Donate to the Skola SSO and get a full tax credit for your donation!
Dear Skola family, friends and supporters,
The Montana Legislature has renewed an amazing opportunity for taxpayers in 2026: you can direct a portion of your Montana state income tax to fund scholarships for students—at no cost to you.
These scholarship funds are available to any qualifying student in Montana. Students who are awarded a scholarship through this program based on a third-party BeneFAQ process, may use those funds at any
Qualifying Education Provider (MCA § 15‑30‑3102) they attend — not just Skola.
This statewide program offers $7.2 million in dollar-for-dollar tax credits. To participate, your donation to Skola must be received and settled in our SSO account before registration opens at 10:00am on Jan 15th, 2026. Pledges cannot be accepted. The Skola will register your donation the moment portal opens.
And importantly: if your tax credit cannot be claimed, your full donation can be returned.
Please contact maggie@theskola.org to donate!
With Gratitude,
The Skola
Please click HERE to let us know you’d like to donate!
We can accept cash, check, ACH and wire transfer. To register your credit, we’ll need the following information -
Name and donation amount
Mailing and physical address
Last 4 digits of your SSN or business FEIN
email address
Estimate your 2026 tax obligation - https://smartasset.com/taxes/montana-tax-calculator
The Student Scholarship Organization Tax Credit is available to taxpayers who donate to an approved Student Scholarship Organization (SSO) to provide scholarships for eligible students to attend instruction offered by a qualified education provider.
Eligibility
Individual and business taxpayers who donate directly to an approved SSO can claim the Student Scholarship Organization Tax Credit. A list of approved SSOs can be found on the Education Donations Portal at EducationDonations.mt.gov.
The department must preapprove the tax credit before a taxpayer may claim it. To gain preapproval, the SSO must report the taxpayer's donation on the Education Donation Portal to reserve the taxpayer's tax credit. If there is enough aggregate credit remaining and the donor has not made a donation of more than $200,000 for purposes of the tax credit, the credit will be preapproved. The SSO will provide the taxpayer with a tax credit receipt that includes the approved amount of the tax credit and a confirmation number. This number must be reported on the donor’s tax return when claiming the credit.
Benefit
The credit is equal to the amount of the donation up to $200,000 per individual or business and $400,000 per couple.
Credits are available on a first-come, first-served basis until the total credits claimed reaches the aggregate threshold for the year.
Carryover
Once registered and approved, the credit is nonrefundable but may be carried forward for up to three years.
Forms
Learn more about the SSO Tax Credit in the Tax Credits for Qualified Education Contributions Guide.
Additional information from the Montana Department of Revenue
Related Laws
**Disclaimer: The Skola, nor any of its representatives, staff, Board members are not tax or legal professionals. Please consult your tax advisor for further guidance.