Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship Program

The Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship Program provides private school scholarships to low-income students in Florida (kindergarten through 12th grade). The program is funded by corporate donations that receive 100% tax credits and is administered by scholarship funding organizations, primarily Step Up for Students. Students must meet income eligibility requirements (initially 185% of federal poverty level, expanded to 260% by 2016-17). The scholarship amount was initially $3,500 and increased to over $6,000 by 2017, covering tuition and fees at participating private schools. For most of the program's history, students entering 2nd through 12th grade had to attend a Florida public school for the full year before enrolling in a private school. The program began in 2002-03 and has grown to serve over 100,000 students, making it the nation's largest private school choice program.