Business EITC Contributions

What is EITC?

The Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) is administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development. Tax credits of up to 90% of the contribution amount can be awarded to businesses that make contributions to the National Constitution Center’s educational improvement programs that provide civic literacy and citizen engagement programs to visiting students from across the state!

The Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) is available to businesses authorized to do business in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that are subject to certain taxes. Businesses can apply to receive a tax credit of 75% of their contributions, up to $750,000. If a firm makes a two-year funding commitment, for the same amount in both years, the tax credit can be increased to 90%.

Applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis once submissions open on July 1. More information about specific eligibility can be found at dced.pa.gov.

Giving through EITC to the National Constitution Center:

The National Constitution Center is approved as an Educational Improvement Organization (EIO), and is eligible to receive EITC funds. In order to be eligible to contribute to the Center through this program, a business must elect on its application that it wishes to contribute to an EIO.

Funds received through the EITC program are used to offer free and subsidized admission to our museum to K-12 students coming from school within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

What National Constitution Center Programs Benefit from EITC:

The National Constitution Center’s student programs bring the story of “We the People” to life for students of all grade levels through immersive experiences, innovative programs, standards-based lesson plans, and other resources that align with school curricula. Our Young Citizens Scholarship and the immersive Constitutional Ambassadors program makes it possible for students from underserved communities and financially disadvantaged school districts to visit the National Constitution Center to participate onsite and in online constitutional education.

The museum’s active outreach efforts seek to ensure that financial considerations are not a barrier to participating in our programs. Significant organizational resources are devoted to outreach and program development for teachers and students in grades K–12, and the museum works closely with schools, districts, and educational organizations throughout the region to ensure that the students’ experiences with the museum’s programs are connected to their classroom curriculum.

The Constitutional Ambassadors and Young Citizens Scholarship programs fund group visits to the National Constitution Center from schools across the Commonwealth, including many from Title I schools — schools identified by the federal government as serving high concentrations of families in poverty and students at risk. Scholarships make it possible for students to participate in the programs and exhibits at the museum—such as the live, multimedia theatrical performance Freedom Rising—as well as providing bus transportation from their schools to the National Constitution Center.

For more information about supporting the National Constitution Center’s mission with a Pennsylvania EITC-eligible gift, please contact Lauren Sylling, Vice President of Strategy & Development, at 202.329.8645 or [email protected].