Rules and Regulations Grant Application for Autism Service Dog

Transcription

1 Rules and Regulations Grant Application for Autism Service Dog Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers (the "Grant Sponsor") is sponsoring a Grant for an Autism Service Dog. The grant program is for individuals in North America diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. ELECTRONIC Applications must be RECEIVED by June 30, 2014 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time and PAPER Applications must be postmarked by June 30, Any application received after the above deadlines, will not be considered. All Applications (as defined below) are subject to the rules and regulations below. There is an application fee of $125. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW Agreement to Rules By submitting an Application for a Grant (as defined below), you are unconditionally agreeing to these Rules and Regulations. A complete Application (collectively, the Application ) includes 4 parts: PART A, B, C AND D Prior to submission, each applicant must sign his/her Application (this includes electronic signatures as well), unconditionally agreeing to be

2 bound by these Rules. If, under the laws of the state where you live, you are considered a minor ("Minor"), then your parent or legal guardian must sign your Application, unconditionally agreeing to be bound by these Rules and Regulations. Generally a person who has attained the age of eighteen (18) is not considered a Minor; however, the age of majority in some states, including, but not limited to, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin, may be greater than eighteen (18). Please check the laws of the state where you live to confirm the age of majority. It is your obligation, or if you are a Minor, the obligation of your parent or legal guardian to sign your Application. Unsigned Applications will be considered incomplete and will not be accepted. Grant Details Each Grant Recipient will receive a one-time, $25,000 scholarship to be used for the cost of a service dog from Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers. Should an existing client be selected for a service dog scholarship, then the pledge commitment will be paid in full with this scholarship and any remaining funds will go to further the mission of SDWR. NO cash will be exchanged for any part of this scholarship. Should your application NOT be chosen, there is NO refund of the application fee. If your application is chosen and you chose NOT to receive a service dog from SDWR then you may not reapply for a scholarship for a minimum of one year. The odds of an Applicant being selected, as a Grant Recipient will depend on the number and caliber of Applications received over the duration of the open enrollment. Eligibility Requirements To be eligible for a Scholarship from SDWR for an Autism Service Dog, you must meet the following criteria: Be able to care for your service dog once delivered. This includes but not limited to food, vet care, toys, treats, shelter, etc. This can cost as much as $1,500 per year and SDWR is NOT responsible for any

3 portion of those expenses. Be a legal resident of North America. SDWR can ask for proof residency. Be willing and able to comply with our trainers and their instructions. This can include taking your service dog out in public, socializing your service dog, etc. Each potential award recipient must sign an SDWR contract. This will be sent with your acceptance of the scholarship. Consultants, vendors, agents, and representatives of Scholarship Sponsor (SDWR) and their respective parents, children, siblings (including step, foster, legal guardians, and wards), and spouses ( Immediate Family ) and those with whom they live are not eligible. Our process All information contained in the Application must be complete, true, and verifiable and otherwise meet all eligibility requirements set forth in these Rules. Any Application containing false or intentionally or materially misleading information shall be disqualified. The grant committee will narrow down the applications to the top 10. Each of those applicants will receive a formal interview by one of our executives, a board member and possibly a client. Once the top 10 are chosen all references will be verified. One of the critical parts to this application is the sections asking for detailed information like an essay. Each essay must be the original authored work of the applicant. Furthermore, the essay cannot defame or invade the publicity rights or the privacy of any person, living or dead, or otherwise infringe upon any person s personal or proprietary rights. The essay may not be offensive or inappropriate, as determined by the judges in their sole and absolute discretion. The grant committee reserves, in its sole and absolute discretion, the right to disqualify any Application it deems to be inappropriate, offensive, or is not in keeping with the Scholarship Sponsor s image. Scholarships are not based on financial need. The Scholarship Sponsor reserves the right, at any time and without advance notice, to modify, suspend, or terminate the Grant Program, these Rules or the application, review, judging, award qualification,

4 or award process applicable to the Scholarship (the Process ), in whole or in part. How to Apply You may apply by: 1. Go to 2. Locate Grant Applications for an Autism Service Dog 3. Follow the directions on the link. 4. The Application can be completed on line and the fee can also be collected via debit/credit card. This will result in an electronic signature. 5. Should you choose to pay the application fee by check, you MUST mail in the application with your check. PLEASE PRINT OUT THE APPLICATION AND MAIL ALONG WITH YOUR CHECK TO: SDWR P.O. Box 647 Madison, VA Incomplete applications will NOT be accepted. 7. If your $125 application fee is NOT paid at time of receiving the application, it will not be accepted. 8. All information must be legible. 9. Only one application accepted per household. 10. Applications must either be submitted 100% online or 100% paper/hard copy. Mixed Applications will NOT be accepted. Carefully review your Application before submission. All pages must be completed and entered in the format required. Once the Application is submitted, no further additions or revisions may be made. NO EMPLOYEE OF SDWR WILL BE PERMITTED TO HELP WITH ANY PORTION OF THE APPLICATION! PLEASE COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF YOU ABILITY. Please note the volume of applications IS extremely heavy during the final week/days to submit an Application. No extensions will be granted for any delays relating to such heavy volume or any problems with, or technical malfunction of, any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, or software. Contacting Customer Service

5 All questions regarding a Scholarship should be addressed to: SDWR P.O. Box 647 MADISON, VA OR BY grants@sdwr.org. Timeline/Deadline The following dates apply to the submission of ALL applications and the award of ALL Scholarships: April 15, 2014, to June 30, 2014: Enrollment Period, Applications will be accepted. June 30, 2014: Deadline by which all paper Applications must be postmarked. (SDWR P.O. Box 647, Madison, VA 22727). June 30, 2014, at 11:59 PM (Eastern Time): Deadline by which all ELECTRONIC Applications must be submitted. July 7, 2014: Approximate date by which 10 applicants will be selected and called for formal interview. July 15, 2014: Approximate date by which 2 potential award recipients will be notified. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to the above deadlines and late Applications will not be considered. The Scholarship Sponsor is not responsible for and will not consider any late, lost, misdirected, illegible, or incomplete Applications. Judging/Judges All Applications will be initially reviewed by the grant review committee comprised of representatives from SDWR, Board of Directors and select clients of SDWR. The final selection with also be done by the grant review committee. Initial Review of Applications The Initial Judges will first review each Application to ensure the submission is complete and the applicant meets all of the eligibility requirements contained in these Rules. All incomplete submissions and Applications submitted by ineligible applicants shall be disqualified. The grant committee will narrow down the applications to the top 10. The top 10 will then be phoned for a formal interview and all references will

6 be verified. Notification of Potential Award Recipients Potential award recipients will be notified by telephone and certified mail on or around July 15, The Scholarship Sponsor is not responsible for lost, misdirected, or returned notifications or undeliverable telephone messages. Return of any notification sent to a Scholarship Recipient via certified mail marked as refused, undeliverable, no such address, or any similar mark may result in the disqualification of a potential award recipient and the selection of an alternate potential award recipient as provided for above. Qualification of Award Recipients Potential award recipients must sign and timely return all of the following documents: Publicity and Liability Release, Contract, and the Intake evaluation form (SDWR will provide). A potential award recipient MUST complete the intake evaluation form within twenty-one (21) days of the date notification is ed to the potential award recipient. Notifications of Scholarship Recipients Upon a timely return of a complete above stated documents, our scheduling department will notify recipient(s) of dates available for delivery of the service dog. This can take as long as an estimated 12 months depending on a number of factors included but not limited to: recipients available for 5 consecutive days for the training in their home, a trainer available for 5 consecutive days, selection of service dog, etc. Restrictions Scholarship awards must be used only for a service dog from SDWR. Scholarships are not transferable in whole or in part. Failure to execute and return all required documents within twenty-one (21) days of issuance may result in disqualification. General Terms and Conditions The decisions of the judges are final and without appeal. The Application for, and award of, all Scholarship(s) is subject to all

7 applicable federal, state, and local laws. All fees of any kind relating to a Scholarship are the sole responsibility of each Scholarship Recipient. Return of any notification sent to a potential Scholarship Recipient via certified mail marked as refused, undeliverable, no such address, or any similar mark may result in the disqualification of the potential Scholarship Recipient and the selection of an alternate potential Scholarship Recipient. By submitting an Application, each applicant (or if the applicant is a Minor, then the Minor s parent or legal guardian) agrees to release and hold harmless the Scholarship Sponsor from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising from or in connection with the submission of an Application or the award of any Scholarship hereunder. The Scholarship Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any applicant that it finds or believes to have tampered with the Process or otherwise violated these Rules and Regulations. ANY ATTEMPT BY AN APPLICANT OR ANY OTHER INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE PROCESS WILL BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY BY THE SCHOLARSHIP SPONSOR, AND THE SCHOLARSHIP SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK ANY AND ALL DAMAGES AVAILABLE TO IT UNDER THE LAW. Ownership Upon submission, all Applications become the property of the Scholarship Sponsor (SDWR) and will not be returned to the applicant. By submitting an Application, the applicant (or, if the applicant is a Minor, then the Minor s parent or legal guardian) acknowledges and agrees that the Program Sponsor shall own the submitted Application (and all information contained in the Application) and any and all rights relating thereto. A recipient may request to have his/her identity withheld from any Scholarship publicity campaign related to being awarded a Scholarship; in such a case, the recipient s city and state will be used to identify the recipient. However, such a request shall have no effect on the Scholarship Sponsor s ownership of the Applications as otherwise provided for in these

8 Rules and Regulations. The Scholarship Sponsor may use the Application in any manner and in any medium or form, whether now known or not currently known, throughout the world in perpetuity without compensation, permission, or notification to the applicant or any third party. Any Application that attempts to restrict or otherwise limit the Scholarship Sponsor s right to use the application or any portion of the Application shall be deemed to have been withdrawn. Privacy Policy The Application collects personally identifiable information (that is, information that can be uniquely identified with you, such as the applicant s full name, address, address, phone number, and so on). All personally identifiable information and personal health information will be used to screen the Application, as otherwise specified in these Rules and the Scholarship Sponsor s and will be kept private. The personal information contained in the Application and in the Acceptance Package will be used and disclosed by SDWR, the grant committee, and/or SDWR consultants strictly for purposes of screening the applicant for Program eligibility and award qualification; notifying the applicant of his/her selection as a potential or actual award recipient; providing updates; publicity (but only to the extent of the applicant s consent above and confirmation of consent); communicating with the applicant, his/her parent or guardian (if applicable); and as otherwise necessary to the operation of SDWR s compliance with the law. The applicant s personal information shall be stored and secured by SDWR or its designated contractor for a period of up to 42 calendar months. Disclaimer/Limitations of Liability Neither the Scholarship Sponsor nor any of the Scholarship Partners shall be liable for any: (i) incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by an applicant or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in/by the Process, or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of Applications submitted to the Scholarship Sponsor; (ii) error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in

9 operation or transmission in connection with the Process, or communications line failure, theft, or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, any Application; or (iii) problems with, or technical malfunction of, any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, or failure of , which may occur for any reason whatsoever, including technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or combination thereof, including injury or damage to applicant s (or to any other person s) computer related to or resulting from downloading/submitting materials to, or otherwise participating in, the Process. If, for any reason, the online application process is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other cause beyond the reasonable control of the Scholarship Partners or the Scholarship Sponsor that corrupt or affect the administration, security, or proper conduct of the Process, Scholarship Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole and absolute discretion, to, without advance notice, terminate or suspend the Process, in whole or in part, or modify it in any way. In no event will the Scholarship Sponsor or any of the Scholarship Partners be liable for any incidental, consequential, special, or indirect damages even if the Scholarship Partners have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Reservation of Rights The Scholarship Sponsor reserves, in its sole and absolute discretion, the right to disqualify any Application it deems to be inappropriate, offensive, or is not in keeping with the Scholarship Sponsor s image. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Scholarship Sponsor shall have the right, at any time and without advance notice, to modify, suspend, or terminate the Process, in whole or in part. If a potential award recipient fails to return a fully signed and notarized (where required) Acceptance Package within the required timeframe, the potential award recipient shall be disqualified and the Scholarship shall be awarded to a potential award recipient selected as an alternate as described above. In the event that such an alternate rejects the Scholarship or fails to return the Acceptance Package, the Scholarship Sponsor, in its sole and absolute discretion, reserves the right not to award all Scholarships. In the event that any portion of the Scholarship becomes unavailable for any reason, the Scholarship Sponsor may, at its sole discretion,

10 substitute prizes of comparable value or cash for such unavailable portion. The Scholarship Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any applicant who it finds or believes to have tampered with the Process or otherwise violated these Rules and Regulations. Any attempt by an applicant or any other individual to deliberately damage or undermine the Process will be taken very seriously by the Scholarship Sponsor, and the Scholarship Sponsor reserves the right to seek any and all damages available to it under the law. The Scholarship Sponsor reserves the right to use and disclose an applicant s personal information in a manner consistent with these Rules and its privacy policy. The Scholarship Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole and absolute discretion, to, without advance notice, terminate or suspend the Process, in whole or in part, or modify it in any way. Sponsor Info Service Dogs by Warren Retrievers PO Box 647 Madison, VA 22727