Fw: TACA scholarships available

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Family Scholarship Grants TACA is pleased to announce a new program for TACA families – the Family Scholarship Grants. [see our FAQ for more info.] Raising a child with autism is expensive - TACA would like to help. Purpose: The TACA Family Scholarship Fund was developed to help families who are pursuing treatment for their children with autism, but are struggling to find the funding. We understand how difficult it is to stretch the family budget to include things like, DAN doctors, independent evaluations or conference registration. It is our desire to provide limited financial assistance to qualified families. Eligibility: Families must meet the criteria below to be eligible to receive assistance from the TACA Family Scholarship

Fund. DAN Conference Scholarship and Other Scholarships Criteria: · Have one or more children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. · Be a TACA member for at least 6 months

(Membership is free. You may join at your local TACA meeting or online) · Have a combined annual household income of less than $65,000. (Applicants with higher household incomes will be considered, but priority will be given to those below $65,000.) DAN Doctor Scholarship Criteria: · Be a TACA member (sign up online, it’s FREE!) · Attend a TACA meeting or New Parent Seminar. If a New

Parent Seminar is not available nearby, we ask that you watch the DVD. (This can be loaned to you if finances are an issue.) · Have a Parent Mentor for at least 2 months – Parent Mentors are available in person, on the phone or via email. OR have a TACA Chapter Coordinator recommend you to the program · Have a combined annual household income of less than $65,000. (Applicants with higher household incomes will be considered, but priority will be given to those below $65,000.) · Join the TACA-USA Yahoo! Group Available Scholarships: TACA will provide

financial assistance to families with a child with autism for the following: · Initial DAN doctor appointmentFamilies can apply to receive funding for an initial appointment and one follow-up appointment with a DAN doctor. As part of the application process the family must chose a DAN doctor and confirm the costs of an initial visit and follow-up. If travel is required the applicant family must provide a breakdown of travel (airfare can be obtained through Miracle

Flights with a doctor’s referral) and accommodation expenses · Follow-up appointment with current DAN doctor.Families can apply for a follow-up appointment for their current DAN doctor. The application would need to include cost breakdown for the appointment and the date of the last appointment. · Lab work – as recommended by a DAN doctor. Application would need to include information on the cost breakdown of the lab work being requested and the contact information for the preferred Lab. · Independent Assessment with a licensed/credentialed professional (Speech, OT or Educational Assessments with report). Families can apply for an independent assessment with a licensed/credentialed professional in order to assist in the pursuit of services. · DAN Conference Scholarship (registration, hotel and airfare) – You and a buddy can apply to attend a DAN conference. TACA requests that the two attendees be from two different families. Scholarship recipients will be required to share a room at the conference, and may be needed for volunteer duties while at the conference. NOTE: Payments, once authorized, are NOT made directly to the family, but are instead paid on the family’s behalf directly to the vendor who is providing goods and services. Please understand vacations, trips to Disneyland and other similar events are not selected for funding. Deadline: Applications will be accepted on the 15th of every month and, funding permitted, grants will be awarded 7 days after the end of that month. The first deadline for applications is September 15, 2008. This is a RECEIVED BY deadline and NOT a postmark deadline. In other words, completed applications must be received in the TACA offices by the 15th in order to be eligible. Applications will not be accepted via fax, incomplete applications will not be considered. Forms (all are PDFs): · Family Scholarship Application - DAN Doctor · Family Scholarship Application - DAN Doctor (Sample) · Family Scholarship Application - Conference · Family Scholarship Application - Other · Family Scholarship Application - Other (Sample) Frequency: The TACA Family Scholarship Fund is not meant to fund on-going services. There are restrictions with this funding through TACA. Once an application is approved, TACA will fund only one request per family per year through the Family Scholarship program. Families can also apply for holiday assistance through the TACA Adopt a Family program for a total of two separate TACA programs per year. Application Process: To apply for a TACA Family Scholarship, please contact TACA at or download an application at www.tacanow.org for an application. Applications are generally reviewed once a month, funds permitting. Assistance will be based on the needs of the family and the availability for funds. Applicants who have not received funds from TACA previously will be given highest priority. However, TACA reserves the right to provide assistance more than once to the same family. The amount of assistance will vary, depending on availability of funds. Please do not call to check on the status of your application. You will be notified as soon as possible about our decisions. Only formal written applications will be accepted. Applications will not be accepted via fax, incomplete applications will not be considered. Documentation: When applying for a TACA

Families in Crisis Scholarship, you most provide: § Completed and signed application. § A letter from your doctor or other proof indicating your child’s diagnosis. § Date you joined TACA. § Previous year’s tax return (both tax returns if you are married filing separately are required if you are married.) § Current year’s pay stub showing year to date income

for all house hold income workers. § Total cost breakdown for what is being requested. § Depending on the nature of your request, additional information may be required. § Please note that, in order to comply with state and federal law, TACA reserves the right to follow up with the family to ensure the assistance was successfully used for its intended purpose. Decision Process: Each month the application deadline will be the 15th for that month. The decision for the selected applicant will be the last day of the month. Funding of approved applicant will be within seven days of the decision date. Conclusion: Not every family who applies for the TACA Family Scholarship will receive funding. TACA through our program manager and Scholarship Application Review

Committee volunteers will award the scholarships each month. This process of selection will depend upon the number of applications received in a given month, the applicant’s unique circumstances, and the amount the TACA Family Scholarship Program has available to make the best decision possible. Contributions: Individuals wishing to make a tax-deductible donation to the TACA Family Scholarship Fund should call the Executive Director at or you mail your donation to: TACA Families in Crisis Fund, 3070 Bristol, Suite 340, Costa Mesa, CA 92626-7346. See our FAQ for more info.