Independent guide to Florida K-12 scholarships · Not affiliated with any scholarship organization or the Florida Department of Education
Scholarship.GuideFlorida

Side-by-side comparison

Florida's scholarship funding organizations compared (2026-27)

Verified 48 sourcesIndependent · not affiliated

Three nonprofit scholarship funding organizations (SFOs) serve Florida K-12 families in 2026-27: Step Up For Students, AAA Scholarship Foundation and Sunshine State Kids Foundation. All three administer FES-EO and FES-UA. They differ in the other programs they run, their online platforms (EMA, SMP and Odyssey), how schools and providers get paid, and the languages they publish in. This page shows what each one publishes, side by side and in the same order. We don't rank them, and we're not affiliated with any of them.

Programs each organization runs in 2026-27

Programs administered for 2026-27
ProgramStep Up For StudentsAAA Scholarship FoundationSunshine State Kids Foundation
FES-EOYes1Yes2Yes3
FTCYes1Yes2Approved by the State Board4; not presented as a separate program on its website3
FES-UAYes1Yes2Yes3
PEPClosed to new students5Closed to new students6Not offered7
New Worlds Scholarship AccountsExisting balances only8No2No4
Transportation StipendYes; not accepting 2026-27 applications9No10No10

PEP is part of the FTC program in state law, so FTC approval covers it11. "Closed to new students" means renewing students only for 2026-2712.

On FTC at Sunshine State Kids Foundation, the sources differ: the State Board approved it for FTC13, its website presents FES-EO and FES-UA3, and its FAQ says EO is "also called FTC or Educational Options"14. Ask the foundation if this matters for your child.

Platforms and how money moves

How each organization handles accounts and payments
Step Up For StudentsAAA Scholarship FoundationSunshine State Kids Foundation
Family platformEMA (Education Market Assistant)15Scholarship Management Platform (SMP)16Odyssey, run by a separate company17
Private-school tuitionSchool invoices in EMA; the school, then the parent, approves; paid to the school18School Commitment Form, then a Verification Report each payment period; paid to the school on fixed dates19Paid to the private school directly20
ProductsMyScholarShop online store, paid directly18No online store; reimbursement21Marketplace purchases20
Services (tutors, therapists)Find Providers: reserve funds; provider paid directly after the service18FES-UA: payment to the provider on request; PEP and FTC: reimbursement19Its application to the state describes wallet payments to approved providers22
ReimbursementYes; review takes up to 60 days after documents are complete23Yes; FES-UA requests approved by Tuesday are generally paid by Friday24Yes; claims due by July 31 following the school year25

Guides: EMA, AAA Scholarship Foundation's SMP and Odyssey.

Organization details and contacts

Who they are and how to reach them
Step Up For StudentsAAA Scholarship FoundationSunshine State Kids Foundation
HeadquartersJacksonville, FL26Tampa, FL26Hollywood, FL26
State Board approval for 2026-27Renewed February 20, 202627Renewed February 20, 202628First approved February 20, 202613
Websitestepupforstudents.org26aaascholarships.org26sskf.org29
Phone(877) 735-7837 (Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. ET)30888-707-2465 (message and callback)26954-353-6660 (on FDOE's list)31
Emailinfo@stepupforstudents.org31info@aaascholarships.org31info@sskf.org31
Website languagesEnglish; Spanish and Haitian Creole by machine translation32English; Spanish and Haitian Creole by machine translation33English, Hebrew, Russian and Spanish34
Other language notesSeparate 2026-27 Spanish handbooks35Flyer says "se habla español!"; handbooks in English36Odyssey application and sign-in in English only37

Full details: contact Step Up For Students, contact AAA Scholarship Foundation, contact Sunshine State Kids Foundation.

What stays the same at every SFO

The programs come from state law, so the core rules don't change with the organization. Eligibility is set by statute (see eligibility). No new deposits go into an FES-EO, FTC or PEP account whose balance is above $24,00038, or an FES-UA account above $50,0003940. Every SFO must accept new FES-EO and FES-UA applications through November 15, 202641. Award amounts are on the award amounts page.

Switching organizations: what each one publishes

State law bars applying for FES and FTC for the same student at the same time42, so a family works with one SFO per student. On the mechanics of moving:

  • Step Up For Students says to apply with it first, get eligibility confirmed, and then ask the old organization to transfer; FTC and PEP funds do not transfer, and unused FES funds in the old account stay spendable under the old program’s rules43. It says transfers may take several weeks44.
  • AAA Scholarship Foundation also says FTC and PEP funds can't be moved to another organization45. In its renewal application to the state, it says FES-UA balances can move with the student between SFOs during the year46, and it asks students who say they are transferring for proof of a prior-year scholarship47.
  • Sunshine State Kids Foundation has not published switching steps that we could find.

How a move affects renewal priority is something to ask both organizations before you decide. More questions are answered in the switching FAQ; providers working with more than one organization can see multiple SFOs for providers.

Not a Florida SFO

AFC Scholarship Fund is not a Florida SFO48 and does not run FES-EO, FES-UA, FTC or PEP. Federal tax-credit organizations (SGOs) such as Step Up, Step Further are separate from the state SFOs; see the Education Freedom Tax Credit page.

Sources

  1. SBE Action Item Feb 20, 2026: Approval of Step Up For Students as SFO for 2026-2027 · Proposed Board Action, p.1 · as stated by State Board of Education · verified on
  2. SBE Action Item Feb 20, 2026: Approval of A.A.A. Scholarship Foundation - Florida, LLC as SFO for 2026-2027 · Proposed Board Action, p.1 · as stated by State Board of Education · verified on
  3. Sunshine State Kids Foundation — homepage · Side-by-side comparison of the 2 scholarship programs · as stated by Sunshine State Kids Foundation · verified on
  4. SBE Action Item Feb 20, 2026: Approval of Sunshine State Kids Foundation, Inc. as SFO for 2026-2027 · Proposed Board Action, p.1 · as stated by State Board of Education · verified on
  5. SUFS FAQ for PEP Survey · all Q&As; PEP page banner · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  6. AAA Scholarship Foundation — Florida – Personalized Education Program (PEP) · "2026-27 School Year – PEP Applications (Closed)" · as stated by AAA Scholarship Foundation · verified on
  7. Sunshine State Kids Foundation — FAQ · "We do not currently offer the PEP program." · as stated by Sunshine State Kids Foundation · verified on
  8. s. 1002.411, F.S. (2026), New Worlds Scholarship Accounts · (1)–(6) · as stated by Florida Statutes · verified on
  9. SUFS Register for 2027-28 Scholarship Updates · program lists · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  10. 2026-27 Transportation Stipend Family Handbook · §Stipend Overview · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  11. ss. 1002.01(2) and 1002.395, F.S. (2026) — Personalized Education Program (within FTC) · section text (2026 F.S.) · as stated by Florida Statutes · verified on
  12. s. 1002.395, F.S. (2026) · (6)(e)1.–6. · as stated by Florida Statutes · verified on
  13. SBE Action Item Feb 20, 2026 — Approval of Sunshine State Kids Foundation, Inc. as SFO for 2026-2027 · p.1 Proposed Board Action · as stated by State Board of Education · verified on
  14. SSK — Preguntas frecuentes · "Nuestras becas" · as stated by Sunshine State Kids Foundation · verified on · sources disagree
  15. SUFS EMA page · links · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  16. AAA Scholarship Foundation SMP FAQ · login link · as stated by AAA Scholarship Foundation · verified on
  17. Sunshine State Kids Foundation — homepage · Who We Are; Apply now link · as stated by Sunshine State Kids Foundation · verified on
  18. SUFS 2026-27 Private School Purchasing Guide (web, last modified 2026-09-16) · payment_methods_note · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  19. AAA Scholarship Foundation FTC/PEP/FES-EO Purchasing Handbook 2026-2027 (rev. 2026-10-16) · Purchasing Policies p.3; AAA Scholarship Foundation PEP page; FES-UA forms · as stated by AAA Scholarship Foundation · verified on
  20. Sunshine State Kids Foundation — homepage · comparison table "How it is Managed" · as stated by Sunshine State Kids Foundation · verified on
  21. AAA Scholarship Foundation FTC/PEP/FES-EO Purchasing Handbook 2026-2027 (rev. 2026-10-16) · p.3 Purchasing Policies · as stated by AAA Scholarship Foundation · verified on
  22. Florida SFO Application 2026-2027, Sunshine State Kids Foundation, Inc. (published by FDOE) · §§6.A–F · verified on
  23. Step Up For Students — 2026-27 Scholarship Schedule · Reimbursement Requests · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  24. AAA Scholarship Foundation FES-UA Parent/School Handbook (rev. 03/03/2025) · pp. 10 "Scholarship Distributions…" · as stated by AAA Scholarship Foundation · verified on
  25. SSK Florida Scholarship Purchasing Handbook 2026-2027 · §5.1 · as stated by Sunshine State Kids Foundation · verified on
  26. FDOE — Scholarship Funding Organizations 2026-2027 · FDOE list + SBE items + Sunbiz · as stated by Florida Department of Education · verified on
  27. SBE Action Item Feb 20, 2026 — Approval of Step Up for Students as SFO for 2026-2027 · p.1 Proposed Board Action · as stated by State Board of Education · verified on
  28. SBE Action Item Feb 20, 2026 — Approval of A.A.A. Scholarship Foundation – Florida, LLC as SFO for 2026-2027 · p.1 Proposed Board Action · as stated by State Board of Education · verified on
  29. Sunshine State Kids Foundation homepage · "Which Scholarship Is Right…", "How It Works" · as stated by Sunshine State Kids Foundation · verified on
  30. SUFS 2026-27 Private School Family Handbook (web, 2026-09-16) · Welcome · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  31. FDOE, Scholarship Funding Organizations (2026-2027) · SFO list · as stated by Florida Department of Education · verified on
  32. Step Up For Students — FAQ for PEP Survey · Translation Notice · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  33. AAA Scholarship Foundation — site source (google_language_translator, includedLanguages en,ht,es) · page source line with TranslateElement · as stated by AAA Scholarship Foundation · verified on
  34. Sunshine State Kids Foundation — Español · language switcher; Spanish notice · as stated by Sunshine State Kids Foundation · verified on
  35. SUFS — Escuela Privada Manual de Familia 2026-2027 · handbook list in page source · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  36. AAA Scholarship Foundation 26-27 FL English Flyer (03-16-2026) · flyer p.1; site script; marketing toolkit · as stated by AAA Scholarship Foundation · verified on
  37. SSK — Spanish home page · language switcher; hreflang tags · as stated by Sunshine State Kids Foundation · verified on
  38. s. 1002.394, F.S. (2026) — The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program · s. 1002.394(12)(a)4. · as stated by Florida Statutes · verified on
  39. s. 1002.394, F.S. (2026) — The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program · s. 1002.394(12)(b)11. · as stated by Florida Statutes · verified on
  40. s. 1002.395, F.S. (2026) — Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program · s. 1002.395(11)(e) · as stated by Florida Statutes · verified on
  41. s. 1002.394, F.S. (2026) — The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program · s. 1002.394(11)(a)2., (b)2. · as stated by Florida Statutes · verified on
  42. s. 1002.394, F.S. (2026) — The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program · s. 1002.394(10)(c); s. 1002.395(7)(c) · as stated by Florida Statutes · verified on
  43. 2026-27 Private School Family Handbook (rev. 2026-09-16) · §Funding Transfers Between Scholarship Funding Organizations · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  44. Step Up For Students — 2026-27 Private School Family Handbook · "Funding Transfers Between Scholarship Funding Organizations" · verified on
  45. AAA Scholarship Foundation — Florida Personalized Education Program (PEP) · FAQs · verified on
  46. AAA Scholarship Foundation – FL, LLC Annual SFO Renewal Application (FY ending 6/30/2027) · Audited FS note 13 (FY2025) · as stated by State Board of Education · verified on
  47. AAA Scholarship Foundation – FL, LLC Annual SFO Renewal Application (published by FDOE) · Attachment G (transfer documentation) · verified on
  48. AFC partners with Step Up, Step Further · announcement (July 16, 2026) · as stated by Step Up, Step Further · verified on