Center of the American Experiment delivered a petition today to the office of Gov. Tim Walz signed by 4,617 Minnesotans urging him to opt-in to the new federal tax credit soon available for donations to scholarship-granting organizations. The tax credit was part of the One Big Beautiful Bill passed in 2025 and requires governors to opt-in by sending a list of eligible scholarship-granting organizations to the federal government by the end of this year. So far, Gov. Walz has not committed to opting Minnesota into the program, although he hasn’t ruled it out.
The 4,617 signatures on the petition represent at least one from every State Senate district and from all but eight House districts. The signatures were gathered from November 2025 until last week. Fifty-five percent of respondents to the recent Thinking Minnesota Poll support the new federal education tax credit.
Scholarships would be available to students in public schools, non-public schools, and homeschools. It is estimated that $487 million per year could flow from scholarship-granting organizations to Minnesota parents and students for after-school tutoring, transportation, special education services, and even tuition.
The new federal program will have no impact on the state budget and could benefit students in every learning environment in Minnesota! It’s a win-win for families and taxpayers. But Gov. Walz must opt in so families can take advantage of the program.
