Five Florida scholarship programs. Two SFOs. One complicated vendor process. We handle it.
Florida doesn't have one ESA — it has five scholarship programs across two scholarship funding organizations. Each has different vendor requirements, different eligible expenses, and different payment flows. We make them feel like one.
Florida's school choice system is powerful — and genuinely confusing for vendors.
Florida has five distinct scholarship programs (FES-EO, FES-UA, FTC, PEP, New Worlds), two Scholarship Funding Organizations (Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation), and a vendor marketplace (MyScholarShop) with its own registration process. Each program has different eligibility rules, different expense categories, and different payment timelines. A provider who wants to serve all Florida scholarship families needs to navigate all of them.
Florida ESA Programs
Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO)
Family Empowerment Scholarship — Unique Abilities (FES-UA)
Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC)
Personalized Education Program (PEP)
New Worlds Scholarship
April 30 is the priority deadline for family applications.
Florida family applications have a priority deadline of April 30 and stay open until November 15 for new families. This creates a spike in MyScholarShop activity from May through July as newly awarded families start choosing providers. Providers who aren't onboarded by May miss the largest purchase window of the year.
How ESA Connect handles your Florida filings
Validate before you submit
We check your documents against every state's requirements before filing. No rejections for EIN mismatches, expired credentials, or missing formats.
File through the right portal
Each state uses different payment platforms — Step Up For Students (EMA), MyScholarShop, AAA Scholarship Foundation. We know which requires what, and submit through the correct one.
Monitor rule changes daily
State program rules change mid-year without notice. We track every update and auto-resubmit affected documents for Business-tier customers.
Respond to state clarifications
When a state requests additional documentation, we handle the response on your behalf — you don't lose days to back-and-forth email chains.
The math is simple
Most providers add 15+ approved families in their first year.
We work with every major ESA fund manager
ESA Connect is an independent service and is not affiliated with these payment administrators.
Pricing for Florida providers
Single state, one staff member
Up to 5 states, 10 staff, priority review
Done-for-you, 5-state guarantee
Florida ESA Questions
What's the difference between FES-EO, FES-UA, FTC, and PEP?
FES-EO is the universal education savings account (~$8,000/student). FES-UA is for students with unique abilities ($10,000–$34,000). FTC is a corporate tax credit scholarship (~$8,000, income-prioritized). PEP is for homeschool families (~$8,000). Each has different eligible expenses and vendor requirements.
Do I need to apply separately to Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation?
It depends on which programs you want to serve. Step Up administers FES-EO, FES-UA, FTC, PEP, and New Worlds. AAA Scholarship Foundation administers FTC and FES-EO. If you want to reach all scholarship families, you may need to register with both. ESA Connect can handle both registrations from a single profile.
How do I list my service on MyScholarShop?
MyScholarShop is Step Up's vendor marketplace. You register as a provider through Step Up's school and provider portal, complete the onboarding process (including a ~60 minute onboarding call), and then publish your service catalog on MyScholarShop.
What qualifies a provider for Specialized Instructional Services (SIS) for FES-UA?
SIS providers serving FES-UA students need documented credentials in their specialty area (speech therapy, occupational therapy, ABA, etc.), liability insurance, and specific documentation of services provided per session for reimbursement.
What are the EMA requirements for therapy and tutoring providers?
EMA (Education Market Assistant) is Step Up's payment and tracking system. Providers need to register, submit service documentation, and generate compliant invoices through the EMA system. Test orders are required before going live.
Ready to get approved in Florida?
ESA Connect handles your Florida vendor registration from a single profile. Or book a concierge call for done-for-you onboarding.
Already approved in Florida? Get found by ESA families.
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