On Tuesday, April 14, 2026, Imani Christian Academy CEO and Head of School Paulo Nzambi traveled to Harrisburg to testify before the Pennsylvania House Education Committee. The hearing centered on the value of the state’s Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) and Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) programs – two initiatives that make an Imani education possible for the families who need it most.
These programs allow businesses and individuals to donate to schools like Imani and receive a 90% tax credit on their Pennsylvania tax liability. For a school that serves students from communities shaped by generations of poverty and underinvestment, those dollars are transformative.
Standing before the committee, Mr. Nzambi painted a clear picture of who Imani serves and why these tax credits matter. Imani sits adjacent to two subsidized housing developments in the East Hills of Pittsburgh, a neighborhood where the median household income is $25,000 per year and the unemployment rate is roughly double the city average. There is no public high school in the community. Many students come from single-parent households, and all are eligible for free and reduced lunch.
“These dollars are going to students who are underserved, who are underprivileged, who are at risk…any term that you want to apply,” Mr. Nzambi told the committee.
Tuition at Imani is $18,000 per year, but families pay just $1,650 for the first child and $400 for each additional child. Tax credit scholarships help bridge the gap between what families can contribute and the actual cost of education, with Imani’s fundraising efforts covering the rest. Without these programs, the families Imani serves simply could not afford to choose a school that meets their children’s needs.
And the results speak for themselves. Year after year, Imani graduates 100% of its senior class on time. Every senior is accepted to college, and for the past two years, every graduate has enrolled in a university or college. Imani Christian Academy makes this happen through intentional support, including a dedicated course where seniors apply to colleges, pursue scholarships, and connect with resources that may not be available in their homes or communities.
Mr. Nzambi also shared the story of a young man currently in high school who has attended Imani since elementary school. He lives in the subsidized housing and his family chose Imani because the alternatives available to him were identified by the state as low performing, and the family did not feel they offered a safe environment for him to learn and grow. His story, Mr. Nzambi emphasized, is far from unique.
“These tax credit programs free them to select the school of their choice,” Mr. Nzambi said. “It liberates them from being forced to sacrifice safety and accept underperformance simply because they live in a specific ZIP code.”
During the question-and-answer session, committee members explored topics ranging from accountability and reporting to the role of corporate donors and how Imani’s outcomes compare to surrounding public schools. Mr. Nzambi welcomed the dialogue, affirming that Imani already participates in reporting through its scholarship organizations and expressing openness to further transparency measures.
He also made clear that Imani sees itself not as a replacement for public education, but as an essential option — an educational alternative for families who deserve the agency to choose what is best for their children.
“They simply want a chance for their child to have a better future,” Paulo said. “And that’s all they want.”
If you would like to learn more about EITC and OSTC, you can do so at https://
