Step Up For Students or AAA Scholarship Foundation: what is different

The short answer

Step Up For Students and AAA Scholarship Foundation run the same Florida scholarships, so the biggest differences are in how you use the money. The award amounts are the same, but the systems for paying providers are not.

Both are scholarship funding organizations approved by the state. Florida has three scholarship funding organizations for 2026-27: AAA Scholarship Foundation, Step Up For Students, and Sunshine State Kids.

For tutoring, the main questions are how your tutor gets paid and whether you pay anything up front. Those answers depend on the organization and the scholarship.

Same scholarships, same amounts

Both organizations run the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA), the Personalized Education Program (PEP), and the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) and Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) private school scholarships. The state sets award amounts, so a scholarship is worth the same at either one.

Step Up runs the Unique Abilities Scholarship (FES-UA), the Personalized Education Program (PEP), the Private School scholarships (FTC and FES-EO), New Worlds Scholarship Accounts, and the Transportation Stipend. 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.

Eligibility rules come from Florida law, so they are largely the same too. Each organization reviews its own applications and makes its own decisions.

Different systems for paying

The biggest practical difference is how money reaches a tutor. Step Up uses a marketplace with approved providers, while AAA uses payment requests that you submit.

Paying a tutor: direct pay versus requests

With Step Up, families open Marketplace, select Find Providers, and choose an approved provider who bills the scholarship directly. That is direct pay, and it works for both FES-UA and PEP with an approved provider.

With AAA, payments start with a request in the SMP. AAA does not have a marketplace for direct purchases yet; purchases go through approved methods or reimbursement, so you attach an invoice or receipt each time.

For FES-UA through AAA, FES-UA families can ask AAA to pay a provider directly by submitting a Direct Vendor Payment Request with the provider's invoice. For PEP through AAA, PEP through AAA is a reimbursement program: you pay the provider, then request repayment in the Scholarship Management Platform, which means paying out of pocket and waiting for repayment.

Switching between Step Up and AAA

You can move a scholarship from one organization to the other, but only one can hold it at a time. A student can have a scholarship through only one scholarship funding organization at a time. AAA's FES-UA handbook says a student with a Step Up scholarship must be un-enrolled from Step Up before using an AAA FES-UA award.

When moving to AAA, students moving from Step Up apply to AAA as new students and keep their renewal status. Follow AAA’s new-applicant deadlines, and confirm with both organizations before you un-enroll anywhere.

Which one should you choose?

Neither organization is the right choice for every family. Since the scholarships and amounts match, most families decide based on how they want to pay providers and which system feels easier.

Some questions to think through:

• Do you want to avoid paying up front? Direct pay through Step Up’s EMA covers approved tutors for FES-UA and PEP. Through AAA, only FES-UA can pay providers directly.
• Is your tutor or school already set up with one organization? Ask before you apply.
• Are you mid-year with a balance? Moving can affect timing and funds, especially for PEP.

Whatever you decide, it is your family’s choice. I work with families from both organizations at the same rate, with no incentives tied to scholarship spending.

Where to get official answers

Only the organization that holds your child’s scholarship can answer questions about your account. Each has its own family support team and handbooks.

Reach Step Up at 1-877-735-7837 and AAA at 888-707-2465 or info@aaascholarships.org. For a plain-language walkthrough, read the Step Up guide or the AAA guide.