South Carolina scholarship trust fund bonds.
From $100.
The bond filed with the South Carolina Department of Education for the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) — the financial-viability guarantee a participant posts when the program requires one. Pricing starts from $100 — no credit check up to $25,000; enter the amount the Department names and your exact price appears.
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How much does a South Carolina scholarship trust fund bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps. One sitting.
No underwriting queue for the standard ESTF bond — enter your amount, pay, and file with the Department of Education. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your details, the bond amount the Department requires, and the effective date — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
No credit check up to $25,000. Above $25,000, a soft pull may add a short review.
File with the Department of Education
Submit the executed bond to the State Department of Education before the school year to participate in the ESTF program. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What it is and who needs it.
What the ESTF bond actually covers
South Carolina's Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) lets eligible families direct scholarship funds toward approved educational expenses. Participants who handle meaningful sums of ESTF money must demonstrate financial viability to the State Department of Education, and a surety bond is the standard way to do that.
The bond is generally required when a participant is to receive $50,000 or more in ESTF funds in a school year (and, after the first year, when more than $50,000 was received the prior year). It is filed with the Department before the start of the school year.
The bond protects scholarship families and the State if the participant fails to deliver or properly account for what the funds were paid for. If the surety pays a valid claim, the participant repays the surety — it is a financial-viability guarantee, not insurance. Enter the amount the Department requires and your exact price — from $100 — appears at the application, with no credit check up to $25,000 to fill out.
You need this bond if you are
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
File with the Department of Education. Submit the executed bond to the State Department of Education before the school year to participate in the ESTF program. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $25,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued on the spot.
Submit the application with the bond amount the Department requires — the executed bond is generated instantly, ready to file with the Department of Education.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other South Carolina bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
ESTF bond, issued today.
Pricing from $100. Enter the amount the Department requires and file before the school year.