The volunteer income tax assistance (vita) grant was established as a matching grant program to provide funding for organizations who support community volunteer income tax assistance

The Internal Revenue Service awarded Campaign For Working Families, Inc. $1.25 million under the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Matching Grant Program (CFDA 21.009) on October 1, 2025.

Campaign For Working Families will deliver free tax return preparation and electronic filing services to low- to moderate-income individuals, persons with disabilities, those with limited English proficiency, Native Americans, rural residents, members of the Armed Forces and their families, and elderly taxpayers in Pennsylvania. The recipient must ensure at least 90 percent of returns prepared serve taxpayers with income at or below the earned income tax credit (EITC) threshold, file all eligible returns electronically, meet its return production goals, and demonstrate year-over-year improvements in return preparation volume and efficiency.

The award period runs from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. The VITA Matching Grant Program supports organizations that extend services to underserved populations in hard-to-reach urban and non-urban areas, increase electronic filing capacity, heighten quality control, enhance volunteer training, and improve return accuracy. Grant recipients may engage sub-recipients to deliver key program elements, provided they adhere to program guidelines.

Activities

The vita grant program provides financial support to organizations who 1) extend services to underserved populations in hardest to reach areas both urban and non-urban; 2) increase the capacity to file returns electronically; 3) heighten quality control; 4) enhance training of volunteers; and 5) significantly improve the accuracy rate of returns prepared at vita sites. End goal/expected outcomes: vita grant recipients are expected to 1) follow existing guidance governing vita site operations; 2) ensure at least 90% of returns prepared are for individuals whose income is equal to or less than the maximum earned income tax credit (eitc) thresholds; 2) file all eligible returns electronically; 3) achieve 100% of their return production goals; 4) become more efficient with grant funds; and 5) show incremental increases in return preparation each year.

Intended beneficiaries

Taxpayers who are low to moderate income individuals, persons with disabilities, those for whom english is a second language, native americans, individuals living in rural areas, members of the armed forces and their families, and the elderly.

Subrecipient activities

Subrecipients may be utilized by grant recipients to help deliver key elements of the program and must adhere to grant program guidelines. Broadband: specific activities relating to broadband usage are not known at the time of award.