Step Up For Students
Step Up For Students is a Florida nonprofit scholarship funding organization (SFO) that administers most of Florida's state scholarships. For 2026-27 it runs the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) and Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) for private school students, the Personalized Education Program (PEP) for home-based learners, the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA), New Worlds Scholarship Accounts for struggling readers and math students, and a $750 per-household transportation stipend. Families apply, track funding and spend through its EMA portal and the MyScholarShop marketplace.
- Tax-credit scholarship organization
- ESA administrator
For families
Apply in the EMA portal. For 2026-27, new FTC/FES-EO and FES-UA applications are accepted through November 15, 2026; PEP applications closed April 30, 2026. A 2027-28 interest list is open. Phone 1-877-735-7837.
For donors
Florida corporations fund FTC scholarships through state tax credits, and the Hope Scholarship is funded by a credit on sales tax paid on vehicle purchases. Step Up lists the new federal scholarship tax credit (from January 1, 2027) as coming soon.
About Step Up For Students
- States served
- Florida
- Who it serves
- Florida K-12 students. FTC and FES-EO are open to any student eligible for public school, with priority by income; FES-UA serves students ages 3 through grade 12 with a qualifying diagnosis.
- Programs
- Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC); Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO); Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA); Personalized Education Program (PEP); New Worlds Scholarship Accounts; Hope Scholarship
- Last checked
- Oct 13, 2026
Profile compiled from the organization’s site and official state lists. Each SGO sets its own rules and decides every application.
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