Glenn Youngkin launches a Spanish-language campaign to inform Hispanic families about the Education Freedom Tax Credit
Through Spanish-language advertisements in four states, the organization aims to raise awareness of a federal program that offers tax incentives to fund educational scholarships.
Former Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin has opened a new front in his crusade for School Choice, now with a digital campaign in Spanish aimed at Hispanic families. His organization, Empowering America's Parents (EAP), launched a series of ads to raise awareness about the Educational Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC), the federal tax credit created by the Working Families Tax Cuts that will take effect in 2027.
Specifically, the EFTC is a tax credit designed to encourage private donations to fund K-12 scholarships. Its goal is to use the tax system to attract private funds to organizations that award educational scholarships and, in this way, expand the options available to families.
In practice, a taxpayer can donate up to $1,700 per year to a nonprofit organization dedicated to awarding educational scholarships, known as a Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO). For that donation, they may receive a federal tax credit equal to the amount contributed, subject to the conditions established by law.
The scholarships can be used for tutoring, online classes, services for students with disabilities, transportation, technology, private school tuition, and also for public school students.
Under the legislation, states may choose whether or not to participate in the program. Therefore, for a taxpayer to donate to an SGO and claim the credit, the state where the SGO is located must have chosen to participate in the program and submitted a list of eligible SGOs to the IRS.
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According to a recent survey by the organization EdChoice, this policy is popular among the education community. The survey found that about 70% of teachers support the program for scholarships. Support is even higher among unionized teachers (72%).
However, the program's biggest problem is that few people know it exists. Only 23% said they had heard a lot about the program, and nearly a third (30%) said they had not heard anything at all.
This is precisely where the initiative by former Governor Youngkin and his organization, EAP, comes into play.
Glenn Youngkin's plan to expand educational freedom in Spanish
VOZ obtained exclusive access to the details of the digital campaign launched by Youngkin.
According to a source close to Empowering America's Parents, approximately 52 million children are eligible for the program, but their families are either unaware of it or live in states that have not yet joined.
In fact, an internal survey by the group shows that awareness of the program is low, but support grows strongly once people learn what it does. This acceptance of the concept is evident in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, states where the governors have not yet chosen to participate.
In this context, the ad campaign's main objective is "to raise awareness about these life-changing scholarships."
The four stages of the plan
The campaign began in August with an investment of several million dollars and proceeded in four phases. The first, in August, focused on Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, states whose governors had not yet joined the program. The second phase reached Georgia, Iowa, and Nevada, where Republican governors had already decided to participate, with messages tailored to each state. The third phase reinforced the campaign's presence in Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, and added Maryland.
The fourth phase targets the Hispanic community in Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, and New Mexico. The source explains that the ads target Hispanic women between the ages of 25 and 45 in Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico, while in Wisconsin the audience was expanded to include both men and women. The target is Republican, independent, and moderate voters, especially those in suburban areas, who already support school choice.
Inform and mobilize
Because the program is voluntary, each state decides whether to participate. So far, 31 states have confirmed their participation. For this reason, Empowering America's Parents seeks to ensure that citizens in each state are aware of the program and, if their state does not participate, to put pressure on state leaders.
In this regard, the announcement released in Arizona reads as follows: "Our children are what matter most. So who could possibly oppose scholarships for tuition, tutoring, and services for children with disabilities—funded through a federal tax credit without state funds? Working parents? No. But Arizona doesn't want to participate. It is passing up this opportunity while children in other states benefit. Arizona should participate in the educational freedom tax credits."
A bipartisan issue
So far, both Republican- and Democratic-led states have joined the program. Among those governed by Democrats are Colorado, Virginia, Kansas, North Carolina, and New York.
In Kansas and North Carolina, participation came through legislative decisions that overrode vetoes by their respective governors.
Youngkin, who, as governor of Virginia, was one of the first to join the program, told VOZ: "These scholarships are widely popular because they are a total game changer — opening the door to millions in scholarships for education, tutoring, and services for kids with disabilities. This is a life-changing opportunity for children across the country."
Along the same lines, Jorge Elorza, executive director of Democrats for Education Reform, said:
"Most of the kids who stand to gain are in public schools, and Treasury's rules make clear they're not just eligible, but stand to be its biggest beneficiaries," he noted.
He also emphasized the importance of governors setting aside partisan differences on education issues, citing Jared Polis and Kathy Hochul as examples: "They showed that Democrats can opt in and shape this program to serve the kids who need it most. Every governor should follow their lead, because this isn't about left or right, it's about using every tool available to us to deliver for students and families."
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