Palmetto Promise Institute Internship Program

Our program is designed to provide young individuals with the opportunity to learn about state policy development and to gain hands-on experience working on policy research, legislative analysis, and communications.

2023-2024 Palmetto Freedom Agenda

Education Scholarship Accounts (ESAs) Signed Into Law

Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, five thousand scholarships will be awarded to children from low and moderate income families (<$60,000 for a family of 4). Scholarships may be used not just for private school tuition but for a host of education providers. It is the ultimate customizable education. There are other restrictions. Children must have previously attended public school or be entering kindergarten. The portal for applying for these scholarships will open in March 2024. Schools are holding Open House events now. Get the ESA details here!

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Latest News

October 15, 2026

2026 SC School Report Cards Show Promise

The South Carolina Department of Education recently released the 2026 School Report Cards. Required to satisfy federal accountability standards, these report cards grade every public school (traditional and charter) on a wide variety of criteria, such as standardized test scores, graduation rate, college and career readiness, and student progress. They also provide families with a

October 15, 2026

South Carolina and Nutrition Assistance: The Impact of New Federal Policy

What the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Did to SNAP The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, made several significant changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Two of these reforms directly impact state budgets: states will soon be responsible for a greater share of SNAP administrative

October 15, 2026

Rep. Bill Taylor honored with ‘Statesman of Freedom’ award at Governor’s Mansion

The following article was originally published in the Post & Courier. Palmetto Promise Institute honored retiring S.C. Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, with its Statesman of Freedom Award during the inaugural Palmetto Promise Honors event on Sept. 30 at the South Carolina Governor’s Mansion in Columbia. Taylor, who is concluding 16 years of service in the

October 12, 2026

South Carolina Well-Represented at U.S. House Education Committee Hearing

On August 25, 2026, the United States House Committee on Education & Workforce held a hearing on protecting servicemembers in schools, citing concerns where teachers or school board members were discriminated against because they took a leave of absence for military service. Of the three testifiers at this hearing, two were from South Carolina: Chris

October 6, 2026

A Few Key Provisions in the New Federal Tax Credit Scholarship

The United States Department of Treasury recently released the long-awaited rules for the upcoming federal Education Freedom Tax Credit. This program has the potential to revolutionize school choice funding across the United States by allowing taxpayers to redirect some of their federal tax liability to a scholarship granting organization (SGO) rather than the Internal Revenue

September 28, 2026

Data Matters. Families Matter More: Addressing Criticisms of the ESTF Program

Last Monday, the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee (EOC) released a report titled “Education Scholarship Trust Fund, Year One (School Year 2024-25): A Formative Review of Data Quality and Transparency.” What followed was a barrage of criticisms looking to cast a shadow on the program, much of which lacks context. We want to take a

September 28, 2026

Alternative certification program aims to help fill South Carolina teacher vacancies

I recently had the opportunity to join Stephen Biddix from WIS10 to discuss some of the work that South Carolina is doing to address teacher vacancies. To check out the video interview, you can view the original article here. COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – As South Carolina continues to work through a teacher shortage, one organization

September 24, 2026

Should Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy Merge?

When NextEra Energy proposed to “combine” (merge) with Dominion Energy and Dominion Energy South Carolina, for a brief moment it was what one observer called a “sleepy energy story.” Utilities merge all the time. So what? But then elected officials and policy groups from both left and right began to take a closer look at

September 17, 2026

NEW REPORT: Small Modular Reactors – Concept Becoming Reality?

This new report explores the ongoing development of SMRs in the United States and abroad. This technology could be important for South Carolina’s future growth as the energy grid becomes increasingly pressured. DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT. What is the current state of energy in South Carolina? Due to increased growth, in-migration and aging power plants,

September 10, 2026

New York Judge Sides with South Carolina on $75 Billion Climate Shakedown

New York’s Climate Superfund Act, passed in 2024, sought to require American energy producers to pay roughly $3 billion per year for 25 years based on their emissions from 2000–2024. This would result in $75 billion being paid to reverse alleged environmental damages caused by these emissions. South Carolina was part of a coalition of

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