The gate: Partnering with a certified Educational Assistance Organization (EAO)
What the rules actually say
“All schools must be partnered with a certified Educational Assistance Organization (EAO).”
— MO Treasurer — MOScholars for Schools
The sequence, in order
1. Incorporate in Missouri + EIN. Incorporate the school in Missouri and get an EIN. An eligible school must be incorporated in Missouri and not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin.
2. Confirm MOScholars school eligibility. Confirm the school meets MOScholars eligibility and agrees to the program conditions — not paying, sharing, refunding, or rebating account funds, and producing the records required under section 167.013 when requested. Meeting the requirements is the entry condition, not automatic approval.
3. Select and partner with a certified EAO. Scholarships are administered by Educational Assistance Organizations certified by the Treasurer’s Office, each with its own network of partnered schools. Families can only apply through the EAO partnered with their chosen school, so partnering with an EAO is essential.
4. Obtain EAO review and approval (STATE GATE). Before participating, the school must be reviewed and approved by the EAO, which may request additional information. This approval is the program’s true gate — it must be complete before the school can enroll funded students.
5. Claim your school account & register in Odyssey. Once approved, claim your MOScholars school account and register in Odyssey (the program’s current platform — no ClassWallet step), uploading your Missouri Articles of Incorporation, a tuition disclosure, and proof of accreditation if applicable.
6. Connect a Stripe account for payouts. Create and connect a Stripe account to your Odyssey account to receive scholarship tuition payments — this is how funds reach the school. No program-level staff background check or insurance is required, though staff screening is prudent best practice.
7. Enroll students & receive tuition via Odyssey. Direct families to apply through your partnered EAO in Odyssey; approved students’ tuition is paid to your connected Stripe account. Awards are up to $6,375 or more per student for 2025-26, depending on funding.
Where founders actually stall
Missouri does not pay schools directly. You cannot receive MOScholars money without an EAO relationship, and founders often build everything else first and leave this to the end.
What we have not verified
Which EAOs are currently accepting new school partners, and on what terms.
We would rather say this than guess. Everything above that is stated as fact carries a link to the primary source, so you can check us.
Sources
Get set up in Missouri
Get set up in Missouri
Missouri puts a state approval step in front of the money, so setup here takes more work than in a state without that gate. Both options are one-time. We never take a cut of your tuition.
Launch Kit · $1,450. Your Missouri playbook: every step in the right order, the document each one needs, and the operator tools (roster, attendance, tuition billing, evidence vault). You do the filing.
Get the Launch Kit · $1,450
Concierge · $2,950. Everything in the Launch Kit, plus we do the ESA-vendor registration with you in a working session, inside Missouri’s own platform.
Get Concierge · $2,950
Secure checkout via Stripe. We email you within one business day to confirm your state and school. Guidance, not legal advice.
Free: the Missouri starter checklist
Free: the Missouri microschool starter checklist
Where to begin, what your state requires, and how funding works. No fluff.