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
Step Up For Students, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Scholarship News, School Choice
New report shows scaling Florida scholarship program 11 times more effective at improving student performance than increasing public school funding
Mar 5, 2026 • By Lisa Buie
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Inspired by his parents' sacrifices, Henry is headed to the University of Notre Dame and is reaching for the stars
Jul 21, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Through their books, Max and Gavin want to empower young readers to believe in themselves
Jul 14, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
PEP scholarship benefits students 'whose needs don’t fit inside the one-size-fits-all system'
Jul 6, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, Military Family, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
What does America mean to Caleb? Freedom, honor, and a whole lot more
Jun 29, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Student Spotlights, Beyond the Scholarship, graduate, Home Education, Homeschool, Personalized Education Program, School Choice, Step Up For Students
Here's the pitch: How a Florida educational choice scholarship helped Cam earn a baseball scholarship
Jun 23, 2026 • By Roger Mooney
Your gift will change a student's life
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
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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STEP UP FOR STUDENTS APPOINTS DENISHA MERRIWEATHER TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Step Up For Students, the nation’s largest education choice scholarship funding organization, is proud to announce that Denisha Merriweather has been appointed to its Board of Directors. The Jacksonville native becomes the first scholarship program alumnus to serve on the non-profit’s board. Denisha previously served as School Choice and Youth Liaison to Secretary of Education […]
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South Florida Auto Dealers Association contributes $21 million to fund Hope Scholarships for state’s most vulnerable students
Miami Beach, FL – Step Up For Students, the non-profit organization that manages Florida’s Hope Scholarship Program, recently recognized the South Florida Automobile Dealers Association (SFADA) and its dealer members with the Partners For Hope Award for supporting the program since its inception. Collectively, SFADA’s dealer members have contributed $21,887,000 to fund Hope Scholarships for […]
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