In our “Shape Public Policy” initiative, we have four investment strategies including a specific desire to invest in organizations working to empower parents to choose across school sectors.

With this in mind, we have provided support to Step Up For Students, an initiative of the Florida Tax Credit (FTC) Scholarship Program. The FTC program was created in 2001 by the Florida Legislature to offer more educational opportunities to low-income families. Under the program, economically disadvantaged students in grades K-12 can receive a scholarship of up to $4,011 to attend a qualifying private school or $500 for transportation to attend a public school in a different district. Scholarships are awarded to students whose families provide documentation that they meet federal guidelines for the national free or reduced lunch program. The program served approximately 34,500 students for the 2010-11 academic year at 1,100 private schools, and it continues to grow rapidly.

The mission of Step Up For Students is to improve Florida's K-12 educational system by creating and sustaining affordable educational options for low-income families. When parents are empowered to choose the education that best meets their children's learning needs, they become better consumers of their children's education. No single type of school or school environment can meet the needs of every student, and what the FTC scholarships provide are another option for low-income students to find the environment that best suits them.