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Former program

What happened to the McKay and Gardiner Scholarships?

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Status of FES-UA, the program that replaced both:

Status: Open to new applicants for 2026-27 (may close when it reaches capacity)1 · checked

The McKay Scholarship and the Gardiner Scholarship no longer exist under those names. A 2021 Florida law merged both into the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA)2, often called the Unique Abilities Scholarship. Families of students with disabilities now apply for FES-UA for 2026-27 through Step Up For Students, AAA Scholarship Foundation or Sunshine State Kids Foundation3.

What the old programs were

  • McKay Scholarship: helped students with disabilities attend a private school.
  • Gardiner Scholarship: an education savings account for students with certain disabilities.

FES-UA combines both ideas. It is an education savings account that can pay private-school tuition and also therapies, tutoring, curriculum, technology and more. Details are on the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) page.

If your child had McKay or Gardiner

  • Award protection: students who held a Gardiner or McKay Scholarship in 2020-21 receive the greater of the current FES-UA amount or their 2020-21 amount4.
  • Enrollment cap: FES-UA has a statewide cap, but students who held McKay in 2021-22 do not count toward it5.
  • Renewing: FES-UA students renew each year with their SFO. The 2026-27 renewal window ran February 1, 2026 to April 30, 20266.

Where the old names still appear

You will still see "McKay" and "Gardiner" in older documents, search results and some SFO pages. The web address of AAA Scholarship Foundation's FES-UA page, for example, still says "formerly Gardiner and McKay"7. Spanish-language articles still mention "Becas McKay." All of these now mean the same program: FES-UA.

How to apply now

New FES-UA applications for 2026-27 are open at Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation through November 15, 202667, and Step Up For Students says it may close early if the program reaches capacity1. A child needs an IEP or a diagnosis of a qualifying disability. Apply on the SFO's own site: Step Up For Students’ Unique Abilities page, AAA Scholarship Foundation’s FES-UA page or Sunshine State Kids Foundation’s website.

Sources

  1. SUFS Register for 2027-28 Scholarship Updates · program lists · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  2. s. 1002.394 and s. 1002.395, F.S. (2021) · (3) eligibility · as stated by Florida Statutes · verified on · prior-year figure
  3. SBE Action Item Feb 20, 2026 — Approval of A.A.A. Scholarship Foundation – Florida, LLC as SFO for 2026-2027 · SBE action items 9-1/10-1/11-1 (Feb 20, 2026) + each SFO site · as stated by State Board of Education · verified on
  4. s. 1002.394, F.S. (2026) — The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program · s. 1002.394(12)(b)4.-5. · as stated by Florida Statutes · verified on
  5. s. 1002.394, F.S. (2026) — The Family Empowerment Scholarship Program · s. 1002.394(12)(b)1. · as stated by Florida Statutes · verified on
  6. 2026-27 Scholarship Schedule (Last-Modified 2026-09-15) · p.2 · as stated by Step Up For Students · verified on
  7. AAA Scholarship Foundation — Florida Disability-Based Scholarships – FES-UA · New applicants §3 · as stated by AAA Scholarship Foundation · verified on