Make It Your Own Awards Terms and Conditions

These terms and conditions are a part of the terms and conditions which are set forth in our Terms of Use. Any capitalized terms that are not defined in these terms and conditions shall have the meaning ascribed to them in the Terms of Use.

1.    ELIGIBILITY

Individuals in the following categories are not eligible to participate in Make It Your Own Awards^TM("the Program"):

1. Employees of the Foundation, its programs and affiliates. Employees of organizations who have received grants from the Foundation may apply provided that the only relationship between the employer and the Foundation is that of a grantee;
2. Members of the Foundation Board of Directors;
3. Foundation Senior Fellows and key advisors;
4. Foundation consultants and vendors who have received remuneration from the Foundation during a 12-month period preceding the application deadline;
5. Foundation volunteers or advisors who have been granted significant, independent decision-making authority with respect to financial or other matters of the organization or any of its programs; or
6. Family members (including domestic partners) and business associates of any of the individuals in the categories listed above.

Note: If you fall into any of the above categories, you must terminate your relationship with the Foundation and affiliated programs 12 months prior to the application deadline in order to be eligible to participate in the Program in any given year.

2.    APPLICATION PROCESS (applications now closed)

To apply, you must complete the online application, as instructed.

All materials and information submitted in connection with your application is considered to be User Submitted Content as defined in the Terms of Use and is subject to those terms.

Only applications received by the deadline of 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, August 8, 2007, will be considered.

We will only accept one application from you.

Your application will not be considered if you are not legally permitted to contract unless your parent or guardian has given consent.

Foundation staff will not answer questions about the status of applications. If you are selected as a Finalist, you will be notified according to the timeline set forth in the How to Apply section of this Site.

Incomplete applications, applications in languages other than English, and applications not submitted online will not be considered.

Due to resource limitations, we cannot consider applications from individuals with projects exclusively outside of the United States. If your project has an international component, you must be able to demonstrate that substantive, observable work is occurring within the United States as well. You must also agree to expend grant funds only within the United States and Puerto Rico if chosen as a Finalist and/or Final Four.  Only the impact of the projects within the U.S. will be considered in evaluating applications.

We reserve the right to disqualify applications that are incomplete, offensive, vulgar or otherwise contain inappropriate language or materials. If you have submitted such an application, you will not receive any incentives from Foundation, including online tools, GOOD Magazine, books or monetary funds.

You must give permission to the Foundation to use any application materials and other User Submitted Content as specified in the Terms of Use.

The Foundation will vet all applications prior to selecting grant recipients and will contact references and leaders in the communities of applicants selected for consideration as Finalists. In addition, the Foundation will conduct criminal background and credit checks for all individuals selected as Finalists. Finalists must sign a release allowing the Foundation to conduct a criminal background check and a credit check. Misrepresentation of your qualifications will disqualify you from participation in the Program.

The Foundation is striving to highlight a diverse group of individuals, whose stories represent multiple ways that people are implementing the citizen-centered approach in their communities. We are drawing on the expertise of independent reviewers and Foundation staff in selecting a group of individuals who collectively will inspire others by the diversity of their stories and will demonstrate the value of citizen-centered civic engagement.

3.    REQUIRED DISCLOSURES

If you are selected for consideration as a Finalist, you must disclose any current or prior financial relationship or other support you have received from the Foundation. Other support includes, but is not limited to, technical assistance, promotion and advocacy.

Program reviewers, judges, staff of the Foundation and members of the Foundation Board of Directors will also be required to disclose any current or prior relationship to you.

4.    EXPENDITURE RESPONSIBILITY

We will request a minimum of one report on the expenditure of our grant from all Finalists and we may request additional reports as determined in the sole discretion of the Foundation.

5.    QUID PRO QUO FOR $100.00

A total of 100 applicants will receive $100.00 and must agree to assign the copyright and all other property rights in and to the application materials to the Foundation. The application materials will not be returned to you.

6.    RULES FOR MINORS

If you are under the relevant age of majority, you must submit parental consent along with the application. Further, all grant recipients under the age of majority will require parental consent to receive grant funds.

7.    GRANTS TO INDIVIDUALS

Although it is not common for the Foundation -- or private foundations generally -- to make grants to individuals, the Foundation has decided that granting funds to individuals for the purpose of funding citizen-centered projects is important. These grants to individuals are intended to encourage and support citizens in order to understand, value, and participate in citizen-centered civic engagement processes. The grants are not intended for the purpose of individual travel, study or any similar activity.

Because the Foundation is granting funds to individuals, it must ensure that all requisite due diligence, documentation and information is obtained before, during and after the grant funds are distributed to any individual in order to comply with all applicable laws.

The Internal Revenue Service tax laws require certain record keeping relating to grants given to individuals.  For instance, organizations are required to keep on file the following: names and addresses of aid recipients; the amount distributed to each; the purpose for which aid was given; the manner in which the recipient was selected; and the relationship, if any, between the aid recipient and any charity insiders. Private foundations are also required to identify individual grantees on their Forms 990-PF.

In order to execute this innovative grant program to individuals, the Foundation relies on all grantees to conform to the Make It Your Own Awards Terms and Conditions and to comply with all applicable legal obligations.

8.    GRANT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

You must meet the following eligibility criteria and agree to the following conditions in order for your application to be considered for the Program:

1. You must be a resident of the United States, District of Columbia or Puerto Rico.
2. You must be over the age of majority in your state OR at least fourteen years of age AND your parent or legal guardian must have agreed to your participation in this Program.
3. You cannot be: an employee of the Foundation, its programs or affiliates; a member of the Foundation Board of Directors; a Foundation Senior Fellow or key advisor; a Foundation consultant or vendor who has received remuneration during the 12-month period preceding the application deadline; a Foundation volunteer or advisor who has been granted significant, independent decision-making authority with respect to financial or other resources of the organization or any of its programs; or a family member (including domestic partners) or business associate of any of the individuals in the categories listed above.
4. You understand that your application will not be considered should you misrepresent your qualifications or should your application be incomplete or contain inappropriate language or materials.
5. You grant to the Foundation an unlimited, worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual and royalty free license to use your application materials in any way it sees fit, without separate compensation to you or any other person or entity.
6. You grant to the Foundation the right to use your application materials in any way it chooses, in connection with the publicity, advertising, promotion and exhibition of the Program.
7. If you are chosen as a Finalist and/or Final Four, you further agree to be bound to additional terms and conditions as provided by the Foundation.

9.    CONTRACT TERMS FOR THE TOP 100: Quid Pro Quo for $100.00

If your proposal is determined to be among the top 100, you must agree to the following terms:

1. You agree to submit a more detailed proposal upon the Foundation's request.
2. You grant to the Foundation the irrevocable right to use in any way the Foundation sees fit the application materials which may include, but are not limited to, your photograph(s), acts, pictures, poses and statements throughout the world and in perpetuity, in all mediums, including print and electronic media (including, without limitation, the Internet or any other online medium) and via any other means of distribution, publication or exhibition, whether now known or hereinafter created, as part of any Foundation publication without separate compensation to you or any other person or entity.
3. You grant to the Foundation the right to use your name, likeness, statements, actions, biographical data and voice (if applicable) in connection with the production, publicity, advertising, promotion, exhibition or other exploitation or use of any of the application materials or any production incorporating the application materials.
4. You warrant and represent that (a) you own all rights to all application materials; and (b) all such materials are your original work of authorship, have not been copied, in whole or in part, from any other work and do not violate, misappropriate or infringe any copyright, trademark or other proprietary right of any other person or entity.
5. You permit the Foundation to conduct credit checks and criminal background checks and shall execute any forms required to process same.