inspirED
Meet our scholars, educators, donors and partners.
Transforming Our Community.
One Scholarship at a Time.
Step Up For Students Scholarships do more than fund education. They change lives. Students thrive in environments that fit their needs. Educators extend their reach to support vulnerable students. Communities grow stronger as educational systems improve.
This is inspireEd. Welcome.
Here, you will get an inside view of that transformation in progress. See what happens when students and their families discover the power of taking control over their academics. Watch as they forge new pathways to a better future. Find inspiration in their determination to achieve their dreams.
These are the stories of Florida students who have renewed hope because they have a school that better fits their needs or educational materials to unlock their potential. They are the stories of a community that has come together to support the belief that educational choice matters. Here, you can be a part of this incredible journey.
This is inspireEd. Welcome.
Here, you will get an inside view of that transformation in progress. See what happens when students and their families discover the power of taking control over their academics. Watch as they forge new pathways to a better future. Find inspiration in their determination to achieve their dreams.
These are the stories of Florida students who have renewed hope because they have a school that better fits their needs or educational materials to unlock their potential. They are the stories of a community that has come together to support the belief that educational choice matters. Here, you can be a part of this incredible journey.
Latest Posts
Hybrid Learning, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Tadpoles, robots, and sewing machines all part of this family's hybrid-homeschool experience
Jun 11, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Education choice scholarship a boon for a military veteran and his family
Nov 10, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Wait until you hear what Bishop Kenny High sophomore Christopher Trinidad is up to now
Oct 21, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, Home Education, Homeschool, Step Up For Students
Meet the SkiSibs: The sister/brother combo conquering Florida one triathlon at a time
Oct 17, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, School Choice, Step Up For Students
By running the Chicago Marathon, Caleb Prewitt continues to raise the bar for the Down syndrome community
Oct 16, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
Military Family, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Education choice scholarship a 'game-changer' for military family transferring to Florida
Sep 16, 2025 • By Roger Mooney
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Our dedication to students doesn’t end when they receive a scholarship. Your support will enable Step Up to maximize the impact of the scholarships the students receive.
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Browse More From The Blog
Reading grades improve, love of books grows with the help of Florida's Reading Scholarship
Lindsey Pawlishen was so confident she would pass her love of reading to her daughter that she asked for and received children’s books instead of traditional gifts at the baby shower. She began reading to Samantha when Samantha was an infant expecting to instill that love of reading. But Samantha didn’t love reading. “I didn’t […]
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Education choice scholarship leads Step Up student-athlete to U.S. Naval Academy
Denim Edwards slid to his knees as he caught the ball in the end zone, scoring a touchdown on what would be his last play of his high school football career. It came late in Christopher Columbus High’s loss at Venice High during the state semifinals earlier this month. Moments later, Denim, a senior, stood […]
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Donor Corner, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Gardiner Scholarships, Philanthropy, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Step Up receives 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for 15th year
Step Up For Students recently received the highest honor from Charity Navigator, the non-profit that evaluates more than a million charitable organizations in the United States. The four-star rating has been an annual achievement for Step Up in each of the last 15 years, since Step Up was first evaluated by Charity Navigator. “Earning this […]
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Step Up scholarship to a private school 'changed our whole entire lives'
BROOKSVILLE, Florida – Vadin Mankotya played second base for EXP Realty this season, proudly wearing the jersey sponsored by his mom. And Jennifer Mankotya, a sales associate, was equally proud to have sponsored a team in the Hernando Youth League in Brooksville. “It was,” she said, “a pretty big accomplishment.” Not long ago, Jennifer scraped […]
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DTCC continues its support of scholarship program for Florida schoolchildren
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the premier post-trade market infrastructure for the global financial services industry, has contributed over $711,000 to Step Up For Students in the last year, helping nearly 100 Florida schoolchildren attend a K-12 school that best fits their learning needs and making a difference in their local community. Zoe […]
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Sunshine Health donates $20 million to support Florida schoolchildren
Sunshine Health will fund scholarships for 2,625 deserving students with a $20 million contribution to Step Up For Students, the nonprofit organization that manages the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. A longtime partner of Step Up For Students, Sunshine Health has generously funded 8,738 scholarships since 2004 through contributions totaling more than $59.5 million, including […]
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Addi’s Memorial Park: A place to remember a brave little girl
By Scott Kent Outside the second-story window of Addison Sinclair’s pink bedroom in Windermere, Florida, across an asphalt bike path, amidst a copse of oak trees draped in Spanish moss, is a green space that will become a memorial to the little girl who is no longer there to view it. “Addi,” as she was […]
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The curious climb of neurodivergent actor JJ Humphrey as he prepares for the biggest role of his career
TAMPA – Christopher Boone knows every prime number up to 7,057. He hates the color yellow. He loves trains. He does not like to be touched. He loves animals. He has a pet rat named Toby. Christopher is the main character in Mark Haddon’s novel, “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” Though […]
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Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Gardiner Scholarships, Hope Scholarship, School Spotlights, Step Up For Students, Student Spotlights
Entirety K-12: Where learning is fueled by the imagination
BROOKSVILLE – Six individuals who attend Entirety K-12 private school form two lines of three inside the studio used for physical education. Normally, the six would be called students, but at this moment they are known as the “talent.” In a few minutes, they will go through various workouts – squats and burpees and curls […]
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Florida Reading Scholarship program helps twins stay on pace and excel in middle school
BY LISA BUIE TAMPA – Since they were babies, Darnell Taylor’s identical twin daughters, Janae, and Sasha, have loved books. First, picture books, then chapter books. Now, the 12-year-olds are finding novels on BookTok, the bookish community on TikTok, where people post videos recommending books, make pithy observations about reading, and share their love of literature. […]
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