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Palmetto Promise Press Releases
10/13/25
Dear parents,
Palmetto Promise has two important updates this week!
25-26 Families who currently receive ESTF:
The ESTF Enrollment Verification Form isses from last week should be fixed and you should now be able to find CBA there. If you still cannot find them, there is an *Other option under the private school dropdown.
Here is a quick tutorial on how to find your family’s FACTS Application ID number to fill out this form. If you cannot find it on your account, check your inbox for emails from FACTS when you were filling out their application earlier this year.
2026-27 Application process
Palmetto Promise has two webinar options this month for current and prospective ESTF parents to learn more about ESTF, how the application/program has changed since last year, and what they need to prepare for their upcoming application. These are going to be especially helpful for current ESTF families to be ready for their reapplication window that opens on November 1.
You can find the Oct. 16 and Oct. 25 webinars as Facebook events.
10/8/2025
Dear parents,
Please read theses important updates from the Palmetto Promise Institute (PO Box 12676 Columbia, SC 29211)
Starting on November 1, current ESTF recipients will be able to apply to renew their participation in the ESTF program for the 2026-27 school year. During this window, families will be able to add applications for siblings who are not currently receiving ESTF (including those who have children in K4 this year and will be starting K5 in fall 2026)!
Parents will need to submit an entire new application through FACTS, with all their income verification and supporting documents again. This is a change from the renewals for 2024-25 recipients, where they just had to sign an attestation to renew. The new state law change is requiring parents to resubmit a full application every year.
To prepare, please ensure your documents are scanned in as PDFs and ready to go. If you don’t have a driver’s license or state ID card, please go to the DMV to get a free state ID card for their proof of residency requirement BEFORE November 1.
A NEW CHANGE for the application this year is that Medicaid cards are not going to be required anymore. SCDE will be solely requesting 2023 or 2024 tax returns as proof of income. If parents do not file taxes, they must submit other proof of income, like paystubs, an employer letter, etc. Even if a a parent’s income has increased, unless it’s somehow drastically changed to exceed the 500% FPL number, they should expect to be fine for renewal.
Here is the link to the SC ESTF website for all details.
Here are the documents that parents need for their ESTF applications (one of each type is required):
PROOF OF RESIDENCY: SC Driver’s license or government ID, utility bills, government issued mail (SNAP, TANF, voter registration, tax assessment, etc), or mortgage statement
PROOF OF GUARDIANSHIP: Federal tax return with children listed as dependents, birth certificate, foster/adoption paperwork, or divorce agreement
PROOF OF INCOME: 2023 or 2024 tax returns, or if you don’t file taxes, other information that shows income
Note that parents currently on the waitlist are NOT included in this November renewal window. This is only for the 10,000 current scholarship recipients and any siblings. Waitlist parents should plan to apply in the January window.
