Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program
The Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program is administered by the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) under Act 48. Established in 2001, the program awards tax credits to businesses that make contributions to scholarship organizations and/or educational improvement organizations that are on a list approved and published by DCED.
WASDEF actively pursues Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) dollars from approved businesses on behalf of WASD. EITC funds for WASD are held at and administered by the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.
Thanks to local and area businesses, more than $200,000 has supported venture and artist-in-residence programs at WASD through the EITC program since 2010!
How do you direct your company’s tax dollars to benefit WASD?
Apply to participate for one or two years to DCED. The tax credit is a 75-percent credit (against taxes owed). However, if a company provides a written two-year commitment of equal funding, the credit becomes 90 percent.
Once approved, EITC contributions can be directed to benefit the district through the program at FCFP.
For more information, visit www.dced.pa.gov and search EITC, or contact the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania at 570-321-1500.
Thank you to the following 2024-2025 EITC business donors that contributed a combined $12,182 to WASD!
- F.N.B. Corporation
- Jersey Shore State Bank
- M&T Bank
- UPMC Health Plan
Funding Esports Programming at WASD
With a continued focus on preparing students for industries of the future, Williamsport Area Middle School and Williamsport Area High School are building on an esports program where students can put their gaming skills to the test and compete against other esports teams from schools across the state — all thanks to some recent grant funding.
Sanctioned through the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Esports Association (PIEA), the extra-curricular activity “is rapidly growing in K-12 education as a path for building science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) and social-emotional skills while increasing student engagement and opportunities for student inclusion,” according to Intel. “Today, many colleges and universities have esports intramural teams or offer esports degrees.”
Allowing students to form teams and participate, train and compete in organized gaming competitions and tournaments, the program at each school also instructs students in sportsmanship, teamwork, and safe, ergonomic game-playing techniques and strategies to stay healthy while gaming.
To bring the programs alive, WASDEF facilitated the receipt of a more than $50,000 in venture grants from the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania through Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) donations received from C&N, First National Bank of PA, M&T Bank, High Industries, UPMC Health Plan and Woodlands Bank.
