Non-Network partners: Institute for Justice, Americans for Prosperity-West Virginia, Love Your School-West Virginia, West Virginia Families United for Education, Yes.EveryKid., Stand Together, State Policy Network, Catholic Education Partners The Hope Scholarship was signed into law on March 29th, 2021. Immediately, the Cardinal Institute shifted its coalition of national and state partners into a defensive posture. Given the heated nature of the debates surrounding Hope’s passage, the coalition knew a lawsuit would be forthcoming and that Hope must be defended in the court of public opinion as much as, if not more than, in the court of law. Beginning April 2021 with a Hope Scholarship eligibility quiz, media appearances, and social media ads, the coalition launched a multi-faceted campaign to raise awareness of Hope and defend it against opposition that spanned 18 months. Members created outreach materials for local events, created a website to explain Hope before the state did, identified parents to participate in litigation, and began preparation for the anticipated lawsuit. On January 19th, 2022, the lawsuit against Hope was filed and a week later the Cardinal Institute hosted West Virginia’s first ever School Choice Fair. This event celebrated growing education freedom in West Virginia, educated families on the Hope Scholarship, and served as a public launch for two local partner organizations founded to empower parents and education providers as they navigate the changing education landscape in the Mountain State. On July 6th, 2022, after children had already been accepted into the Hope Scholarship, an injunction halted its operation. The Cardinal Institute created a statewide storytelling campaign called Hope in the Hills which highlighted the families that the Hope Scholarship would help and who were being hurt by the injunction. Other coalition members also created storytelling campaigns, and one launched a podcast, dedicated to highlighting the growth of education opportunities in West Virginia, called We Have Hope. Coalition members actively participated in litigation and filed amicus briefs on behalf of Hope. On October 6th, 2022, the Hope Scholarship program was upheld as constitutional. Find additional details here.