Quick answers.
- What is Step Up for Students?
- A nonprofit scholarship-funding organization in Florida. Step Up’s PEP handbook describes it as “a nonprofit Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO) approved by the state of Florida to administer the FTC-PEP Scholarship program and other education choice programs.” It is not the Florida Department of Education. Who pays for PEP, and whether Step Up is a state agency, is on is Florida PEP free.
- What scholarships does Step Up for Students offer?
- On its scholarships page, the ones families mix up are the Personalized Education Program (PEP), the Private School Scholarship (the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options), and the Unique Abilities scholarship. The same page also lists a Hope Scholarship, New Worlds Scholarship Accounts, and a transportation stipend.
- Is the Step Up for Students scholarship the same as PEP?
- PEP is one Step Up scholarship, not the only one. It is the parent-directed program, for students who are not enrolled in public school or a Florida home education program. How PEP differs from home education is on Florida homeschool scholarship vs home education.
- Is Step Up for Students the Family Empowerment Scholarship?
- No. Step Up is the organization. Family Empowerment Scholarship is a program name. Step Up’s about page says the legislature created it in 2019, and in 2021 named two parts: Educational Options (FES-EO) and Unique Abilities (FES-UA, the renamed Gardiner Scholarship). PEP is separate. Step Up’s scholarships page says families access PEP through the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship.
- Which Step Up scholarship is this site for?
- PEP only. The Florida PEP tracker keeps PEP purchases, receipts, and balances. It is not Step Up’s portal, and it is not built for the Unique Abilities scholarship or for full-time private school.
The short version.
- Step Up for Students is a scholarship-funding organization, not the Florida Department of Education. Who pays for PEP, and whether Step Up is a state agency, is on is Florida PEP free.
- The name is not one scholarship. Step Up’s scholarships page lists PEP, a private-school scholarship, Unique Abilities, and others.
- PEP is the parent-directed one, and the only scholarship this site’s tracker is built for.
- Full-time private school is a different scholarship. Whether PEP can pay any private-school tuition is on can PEP be used for private school.
- Unique Abilities is the third one people mix up with PEP. Requirements are on PEP vs FES-UA.
What Step Up says it is.
Step Up’s PEP handbook describes the organization as “a nonprofit Scholarship Funding Organization (SFO) approved by the state of Florida to administer the FTC-PEP Scholarship program and other education choice programs.”
Its about page states the mission as empowering families “to pursue and engage in the most appropriate learning options for their children.” AAA Scholarship Foundation is a separate scholarship-funding organization. PEP funding doesn’t transfer between them; that rule is on do PEP funds roll over.
Three scholarships people mix up.
Personalized Education Program (PEP)
Step Up’s scholarships page says: “Florida students who are not enrolled in public school or a Florida Home Education Program can access the Personalized Education Program (PEP) through the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship.” It describes PEP as an education savings account for parent-directed education.
That is the scholarship this site covers. The pages that own the details:
- How to apply for PEP, including ages and deadlines.
- PEP award amounts by county and grade.
- What PEP covers, and the purchasing guide.
- PEP and homeschooling: PEP is not Florida’s home education program.
- The Florida PEP tracker, for purchases, receipts, and balances. Filing still happens in EMA, Step Up’s portal.
Private School Scholarship (FTC and FES-EO)
Step Up’s scholarships page names this “The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) and the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO).” It is the scholarship for private-school tuition. PEP is not that scholarship. What PEP itself can pay a school is on can PEP be used for private school, college, or VPK.
Unique Abilities (FES-UA)
Step Up lists this separately from PEP. Its about page says that in 2021 the Gardiner Scholarship was renamed the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA), and that the other part of the Family Empowerment Scholarship was named Educational Options (FES-EO). Who qualifies, and how the account differs from PEP, is on PEP vs FES-UA. This site’s tracker is not built for FES-UA.
Is the Family Empowerment Scholarship the same thing?
No. Step Up is the organization. Family Empowerment Scholarship is a program it administers.
Step Up’s about page says the legislature created the Family Empowerment Scholarship in 2019. In 2021 it was given two parts: Educational Options and Unique Abilities. PEP is not a third name for that whole scholarship. Step Up’s scholarships page says families access PEP through the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship.
Other programs on Step Up’s list.
The same scholarships page also lists a Hope Scholarship, New Worlds Scholarship Accounts, and a transportation stipend. This site does not cover those programs. For PEP families, the next page is the one that matches the question: applying, amounts, what you can buy, or the tracker.
On PEP? Keep the paperwork in one place.
The Florida PEP Tracker keeps each student’s purchases, statuses, and balance together, checks receipts before you upload them, and can add any deadline to your calendar. It is built for PEP, not for Step Up’s other scholarships.
One payment, no subscription: $49 for one student or $69 for a family. See pricing.
More Florida PEP guides.
Eligibility and yearly rules
- PEP and homeschooling
Is Florida PEP for homeschoolers? How PEP differs from a home education program: registration, letter of intent, testing, and when to end home education.
- How to apply for PEP
How to apply for the Florida PEP scholarship through Step Up: age and residency rules, documents, the EMA steps, and last year’s dates while 2027–28 dates are pending.
- What’s new for PEP in 2026–27
What changed in the 2026–27 PEP Family Handbook: new public school attestation and withdrawal deadlines, deposit dates, switching rules, and purchasing guide updates.
- PEP application statuses
What each Step Up EMA status means for a Florida PEP application, from Pending and On Hold to Pending Review, Scholarship Choice Confirmed, Funded, and Denied.
- Is PEP full?
How many Florida PEP scholarships the law allows, when the cap ends, what Step Up’s pages say about capacity, and why they don’t all match.
- Can you lose PEP?
The reasons Step Up lists for losing a Florida PEP scholarship, including public school enrollment and moving, what happens to the money, and whether you repay it.
- PEP for military families
What Step Up’s pages say about Florida PEP for active-duty military families: residency proof, PCS orders, deadline exceptions, and moving out of state.
- PEP testing and SLP
Florida PEP’s yearly requirements: the norm-referenced test, who must test (including K–2), the Student Learning Plan, deadlines, and exemptions.
- PEP vs FES-UA
What the FES-UA scholarship is, who qualifies, and how it differs from Florida PEP: diagnosis, ages, home education, therapies, devices, and deadlines.
Payments, balances, and deadlines
- PEP payment dates for 2026–27
Step Up for Students PEP payment schedule for 2026–27: quarterly funding dates, how long deposits take to post, and what can hold a payment back.
- PEP deadline checklist (Oct 31)
Florida PEP families have until October 31, 2026 to request reimbursement for 2025–26 purchases. A step-by-step checklist to find, check, and submit every receipt in EMA.
- PEP award amounts by county
Every 2026–27 PEP scholarship amount from Step Up’s chart, for all 67 Florida counties and three grade bands, plus why EMA may show a different number.
- Do PEP funds roll over?
What Step Up for Students and Florida law say about unused PEP money: rollover, the $24,000 balance limit, inactive accounts, and switching programs.
- Is PEP free? Income and funding
Is Florida PEP free or income based? What Step Up and Florida law say about application fees, income priority, and where PEP scholarship money comes from.
Spending and reimbursements
- PEP reimbursement guide
How Step Up reimburses Florida PEP purchases: receipt rules, proof of payment, EMA steps, the Educational Benefit form, review time, holds, and appeals.
- How MyScholarShop works
How MyScholarShop works for Florida PEP families: when it opens, checking out, order statuses, shipping, returns, and cancelled orders, from Step Up’s own pages.
- The PEP Purchasing Guide, explained
A plain-English map of Step Up’s 2026–27 PEP Purchasing Guide: where to find it, the expense categories, prohibited items, and what needs pre-authorization.
- What is EMA?
What EMA (Education Market Assistant) is for Florida PEP families: what you can do in it, account setup, MyScholarShop, and the account rules.
- PEP for private school, college, VPK
Can Florida PEP pay for private school, college classes, VPK, or preschool? What Step Up’s PEP pages and Florida law say, and which program fits instead.
- PEP for tutoring
Can Florida PEP pay for a tutor? Step Up’s credential rules for part-time and full-time tutors, what a tutoring invoice needs, and how tutors get paid.
- Does PEP cover it?
Does Florida PEP cover swim lessons, summer camp, sports, printers, headphones, transportation, or uniforms? Answers in the words of Step Up’s purchasing guide.
Sources.
All read on October 22, 2026. We re-check them when new editions are published.
- Scholarships
Step Up for Students web page, read October 22, 2026: Private School Scholarship (FTC and FES-EO), Unique Abilities, PEP through the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Hope Scholarship, New Worlds Scholarship Accounts, and the transportation stipend.
stepupforstudents.org - About Us
Step Up for Students web page, read October 22, 2026: mission, and the 2019 and 2021 history of the Family Empowerment Scholarship, including the Gardiner rename to FES-UA and the naming of FES-EO.
stepupforstudents.org - PEP Family Handbook (2026–27)
Step Up for Students web page, read October 22, 2026: Step Up’s description of itself as a nonprofit scholarship-funding organization approved to administer FTC-PEP and other education choice programs.
stepupforstudents.org