About Us
About the Scholarships
Florida Parental Rights in Deciding Education (Florida P.R.I.D.E.), a private foundation and Florida Association of Scholarship Funding Organizations (FLA-SFO) member, awards annual Corporate Income Tax Credit (CTC) Scholarships to eligible Florida students entering Kindergarten (K) through 12th grade from eligible households to help them attend an eligible Florida private school or the out-of-district (out-of-county) Florida public school of their choice. The scholarships are for tuition and books (private schools) or public transportation (out-of district public schools).
Florida P.R.I.D.E. scholarships ARE NOT TUITION VOUCHERS. Tuition vouchers are government-funded and the payments come from the State of Florida. CTC Scholarships are privately funded. The payments for students receiving CTC Scholarships come from the SFO that serves their county.
Florida P.R.I.D.E. awards scholarships for up to the maximum scholarship amount allowed by law of $3750. Parental tuition payments are necessary when an eligible private school’s tuition amount is more than $3750.
- If the tuition charged by the school exceeds the $3750 amount of the scholarship, the household is responsible for the additional charges. At times the school may award a supplemental scholarship to the household, but if this does not occur, the difference is the sole responsibility of the household. NO EXCEPTIONS.
- All households must remain current with their payments to the school for any fees owed by the household, not including the scholarship payments. Failure to pay, or make arrangements to pay, a balance owed may result in the school suspending or expelling your student. If the student is expelled they will no longer be eligible for the scholarship. Florida P.R.I.D.E. will not renew or transfer scholarships while money is owed to the school.
A scholarship can be transferred to any eligible private school in the state of Florida as long as household eligibility is maintained.
About P.R.I.D.E.
In 1997, John Kirtley, a businessman in Tampa Bay, discovered the lack of educational options available for low-income children. Kirtley decided to take action and created a privately funded scholarship program to help low-income parents in Tampa Bay send their children to the private school of their choice. After receiving 14,000 applications for only 700 scholarships, Mr. Kirtley realized the vast need of educational options for Florida’s low-income families. Overwhelmed by the evidence of need and determined to fulfill the educational needs for thousands more of Florida’s disadvantaged children, John quit his private business pursuits in order to dedicate his life to bring systemic change to Florida’s education system.
Kirtley continued to fight for the cause, and in 2001, the Florida Legislature created the Corporate Tax Credit Scholarship Program, also known as Step Up For Students. Through this program, scholarships have provided educational options to over 17,000 children throughout Florida. Florida Parental Rights in Deciding Education (Florida P.R.I.D.E.) was founded in 2002 by Kirtley whose dedication to improving the education of Florida’s children has led him to devote his time to serve as the voluntary President of Florida P.R.I.D.E. to continue his efforts as an advocate for school choice in Florida.
Our Mission
Florida P.R.I.D.E. is a member of the Florida Scholarship Funding Organizations (Fla-SFO). Florida P.R.I.D.E. distributes Step Up For Students Scholarships (Corporate Income Tax Credit Scholarships) to eligible Florida students entering Kindergarten (K) through 12th grade. Florida P.R.I.D.E. serves 23 counties including west and south Florida. Children First Florida (previously known separately as HEROES and Children First Florida) serves students in 43 counties comprising all of north, central and east Florida. To determine if Florida P.R.I.D.E. or Children First Florida serves your County, click here (hyperlink to map of counties served).
The scholarships offer an educational opportunity to low-income families by providing children with educational scholarships so they can attend a private or public school of their choice. Under this program disadvantaged students receive scholarships of up to $3,750 to attend an eligible private school that best fits their educational needs. Scholarships are awarded to students who successfully complete the application process documenting eligibility. The scholarships are made possible through the generous donations from Corporate Donors who receive tax credits for their donations. One hundred percent of the donations made by Corporations are distributed to qualified children.
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