Every day, pregnancy centers across the country provide critical support to women and families facing unexpected pregnancies and difficult circumstances, generally at no cost. Despite the growing need, centers are often almost entirely reliant on private donations to continue their work.
One policy helping ensure these ministries have the resources they need to continue serving their communities is a state tax credit for pregnancy centers.
Unlike charitable tax deductions, which reduce a taxpayer’s taxable income, tax credits directly reduce the amount of tax an individual owes. As a result, tax credits generally provide a more valuable incentive for charitable giving to organizations serving women and families while reducing reliance on government funding.
Put simply, the state’s tax credit encourages individual donors or businesses to be charitable by reducing the amount of tax they owe. When donors are incentivized to give, it increases the funds received by pregnancy centers so they can continue their life-affirming work without burdening the centers with administrative overhead.
While 19 states currently offer some form of government grant to centers, these ministries typically prefer tax credits because they provide greater flexibility in how funds are used. According to an article published by the Charlotte Lozier Institute in 2024, six states offer tax credits for donations to pregnancy help organizations, including pregnancy centers, maternity homes, nonprofit adoption agencies, and other organizations providing pregnancy-related assistance. Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and North Dakota all have tax credits for donations to pregnancy centers while Arizona offers a tax credit for donations to qualifying organizations that don’t provide abortions.
Kansas: A Model of Success
Kansas demonstrates just how successful a well-designed tax credit can be at strengthening pregnancy centers. Through the Kansas Pregnancy Resource Act Tax Credit, individuals and businesses that contribute to approved pregnancy centers or maternity homes can receive a credit worth up to 70% of their donation.
The credit took effect in July 2024, giving pregnancy centers only part of the year to introduce the new incentive to supporters. According to Ruth Martinez Tisdale, Executive Director of Two Lines Pregnancy Center in Overland Park, one of the first challenges was helping donors understand the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction. Once donors understood the benefit, support grew quickly. In a year’s time, the number of donors rose from 275 to 453 households with contributions increasing from $877,000 to $1.6 million.
“The fundraising has become easier,” Tisdale explained. “We’re seeing new donors, and we’re seeing existing donors give more.” She also adds, “It is really easy to encourage people to give when you can tell them, ‘We are receiving a benefit from your gift, but you are receiving a benefit as well.'”
The additional support has translated directly into expanded services. In 2025, the center used more than $200,000 of these donations to meet women’s immediate needs, including rent, car repairs, utilities, food, transportation, and medical bills, which is an increase from just $25,000 five years earlier. Tisdale said the funding has also allowed the center to employ an additional licensed social worker. Ultimately the tax credit, Tisdale says, has “freed us to do this extra work, this very tangible expression of Christ-like compassion”.
When asked about how she and her center handle critiques claiming they are misrepresenting themselves or misleading women, Tisdale encourages skeptics to visit a center and see the work firsthand. “I would invite anyone to come take a tour,” she said. She also notes that all medical services are provided under the supervision of a medical director and medical advisory group, ensuring clients receive professional, high-quality care.
Insight Women’s Center, located in Lawrence, Kansas, has experienced similar benefits. CEO, Bridgit Smith, writes: “This program has enabled many donors to increase their contributions, knowing the state’s tax credit amplifies their impact. As a result, we have expanded services, strengthened staffing, and provided safe housing for pregnant women and their babies through Selah Home.”
An anonymous donor of Insight Women’s Center wrote: “When I learned that my gift qualified for the Kansas tax credit, it allowed our family to give more than we ever thought we could. Still, the best part wasn’t the tax credit. It was knowing that mothers and babies in our community received hope, real help, and the love of Christ.”
Expanding Pregnancy Center Support
To guide remaining states through the process of enacting similar policies, Americans United for Life has written the Community Support for Pregnancy Centers Act. This piece of model legislation provides states with the structure necessary for establishing tax credits that strengthen America’s organizations serving women, children, and families in need.
