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Rules

Thanks for your interest in The Roddenberry Foundation’s Catalyst Fund (the “Grant Program”). The Grant Program is sponsored by The Roddenberry Foundation, with platform support provided by its Service Provider, RAMPIT. Please know that by participating in this Grant Program and in accordance with these Rules you are eligible to receive a possible Grant from The Roddenberry Foundation as a Grantee. The Rules governing this Grant Program ("Rules") are stated here as an extension of the Program Terms & Conditions. The full Terms are available for your review by accessing them on this Website. The Rules constitute "Grant Program Terms and Conditions" under Clause 2.3 of the Terms. Capitalized words used but not defined in the Rules have meanings given to them in the Terms.

Please read these Rules and the Terms carefully, as they describe the conditions under which you are allowed to participate. As you participate, you may periodically be asked to recognize your acceptance of these Rules and any Program Terms and Conditions by clicking "accept" at various pages on this Site, but by continuing any use of this Site you expressly consent to all of these Rules and the Program Terms and Conditions.

1. Eligibility

The Roddenberry Foundation welcomes applications from organizations or entities that have a recognized legal existence and structure under applicable law (State, Federal or Country) and that are in good standing in the jurisdiction under which they are organized. Organizations in the following categories are eligible organizations and may submit proposals:

  1. An organization recognized as a 501(c)3 organization by the Internal Revenue Service under the United States Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”).
  2. A university, college or academic or research institution or center that is part of a university meeting the eligibility criteria if the university adopts the proposed approach as its own.
  3. An organization organized under the laws of a foreign jurisdiction which has received a tax determination letter from the IRS or has been determined to be the equivalent of a section 501(c)(3) and 509(a)(1) or (2) organization by a qualified tax practitioner for which an equivalency determination has not expired.
  4. An entity that is recognized under the law of the applicable jurisdiction as a non-governmental organization, an educational organization, a charitable organization, a social welfare organization, a not-for-profit organization, or similar-type entity that is not a for-profit organization or government agency.
  5. A for-profit organized and in good standing under the laws of the local jurisdiction in which it operates that is not a charitable organization but whose proposal has as its primary purpose the accomplishment of a charitable or educational purpose under Section 501(c)(3) of the Code and with respect to which no private interests will receive more than an incidental private benefit as determined by The Roddenberry Foundation.

An Application from any eligible Entity must identify the Project that is the subject of the Application. Organizations may be required to certify that the laws of their governing jurisdiction do not prohibit or restrict the receipt of the Grant under this Grant Program. The Grantmaker reserves the right to reject the Application of an organization if, in the Foundation’s sole discretion, the laws of the governing jurisdiction applicable to the organization would prohibit or limit the Grantmaker from proceeding with the Grant Program as intended or the consideration or making of any Grant would impose additional administrative, tax, operational, or legal burdens on the Grantmaker.

2. Ineligible Persons or Entities

The following persons or entities are ineligible to apply for the Prize:

  • Organizations comprised entirely of government officials or employees are not eligible to submit applications. Individuals who submit applications on behalf of an eligible organization and are also government officials or employees will be responsible for ensuring that their participation in the Grant Program is permitted by the rules and regulations relevant to their position and that they have obtained any authorization that may be required by virtue of their government position.
  • Current and former directors, officers, employees or agents of The Roddenberry Foundation, RAMPIT, The Common Pool, LLC, and any of their subsidiaries and affiliates; Immediate Family (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) of such persons; or any persons living in the same households of such persons.
  • Persons who are reviewers of Catalyst Fund s

3. Guidance Related to Non-Charitable Applicants

Organizations applying to the Grant Program that are not recognized as charitable Section 501(c)(3) organizations under the Code must ensure that any Grant funds will be used solely for charitable purposes and will not result in private benefit to other people, organizations, or entities other than incidental benefit that is a necessary byproduct of the accomplishment of the charitable or educational purpose.

4. Review

Your Submission will be subjected to an Administrative Review, to ensure compliance with all of the requirements. Qualified Submissions will then be distributed to Reviewers, who will be assigned to score these Submissions using the trait scoring rubric and any other criteria that are also described on this Website. The selection of Grantees is at the sole discretion of the Grantmaker. Grantees will receive a Grant in a range of $2,500 to $15,000. Grantmaker will determine any Grantees, using criteria that may not incorporate the same trait scoring rubric employed by any previous assessment(s). The criteria are to be applied in the sole discretion of the Grantmaker. By participating in the Catalyst Fund, You acknowledge and agree to be bound by the final decision of the Grantmaker.

5. Supporting Documentation

In addition to the application requirements published on this website, all applicant organizations will be required to submit the following documents before they are considered for any Grant:

  • Tax determination letter, if applicable.
  • If You are not a public charity exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Code, a statement that The Roddenberry Foundation grant funds will be spent only for charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational purposes, and that The Roddenberry Foundation grant funds will not be used for lobbying purposes.
  • Any other legal documentation governing the organization that will receive and be responsible for the Grant – the need for any additional documents will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Please take time to read the Sample Grant Agreement for any other possible requirements.

6. Financial and Organizational Capacity

All applicants must demonstrate their financial and organizational capacity to carry out the proposed project and to appropriately manage any Grant.

7. Treatment and Use of Intellectual Property

Each application should reflect the anticipated ownership, use, and licensing of any Intellectual Property Rights. You represent and warrant that Your Submission is an original work created solely by You, that You own all Intellectual Property Rights in and to the Submission, and that no other party has any right, title, claim or interest in the Submission, except as expressly identified by You to us in writing in Your application. You retain all right, title and interest in any inventions, software or work of authorship You invent or create. The ownership and use of Intellectual Property Rights arising from this Grant Program remains with You.

Please note that, if You are selected as a Grantee, You may be required to enter into a separate written agreement, which will govern ownership and use of all Intellectual Property Rights created as a result of the Grant, including, if applicable, licenses to The Roddenberry Foundation.

8. License to Use Submission

Portions of Your application, including Organization Name and Project Overview, may be published on this website; the remainder of Your application will only be viewed by grant administrators and Reviewers. By submitting an application, You have granted the Grantmaker a license to post portions of it on our website as described in Clause 6.3 of the TERMS.

9. Prohibited Use of Grant Funds

Grant funds must be used for the project for which they are awarded, and may not be used:

  • For non-charitable or non-educational purposes;
  • To carry on propaganda or otherwise to attempt to influence legislation within the meaning of Code Section 4945(d)(1);
  • To influence the outcome of any specific public election, or to carry on, directly or indirectly, any voter registration drive within the meaning of Code Section 4945(d)(2); or
  • To pay fees or wages for the services of fundraising or fundraising consulting firms.
  • To make a Grant to any individual for travel, study, or other similar purposes, or to make a Grant to any organization, except in compliance with the provisions of Sections 4945(g) or (h), as the case may be.

10. Grant Agreement

The successful applicant or Grantee will be expected to enter into a written grant agreement with The Roddenberry Foundation containing key terms and conditions which are separate from these Rules and Terms posted on this Website for this Grant Program. To ensure that You are prepared to enter into such a separate agreement, guidance is provided. (SeeSample Grant Agreement). NOTE: Each grant agreement governing the use of Grants may vary, depending on the nature of the project and the organization receiving the Grant.

11. Reporting

Any Grantee who enters into a separate grant agreement to receive funding will be required to submit a grant report to The Roddenberry Foundation nine months from the award date. Please review the Sample Grant Report for more information on what might be required should you receive a Catalyst Fund Grant.

12. Other Rules

12.1 Your application must be in English.

12.2 You must complete registration to participate in the Grant Program. Individuals representing an applicable organization must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. You cannot reside in nor be governed by countries that are prohibited by law, regulation (including United States or other applicable export laws and regulations), treaty or administrative act from entering into trade relations (including export of technology) with the United States of America or its citizens.

12.3  Your Submission must meet the application requirements stipulated on this Website. Your Submission may not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the Grantmaker and/or RAMPIT, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content. The Grantmaker reserves the right to cancel, modify or suspend Grant Program in whole or in part without liability to You. The Grantmaker and/or RAMPIT also reserve the right to disqualify You from participating.

12.4 By participating in the Catalyst Fund, You represent, warrant, and agree that:

  1. You are the sole author, creator, and owner of the Submission;
  2. the Submission is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation or claim;
  3. the Submission does not and will not violate or infringe upon the Intellectual Property Rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other legal rights of any third party;
  4. the Submission does not and will not contain any harmful computer code (sometimes referred to as "malware," "viruses" or "worms"); and
  5. the Submission, and Your use of the Submission, does not and will not violate any applicable laws or regulations, including, without limitation, applicable export control laws and regulations of the United States and other jurisdictions. If the Submission includes any third-party works (such as third-party content or open source code), You must provide the Grantmaker with all appropriate licenses and releases for such third party works. In the event You cannot provide all such required licenses and releases, the Grantmaker reserves the right, in the Grantmaker’s sole discretion, to disqualify the applicable Submission.

12.5  You may participate by registering, but You may not register more than one true and uniform identity; multiple registrations for a participant using multiple identities are not allowed. The Grantmaker and/or RAMPIT reserve the right to disqualify any Submission made by a participant violating this limitation, regardless of whether all of the respective parties had knowledge of such violation. You may only submit one Submission.

12.6  While RAMPIT, LLC (“RAMPIT”) is providing an online platform for Your participation, RAMPIT is not responsible for the payment of any Grant(s). Payment of any Grant(s) is the sole responsibility of the Grantmaker, and under the Terms each participant has agreed to look solely to the Grantmaker for the payment of any Grant.

12.7  With Your Submission, You agree (on behalf of You and Your organization) irrevocably to release, discharge and hold harmless the Grantmaker, The Common Pool, LLC, and RAMPIT and their partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors and representatives from any loss arising out of Your participation in the Grant Program and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any Grant(s). Neither the Grantmaker, The Common Pool, LLC, nor RAMPIT assume responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission; communications line failure; theft or destruction of or unauthorized access to Grant Program Submissions or entry forms; or alteration of Submissions or entry forms. Neither the Grantmaker, The Common Pool, LLC, nor RAMPIT are responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or any website, human errors of any kind, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to Competitors’ or any other persons’ computers related to or resulting from participation, uploading or downloading of any materials related to this Grant Program. In the event of a dispute about the identity of any Competitor, an online registration will be declared as if made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry.

12.8  THIS GRANT PROGRAM IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Competitors agree that this Grant Program shall be subject to and governed by the laws of the United States of America and the forum of any dispute shall be in the courts of the United States of America.

12.9  If for any reason the Grant Program is not capable of running as planned, due to infection by computer virus, bugs, worms, Trojan horses, denial of service, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of Grantmaker that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Grant Program, Grantmaker reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual(s) who tamper with the process, and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Grant Program. If the Grantmaker and/or RAMPIT terminates the Grant Program, Grantmaker and/or RAMPIT will not retain any rights in the submitted Submissions.

12.10  The Grantmaker reserve the right in their sole discretion to disqualify any Competitor who is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Catalyst Fund, to be acting in violation of these RULES, or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Catalyst Fund, or to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person.

12.11  Entry into the Catalyst Fund does not constitute Submission into any other Roddenberry Foundation program, RAMPIT program, or promotion that may be offered by the Grantmaker and/or their affiliates.

12.12  The Grantmaker and/or RAMPIT reserve the right to disqualify any participant who violates these RULES, the TERMS and any standards of behavior expressed or implied in them.

12.13  The Grantmaker reserves the right to perform background checks prior to the determination of Grantees on key individuals associated with the proposed solution that will require authorization from the individuals and the disclosure of certain personal information. The refusal by the key individuals to provide necessary authorizations or information may disqualify the Application.

12.14  The names of the Grantees will be posted on this Website for such period of time as the Grantmaker deems reasonable.

Contact Information:

You may contact us with any questions or comments about these RULES. Please enter Roddenberry Catalyst Fund in the subject line of the email. You may reach us at: info@roddenberryfoundation.org.