Donate
You have the potential to give an Ohio student a life-giving opportunity to attend a high-quality Christian school that otherwise might be unaffordable to his or her family. Even better, you can do it at no cost to yourself. Here’s how:
The state of Ohio’s Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO) tax credit authorizes donors who contribute to K-12 student scholarships through a certified SGO to receive a dollar-for-dollar reduction in their state taxes up to $750 per individual taxpayer. Your gift to the Ohio Christian Education Network SGO (OCEN SGO) will go directly to a scholarship for a student attending a participating school of your choice.
Your gift to OCEN SGO will be used to award scholarships to worthy students attending participating schools within the Ohio Christian Education Network. Simply click on the DONATE button below. You may designate which school you would like to receive the scholarship and you can be certain your gift will fund a scholarship at that school with priority given to students in financial need.
Take this opportunity to bless a student with a scholarship through a generous gift to OCEN SGO.
Donate
Click the button below to donate by paper check, including those making a payment from their required minimum distribution from their retirement account.
Click the button below to donate online. Choose this option if you wish to donate by credit card or by connecting to your bank account.
FAQs
What if I would like to give more than $750?
How does the tax credit work?
Your OCEN SGO donation can be claimed when you file your Ohio taxes for the year in which you make your gift. The credit is a dollar-to-dollar reduction in your state tax liability up to $750 per taxpayer or $1500 for a married couple filing jointly. A married couple making a $1500 gift must include both spouses’ names on the gift in order to claim the $1500 credit. Also, to receive the full tax credit, you must have an Ohio tax liability equal to or greater than the amount of the credit. Otherwise the credit is limited to the full amount of tax owed.
When do recipients receive their scholarships?
Scholarships are awarded during the spring and summer prior to each school year.
When is the donation deadline?
OCEN accepts contributions year-round.
May I designate my gift to fund scholarships at a specific school?
Yes, you may select at which participating school you would like your gift to fund a scholarship. If you do not have a preference, simply leave the drop-down box empty and your gift will go into the unrestricted fund to provide scholarships to worthy students at any of our participating schools.
May I split my gift among multiple schools?
Yes, you may. However, you will need to submit it as multiple gifts, designating a different school for each separate gift.
Can my spouse and I receive separate tax credits if we joint file our taxes?
Yes. Married couples filing jointly may make a single gift of $1500 and receive a $1500 credit on their taxes. They simply need to include the names of both spouses on the gift.
Is OCEN SGO certified by the state of Ohio as an approved SGO?
Yes, OCEN SGO is certified by the Ohio Attorney General. You may view the list of certified SGOs here.
How much do I owe in state tax?
Anyone whose taxable income is over $44,250 owes a minimum of $878.42 in state tax. A $750 donation to an SGO would reduce this amount to $128.42. That means $750 of tax money to a scholarship to help a student receive a quality Christian education and $128.42 remains for the state. You can use the chart below from Ohio Department of Taxation to determine your tax liability if you know your Ohio Taxable Income amount.
Taxable state income can be found on page 2 of your state income tax return (Ohio IT 1040) line 13.
For taxable years beginning in 2021:
| Ohio Taxable Income | Tax Calculation |
| $0-$25,000 | 0.000% |
| $25,001 – $44,250 | $346.16 + 2.765% of excess over $25,000 |
| $44,250 – $ 88,450 | $878.42 + 3.226% of excess over $44,250 |
| $88,450 – $110,650 | $2,304.31 + 3.688 % of excess over $88,450 |
| more than $110,650 | $3,123.05 + 3.990 of excess over $110,650 |