FES-UA and PEP through AAA Scholarship Foundation

FES-UA and PEP at AAA in brief

AAA Scholarship Foundation runs both the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA) and the Personalized Education Program (PEP) in Florida. They serve different students and pay for tutoring in different ways.

In short, FES-UA is for students with a qualifying diagnosis and can pay providers directly. PEP is for students learning outside full-time public or private school, and through AAA it pays by reimbursement.

AAA also runs the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) and Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) private school scholarships. In all, AAA runs the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA), the Personalized Education Program (PEP), and the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) and FES-EO private school scholarships.

The Unique Abilities Scholarship through AAA

The Unique Abilities Scholarship is for Florida students with a qualifying diagnosis, and it follows your child to the learning setting you choose. AAA calls it the scholarship formerly known as Gardiner and McKay.

Families use FES-UA for private school tuition, home education, curriculum, and services such as part-time tutoring. The full list of eligible expenses is in the state’s FES-UA purchasing guidelines, which AAA links from its FES-UA page.

Applying and accepting for 2026-27

AAA accepts new FES-UA applications through November 15, 2026. If your child is awarded a new scholarship, you need to accept it by December 15, 2026.

Missing the acceptance date can mean losing the award. Put both dates on your calendar the day you apply.

Award amounts in Palm Beach County

FES-UA amounts depend on your child’s grade, county, and level of need. For Palm Beach County, AAA's 2026-27 FES-UA chart for Palm Beach County lists $11,054 for grades PK-3, $10,452 for grades 4-8, and $10,255 for grades 9-12 at the base need levels, with $22,439 at level 254 and $35,893 at level 255.

These match Step Up’s amounts, because the state sets them. Your actual balance is the one in your AAA account.

How FES-UA pays for tutoring

With FES-UA through AAA, you can ask AAA to pay your tutor directly. With FES-UA through AAA, parents can submit a Direct Vendor Payment Request in the Scholarship Management Platform with the provider's invoice, and AAA pays the provider by bank transfer (ACH). Requests approved by Tuesday are generally paid by Friday of the same week. Parents can also pay the provider and request reimbursement instead.

The guide to paying for tutoring with AAA walks through each step and what your tutor’s invoice should show.

PEP through AAA

The Personalized Education Program is for students who are not enrolled full time in a public or private school, such as many homeschool families. It gives you scholarship funds to build a learning plan around your child.

PEP through AAA has a few features that surprise new families. Funding waits on an approved plan, payments work by reimbursement, and funds stay with the organization that awarded them.

Applications for 2026-27

PEP has a fixed application window each spring. For this school year, new and renewal PEP applications for 2026-27 closed on April 30, 2026.

If you missed it, watch AAA’s PEP page for next year’s window. The Step Up guide to key dates also tracks when the next cycle is announced.

Your Student Learning Plan and funding

PEP funding starts only after your plan is approved. AAA funds PEP accounts in four equal quarterly amounts on September 1, November 1, February 1, and April 1 (subject to change), after it approves the Student Learning Plan.

Write the plan around your child’s real goals, such as reading fluency or writing. If tutoring is part of the plan, it is easier to explain the expense later.

How PEP pays for tutoring

PEP through AAA is reimbursement only, so you pay the tutor and then request repayment. AAA runs PEP as a reimbursement program. Parents pay for an educational good or service themselves, then submit a reimbursement request in AAA's Scholarship Management Platform.

Pre-authorization is optional. If you want AAA to confirm tutoring before you pay, pre-authorization is optional for PEP; families email AAA's form to PEP@aaascholarships.org.

FES-UA and PEP side by side

Using either scholarship for tutoring

Both FES-UA and PEP can pay for part-time tutoring with a credentialed tutor, in person or online. The difference is who pays the tutor: AAA, or you first.

For both, keep the paperwork tidy. Every invoice or receipt should show the session dates, the services, and your child’s name, so AAA can match it to the right account.

Questions to ask AAA

AAA family support can answer questions about your child’s account, deadlines, and payment requests. You can reach them at 888-707-2465 or info@aaascholarships.org.

Good questions to ask include when your next deposit is due, whether a payment request is complete, and how long reviews are taking. I can help you understand how tutoring usually fits into each scholarship on a free fit call.