support schools where 51% or more of students qualify as need-based. The program supports 130+ economically disadvantaged schools statewide with a total program budget that has grown to $110 million, assisting more than 33,000 students across 65 of 67 Pennsylvania counties. PLATINUM EDS Partners include Comcast, Chubb, Vanguard, M&T Bank, Independence Blue Cross, Huntington Bank, and others.
• BLOCS Partner Portal (Salesforce Community / Disco) An online portal built on the Salesforce Community platform (branded as Disco) for partner schools and stakeholders to access BLOCS resources, manage scholarship workflows (EITC/EDS administration), engage with BLOCS's fundraising tools, and complete BLOCS University courses. Used by 580+ school partners across Pennsylvania.
• BLOCS University A training and professional development platform for school partners, offering BLOCS 101 (EITC/EDS fundamentals, Salesforce Community platform training) and BLOCS 102 (advanced fundraising and stewardship workshops) through regional in-person sessions across Philadelphia, Lancaster, Lehigh Valley, Pittsburgh, Erie, Scranton, and Harrisburg, as well as a digital curriculum. Includes specialized sessions such as 'Activating the Board's Role in Fundraising' and a Capital Projects & Public Funding Conference.
• Custom EITC Materials Printing A service for BLOCS partner schools to request custom-printed EITC program brochures and donor outreach materials tailored to their own fundraising efforts, supporting school-side donor engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96%+ of donated dollars go directly to scholarships
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ComcastcoreOthersPlatinum EDS Partner corporate donor providing funding for Economically Disadvantaged Schools program. Receives 99% PA tax credit for donations to BLOCS-administered EDS program supporting schools with 51%+ need-based students.
• ChubbcoreOthersPlatinum EDS Partner corporate donor to BLOCS Economically Disadvantaged Schools program. Supports workforce development and community investment in PA schools.
• Marsh McLennancoreOthersCorporate sponsor of BLOCS EDS program, participating in the 99% tax credit program for economically disadvantaged schools.
• VanguardcoreOthersPlatinum EDS Partner corporate donor to BLOCS, supporting PA schools through the Economically Disadvantaged Schools tax credit program.
• M&T BankcoreOthersPlatinum sponsor of BLOCS EDS program with 99% tax credit participation supporting PA's most financially-needy schools.
• Independence Blue CrosscoreOthersCorporate partner supporting BLOCS scholarship programs through EDS tax credit donations to PA schools.
• WSFS BankcoreOthersCorporate donor to BLOCS EDS program, participating in the 99% tax credit initiative for economically disadvantaged schools.
• Customers BankcoreOthersCorporate sponsor of BLOCS Economically Disadvantaged Schools program with tax credit benefits.
• SEIcoreOthersCorporate donor supporting BLOCS scholarship programs through EDS tax credit donations.
• Huntington BankcoreOthersPlatinum sponsor of BLOCS EDS program supporting schools with highest financial need in Pennsylvania.
• HerClubminorOthersWomen's professional network partnering with BLOCS for women's golf clinics to build connections and discuss EITC program opportunities.
• Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED)coreOthersState agency that administers the EITC, OSTC, and EDS programs. BLOCS operates as an approved administrator of these state tax credit programs.
• Archdiocese of PhiladelphiacoreOthersMajor partner providing access to Archdiocese schools and receiving scholarship funding for students. BLOCS receives demographic data from the Archdiocese to analyze donation trends.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• EdChoice: National nonprofit advocating for and tracking K-12 school choice programs including tax credit scholarships. Comparable through its focus on the same state tax credit scholarship ecosystem BLOCS operates in, though primarily advocacy/research rather than direct scholarship administration.
• Scholarship America: Largest national private scholarship organization in the U.S., administering scholarship programs for corporations, foundations, and individuals. Comparable as a scaled scholarship administration platform, though broader in scope and not specialized in state tax credit programs.

Regional players

• Hillsborough Education Foundation: Florida-based education foundation funding teacher grants and student scholarships. Comparable in funding K-12 educational access, though more regionally focused and not specifically a state tax credit intermediary.
• School Choice Scholarships Inc. Indiana-based nonprofit scholarship organization administering the state's Choice Scholarship (voucher) and tax credit scholarship programs. Directly comparable as a state-level scholarship intermediary, though operating in a different state with different program structures.
• Pittsburgh Scholarship Foundation: Pennsylvania-based regional scholarship organization. Comparable as a PA-based K-12 scholarship provider, though smaller and less statewide in coverage than BLOCS.

Direct peers

• AAA Scholarship Foundation: Multi-state nonprofit administering tax credit scholarship programs across multiple states (FL, GA, NV, AZ, etc.). Directly comparable as a scholarship intermediary connecting corporate donors with K-12 students via state tax credit programs.
• Step Up For Students: Florida-based nonprofit scholarship organization administering state tax credit scholarship (FTC/Step Up) programs for K-12 students. Closest functional analog to BLOCS as a state-level scholarship intermediary, though operating in Florida rather than Pennsylvania.
• Children's Scholarship Fund: National K-12 scholarship nonprofit operating private school choice scholarship programs across multiple cities. Comparable mission of providing tuition assistance to lower-income families, though funded through private donations rather than state tax credits.

Others

• The Philadelphia Foundation: Regional community foundation serving the greater Philadelphia region. Comparable as a Pennsylvania-based grantmaking intermediary, though with broader community focus rather than K-12 scholarship specialization.
• National School Choice Awareness Foundation: National nonprofit raising awareness of K-12 school choice options including tax credit scholarships. Adjacent ecosystem participant that supports the broader market BLOCS operates in, though not a direct scholarship administrator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLt3QG_Ux9dWw9v83hGt7WLAkNgaOsNaMt
• Xx.com/blocsphila

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 BLOCS