RELEASE: New Donors Push Palmetto Promise ESTF Families Rescue Fund to $2.2 million

Education
January 27, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Donors Push Palmetto Promise ESTF Families Rescue Fund to $2.2 million 

COLUMBIA — To kick off National School Choice Week, Palmetto Promise Institute President Wendy Damron announced today that new support from three (3) additional donors has pushed the Palmetto Promise ESTF Families Rescue fund to $2.2 million. The Rescue Fund goal, which represents the funds needed to cover all existing ESTF students for the remainder of the 2024-25 school year, is $3 million. 

The three (3) new gifts were $500,000 from an anonymous donor, along with $100,000 each from the Children’s Scholarship Fund and the JM Foundation. These new donors join the $500,000 donation from South Carolina native Ravenel Curry III and $900,000 from Pennsylvania businessman and philanthropist Jeff Yass, both awarded in 2024. Additionally, the Rescue Fund has been generously supported by a wide range of smaller donations, ranging from $25 to $50,000. 

The ESTF Families Rescue Fund was established by Palmetto Promise Institute to support families impacted by the September 11, 2024, SC Supreme Court Eidson decision, which enjoined use of the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) for students in private schools. The adverse decision, which did not require claw back of first quarter funds already provided to ESTF families, left many ESTF families at risk of losing access to their new private providers due to the remaining three quarters of the school year being unfunded. With $2.2 million now in hand, both the second quarter and third quarter of the 2024-25 school term have been fully funded as well as a portion of the fourth quarter.  

“We are profoundly grateful for support from the Children’s Scholarship Fund, the JM Foundation, and this kind anonymous donor,” said Wendy Damron, President & CEO, of Palmetto Promise Institute. “These contributions are not just gifts to these families,” said Damron, “they are an investment in the long-term health of South Carolina’s school choice movement and a powerful example of the impact individuals can make to keep this issue at the forefront of public policy. Now we look to the General Assembly to find a permanent school choice solution without delay.” A bill establishing a lottery-funded education choice program is currently being debated by the SC Senate. 

Palmetto Promise Institute invites others who are passionate about educational opportunities to join these new donors in supporting the ESTF Families Rescue Fund to help fully fund ESTF students for the rest of the school year. For more information on the Fund or to contribute, please contact wendy@palmettopromise.org or give at palmettopromise.org/donate. 

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Palmetto Promise Institute (PPI) is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational organization. Founded in 2013, Palmetto Promise Institute champions free-market policies across five key areas: Education, Fiscal Policy, Healthcare, Energy, and Quality of Life. The Institute’s mission is to promote policies that enable every South Carolinian to thrive and reach their full potential. 

Contact: Wendy Damron

wendy@palmettopromise.org

(803) 530-1974