*Family Empowerment Scholarship

On May 11, 2021, Governor DeSantis signed House Bill 7045 into law, resulting in several
changes to the state funded scholarship programs, including an extensive expansion of the
Family Empowerment Scholarship Program. House Bill 7045 expanded the Family
Empowerment Scholarship Program to include two branches of eligibility, the Family
Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options and the Family Empowerment Scholarship
for Students with Disabilities.



Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options

This branch of the scholarship eligibility is based on family income. The administration of this
prong of the program will continue to remain the same with a few exceptions. Additionally,
program eligibility has expanded and the prior year in public requirement was removed. While
families are still required to apply through the scholarship funding organizations, the scholarship
funding organization is responsible for determining eligibility and awarding as well
as distributing funding to eligible students.



Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities

Beginning with the 2021-22 school year, the Gardiner Scholarship Program has been rolled
into the Family Empowerment Scholarship and will be referred to as the Family Empowerment
Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA). As was done with the Gardiner
Scholarship Program, students who are found eligible under this branch are able to use their
funds as an education savings account. This means funding can be used beyond just tuition and
fees at a private school. Families are required to apply and renew through the scholarship
funding organizations. The scholarship funding organization is responsible for determining
eligibility, awarding and distributing funding to eligible students and approving eligible
expenditures.




How do I apply?

If you are interested in applying for either the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational
Options or the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, please
contact one of the two scholarship funding organizations that administers these programs:



A.A.A. Scholarship Foundation- FL, LLC
Phone/Fax: 888-707-2465
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Step Up For Students
877-735-7837
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*Source: Family Empowerment Scholarship (https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2ffldoe.org&c=E,1,7wDR-KUFsw4VGJUulaNNtvXpomrc7weStfqKaKeJts666T4t2QTUToV0T1eEtnDBnmBX0YAC0hpLJwZf-juGtlKarmfKNpg61NEq2gUCqgs,&typo=1) December 1, 2021



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