The family empowerment scholarship program was established in 2019 to provide children and families in the state of florida which have limited resources with educational options to achieve success in their education. The family empowerment scholarship was expanded into two branches: family empowerment scholarship for educational options and for students with unique abilities (formerly known as gardiner scholarship). Family empowerment scholarship educational options: this scholarship is intended to help reduce the wait list for the tax credit scholarship program and similarily serves students…
Step Up for Students - Florida
Step Up for Students - Florida Inc: CEO salary, finances and where donations go
“Step up for students empowers families to pursue and engage in the most appropriate learning options for their children, with an emphasis on families who lack the information and financial resources to access these options. By pursuing this mission, we help public education fulfill the promise of equal opportunity.”
Data only Figures straight from the filing, screened by our rules. Not yet reviewed in depth by a CPA.
Methodology by Amir Arani, CPA, CA · Updated
- Top pay
- $377K Ruth Rose, 0% of spending
- Revenue
- $859.4M 99.6% from donations and grants
- Spent
- $912.5M 98.3% on programs, as reported
- Net assets
- $742.9M end of FY ending Jun 2025
- Savings
- 9.8 months of spending, net assets ÷ spending
- People
- 250 employees, 958 volunteers
No red flags in its latest filing.
We screen every filing against twelve rules. A flag is a prompt for a closer look, not a finding of wrongdoing.
No reported asset diversions, no insider transactions, no fundraisers keeping most of the money, and the governance policies we check for are in place.
Of each dollar it spent, 98.3¢ went to programs, as reported.
For each dollar donated, Step Up for Students - Florida spent 0¢ on fundraising.
Fundraising ÷ $856.4M contributions · Form 990 Parts VIII, IXWhat it told the IRS it spent on.
The charity's own description of its largest programs, with what each cost.
New worlds scholarship accounts program: the new worlds scholarship was created in 2018 to provide academic support for elementary school students in district or charter schools, who struggled in reading and was expanded to include math in 2023. Step up for students-florida, as an approved scholarship funding organization, administers the program. The scholarship is available to students in k- through fifth-grade who have scored a level 1 or 2 on the english language arts and/or math sections of the florida standards assessment. Each scholarship is worth $1,200, irrespective of whether the…
Florida hope scholarship program: effective july 1, 2024, the florida hope scholarship program was merged into the florida tax credit scholarship program (ftc) by florida house bill 1 (2023). The tax credit donation process mentioned below continues, funding more ftc scholarships. The florida hope scholarship program was established by florida statute 1002.40, which was created in 2018 to provide the option of private school scholarships to students in public schools who have experienced acts of bullying and intimidation. Sufs-fl, as an approved sfo, is authorized to administer florida hope…
Policy, innovation and empowerment: this department takes the message of the scholarship programs to constituency groups, community and political leaders, and local, state, and national news publications. It issues press releases on topics of special concern and writes commentary for various publications. The team analyzes demographic, achievement and participation data, and trends in the program and education choice movement. The team responds to numerous information requests from newspapers, other media, and legislative and agency offices. The team also organizes advocates and supporters…
Transportation stipend program: the florida's transportation stipend program provides eligible households with $750 to cover the cost of transporting their children to florida nonvirtual public schools different from the school to which the student is assigned. Transportation stipends are available to students enrolled in kindergarten through grade eight (k-8). Qualifying public schools may include: a magnet school or other school of choice operated by a school district. A charter school. A developmental research school operated by a state university. A school participating in a school…
Net assets: $314.0M to $742.9M in 11 years.
Net assets at each fiscal year end, 2013 to 2025.
The 8 highest-paid people.
Reportable pay in FY ending Jun 2025, from the charity and related organizations.
| Contractor | Service | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Sutherland Global Services Inc | Customer service call center | $29,303,718 |
| Nlp Logix LLC | Software development | $19,608,908 |
| Aston Carter | Temp agency | $4,608,958 |
| Praxent LLC | Software development | $2,857,541 |
| Mcfadyen Consulting Group Inc | Software development | $1,662,628 |
The questions people ask about the Step Up for Students - Florida.
Short, sourced answers. Each one stands on its own.
How much does the Step Up for Students - Florida CEO make?
Ruth Rose, Chief Cst. Exp. Officer (thru 09/24), received $377,010 in reportable compensation in FY ending Jun 2025, 0% of Step Up for Students - Florida's $912.5M in spending.
Form 990 (FY ending Jun 2025), Part VIIWhat percentage of Step Up for Students - Florida donations go to programs?
Step Up for Students - Florida reported 98.3% of FY ending Jun 2025 spending as programs, 0.3% as fundraising and 1.5% as management.
Form 990 (FY ending Jun 2025), Part IXHow much money does Step Up for Students - Florida have?
Net assets were $742.9M at the end of FY ending Jun 2025, about 9.8 months of spending.
Form 990 (FY ending Jun 2025), Part XDoes Step Up for Students - Florida have any red flags in its filing?
Its latest Form 990 triggered none of our twelve screening rules, which cover reported asset diversions, insider transactions, fundraiser costs, governance policies and spending patterns.
Form 990 (FY ending Jun 2025)Every number, traced.
- Step Up for Students - Florida Form 990, FY ending Jun 2025 (IRS e-file)
- Step Up for Students - Florida Form 990 history (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer)
Amir Arani, “Step Up for Students - Florida: CEO salary, finances and where your dollar goes,” Charity Math, updated 2026-11-07. https://charitymath.com/charities/step-up-for-students-florida/