Florida FES-UA Scholarship Guide
Everything you need to know about the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities — including how to use it for tutoring.
What is FES-UA?
The Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) is Florida's largest special education scholarship program. Administered by Step Up For Students (a nonprofit scholarship-funding organization), FES-UA provides Education Savings Account (ESA) funds that families can direct toward approved educational services — including tutoring, therapies, curriculum, and more.
FES-UA replaced the former Gardiner Scholarship and has no income cap. Eligibility is based on your child's documented disability, not household income.
FES-UA Funding by Matrix Level (2025-26)
Funding amounts are determined by your child's matrix level — a rating based on the intensity of support they need. The actual FES-UA system uses five matrix levels (251, 252, 253, 254, 255), grouped into three funding bands:
3-4 year-olds have separate, smaller funding amounts. Source: Step Up For Students official 2025-26 award amounts.
How EMA Works
Your FES-UA scholarship funds are held in an Education Savings Account (ESA), which you access through Step Up's online platform called EMA (Education Market Assistant). Think of EMA as your scholarship spending portal — you use it to find providers, authorize payments, and track your balance.
Find Providers
Search Step Up's directory of approved service providers. Once you authorize a provider, they bill your ESA directly — no out-of-pocket cost for you.
MyScholarShop
An online marketplace for approved products — curriculum, educational materials, technology, and more. Shop directly with your scholarship funds.
Using FES-UA for Tutoring
Special Ed Resource is a registered EMA provider. Here's how it works:
- 1 Book a free consultation with us to discuss your child's needs
- 2 Authorize "Special Education Resource" in your EMA Find Providers
- 3 We match your child with a specialist and sessions begin
- 4 We bill Step Up directly — no reimbursement forms, no out-of-pocket cost
🚚 Relocating to Florida?
Moving from another state with an ESA program? Here's how Florida's FES-UA compares to programs you may already know:
| Program | State | Eligibility | Avg Award | Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FES-UA | Florida | Disability-based (IEP, 504, or diagnosis) | $10,697 – $35,973 | Direct Pay (EMA) |
| ESA | Arizona | Universal (any student) | ~$7,000 | Debit Card |
| EFA | Texas | Disability + income + prior public school | ~$10,500 | Debit Card |
| Hope Scholarship | West Virginia | Universal (any student) | ~$4,600 | Reimbursement |
Key difference: Florida's FES-UA uses EMA direct pay — approved providers bill Step Up directly, so you never pay out of pocket or wait for reimbursement. This is a significant upgrade over Arizona's debit card model or West Virginia's reimbursement system.
If your child had an ESA in another state, you'll need to apply fresh for FES-UA once you establish Florida residency. The process typically takes 2-4 weeks.
Coming from Arizona? See arizonaesatutoring.com · Coming from Texas? See texasefatutoring.com
Ready to use your FES-UA scholarship for tutoring?
Get Your Free Consultation →Or call us at (844) 773-3822
Need help navigating EMA? See our step-by-step EMA guide for finding and paying tutors.
For the complete guide including common mistakes, balance checking, and FAQs, see our full Step Up For Students guide.