Thanks to our generous donors, the TACA National Medical Scholarship is opening doors for families in need. For those facing financial hardship, this scholarship provides critical support to access life-changing medical care, helping children and families get the treatment they deserve when they need it most.

Purpose:  

The TACA Family Scholarship provides financial assistance for families seeking medical treatment with qualified professionals. Because this is a competitive program with more applicants than available funds, priority is given to families who meet all eligibility criteria. Please read the guidelines carefully and submit a complete application for consideration.

Key Dates: 

• Application Due Date: Friday, October 31st, 2025 @ 11:59PM PST 

• Scholarship Award Notification: Week of November 10th, 2025 

All applications will be reviewed following the closing date. The review process is expected to take approximately two to three weeks, and all applicants be notified of the outcome via email once a decision has been made. 

Eligibility Requirements

1. Diagnosis 

• Must have a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or PDD-NOS. 
• If more than one child is diagnosed, submit a separate application for each child. 

2. TACA Involvement 

• Must be a member of the TACA Hope and Help for Autism Facebook group 
• Must attend at least two (2) TACA events within the year 2024-2025, such as:
  -National TACA Autism Conference
  -Foundation Family Events
  -Coffee Talk Events
  -Virtual Support Events
  -Virtual Family Panel Events 

3. Income guidelines 

• Household income must be at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level 
• Families above this threshold may still be considered, but priority will be given to those meeting the guidelines. 

4. Qualifying doctors 

Must work with a functional medicine doctor specializing in autism care and trained through one of the following: 

• MAPS (Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs) 
• IFM (Institute for Functional Medicine) 
• LLMD (Lyme-Literate Medical Doctors) 
• Licensed naturopathic doctor specializing in autism 

5. Previous Scholarship Recipients 

• Families awarded a TACA scholarship in 2025 are not eligible 
• Families awarded before 2025 remain eligible 

Application Process 

1. Choose your doctor 

• Confirm your doctor meets the eligibility criteria listed above.
• Verify they are accepting new patients (not required if continuing with an existing doctor)
• If telehealth is preferred, confirm availability with your doctor.  

Failure to select a doctor before applying may result in your application being forfeited. For guidance, contact your local TACA community or post within the Hope and Help Facebook group.  

2. Complete the application form 

• Provide accurate, complete and up to date information.
• Incomplete or incorrect applications will not be considered.

3. If Awarded

• You will receive a scholarship agreement form with detailed and guiding instructions. 
• The agreement form must be signed and returned by the assigned deadline. 

Failure to submit by the deadline will result in withdrawal of the award and reassignment to another family. 

4. Disbursement of Funds 

• Your doctor of choice will be formally notified of your award, and funds will be released 2 to 3 weeks after the agreement form deadline.  
• Payment will be sent directly to your chosen functional medicine doctor  

• Funds may only be applied to appointments scheduled after the scholarship form due date. 

Funds cannot be used for: travel or lodging, new patient registration, membership or concierge fees, past appointments or services, splitting costs between multiple doctors 

⚠️ IMPORTANT 

Applications will be disqualified or funds withdrawn at any time if: 

• Eligibility requirements are not met 

• A qualifying doctor is not selected beforehand 

• The application is incomplete or inaccurate 

• The scholarship agreement is not signed by the due date. 

• Follow up report is not filed within the allotted time.  

For questions, comments or concerns, please contact: scholarships@tacanow.org