Step Up For Students

Double Eagle Distributing leaders think education is one of the most important building blocks to a child’s future, and a quality education can open a world of possibilities. That’s why Double Eagle Distributing is proud to support Step Up For Students, a nonprofit organization that helps provide Florida schoolchildren with educational options that work best for them.

Since 2019, Double Eagle Distributing has contributed more than $49 million to the scholarship program, providing more than 9,600 scholarships to low-income Florida K-12 students. These students are able to attend one of the more than 1,500 schools statewide that participate in the Step-Up program, with nearly 390 of the schools in Dade and Monroe counties.

Step Up For Students administers two different scholarship programs: The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship for low-income families and the Gardiner Scholarship (formerly known as the Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts or PLSA) for children with certain special needs.

The income-based Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC), funded by corporate donors, empowers low-income families to find the K-12 school that best meets their children’s learning needs. Families may choose between two scholarship options: one helps cover private school tuition and fees, or one that assists with transportation costs to attend a public school in another county. If a family’s household income qualifies for the free- or reduced-price school lunch program, or if the family receives SNAP (food stamps), TANF, or FDPIR, the student may be eligible.

The state-funded Gardiner Scholarship is a program that helps families personalize educational plans for their children with certain special needs.  This scholarship is for Florida students age 3 through 12th grade or age 22, whichever comes first, with one of the following disabilities: autism spectrum disorder, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, spina bifida, Williams syndrome or an intellectual disability (severe cognitive impairment). Or, students in kindergarten deemed “high risk” due to developmental delays and not older than 5 on Sept. 1 may be eligible for the year they apply. Household income is not a factor for eligibility with the Gardiner Scholarship.

The Gardiner Scholarship allows parents to direct scholarship funds toward a combination of approved programs and providers including approved private schools, therapists, specialists, curriculum, and technology – even a college savings account. Students can use the Gardiner Scholarship for homeschooling, but they can't use it while enrolled in public school or getting any other state-sponsored scholarships. Students can continue to receive the scholarship until they graduate high school, turn 22 or return to public school.  On average, recipients received $10,000 annually.

To learn more about Step Up For Students, and to see if your family is eligible for one of these scholarships, visit www.StepUpForStudents.org.