Regional Help to Assist You in Your Journey

Requirements

1. Qualifying Physicians and Clinic

a. Must work with a functional medicine physician and clinic that specializes in autism care and trained through one of the following:

              i. MAPS (Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs)

              ii. IFM (Institute for Functional Medicine)

              iii. LLMD (Lyme-Literate Medical Doctors)

              iv. Licensed naturopathic doctor specializing in autism

2. Diagnosis

a. Must have a child or adult diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

b. If more than one of your children is diagnosed with ASD, please submit a separate application for each child.

3. TACA Involvement

a. Be a TACA member for at least three (3) months before application due date.

              i. If you are not already a member, click here to become a free TACA member today.

b. Must participate in at least two (2) TACA programs/events within the program year including:

              i. National TACA Autism Conference (recorded or in person)

              ii. TACA Family Events

              iii. TACA Support Meetings

              iv. Virtual Support and Learning Events

              v. Hope and Help Facebook Group

              vi. Monthly Learning Series

              vii. TACA Volunteer Program

4. Income Guidelines

a. Household income must be at or below 300% of the US Federal Poverty Level within the same year as the program.

              i. Please click here to view the US Federal Poverty Guidelines.

b. Families above this threshold with multiple children may still be considered.

5. Previous Scholarship Recipients

a. Families who have received a TACA scholarship prior, may only reapply 12 months (one year) from the date on which they were awarded.

b. Families who were not selected are welcome to reapply again within award periods.

Process

1. Choose your physician and clinic

a. Confirm your physician and clinic meet the eligibility criteria listed above.

b. Verify that they are accepting new patients and can provide the required services within 12 months of the award.

Failure to select a physician or confirm eligibility before submitting your application may result in your application being not considered.

2. Complete the application form

a. Provide accurate, complete and up to date information

b. If corrections are needed, contact the scholarship team immediately. All changes must be made before the due date of the application.

Failure to provide accurate, complete information or changes by the application due date may result in your application being not considered.

3. Notification of awards

a. All applicants will be notified of the scholarship outcome, regardless of the result.

               i. Selected applicants will receive a scholarship agreement form with detailed and guiding instructions.

4. Application Resubmission Policy

a. Families who were not selected in Round 1 may resubmit their application for Round 2 by emailing their original application confirmation to the scholarship team, along with any updated information.

b. Resubmissions are only accepted when the next scholarship round opens. Any resubmissions submitted outside of that period will not be considered.

c. Applicants are required to submit a new application within a new program year to reflect updated program requirements.

5. Disbursement of funds and how funds can be used

a. After award confirmations, your selected physician will be notified.

b. Scholarship funds are sent directly to the physician and clinic within 3-4 weeks after the scholarship agreement form due date.

c. Funds may only be used for appointments schedule after the scholarship agreement due date.

d. Funds cannot be used for:

               i. Travel or lodging

               ii. New patient registration

               iii. Membership or concierge fees

               iv. Supplements or labs that are not billed internally

               v. Past appointments or services

               vi. Splitting costs between multiple doctors