RASSAVONG SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION
California Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation #2710049

Rassavong Scholarship Foundation
a California Public Benefit Corporation

Scholarship Programs

1. Scholarship Programs

Rassavong Scholarship Foundation (the “Foundation”) is a California public benefit corporation operating under federal IRC 501(c)(3) and California RT&C 23701d non-profit status, and is registered with the State of California Attorney General Registry of Charitable Trusts. The Foundation is managed by corporate Officers and an elected Board of Directors according to its Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. The Foundation has responsibility for fund management, administration and reporting, check processing, gift receipt and acknowledgement and fiduciary oversight of all Scholarship Programs.

The Foundation’s Directors determine the need for, and authorizes the establishment of, new Scholarship Programs at annual corporate meetings on the second Tuesday of each March. Additionally, the Directors may at the same meeting authorize the closure of Scholarship Programs having exhausted or concluded their Scholarship Funds; however the Foundation shall always, when possible, have in effect at least one Scholarship Program to fulfill the mission of the Foundation.

The complete set of Scholarship Programs open for the year is electronically announced each April on the Foundation's web site, www.rassavongfoundation.org.

Scholarships

Through the generosity of public gifts, the Foundation awards one or more annual scholarships in each of one or more Scholarship Programs. Each Scholarship Program is funded by its own scholarship fund, and has a separate application and award process having an independent Award Committee.

The Foundation shall operate at least one Scholarship Program at all times. This is the Foundation’s general scholarship program called “Rassavong Foundation Scholarship Program”.

Scholarship Funds

Scholarship Programs operate either from the Foundation’s general scholarship fund, or from a fund specifically established for that Scholarship Program. Unless otherwise specified by the donor, gifts to the Foundation shall fund the general Scholarship Program.

Individuals or organizations giving $5000 or more to the Foundation in a given calendar year may establish a new Scholarship Program according to section 4 below and can, at the option of the donor, be named wholly or in part after its donors, e.g., donor “Smith” may opt to name the program “Smith Scholarship”, or if they partially fund a new Scholarship Program they may opt for a name similar to “Rassavong-Smith Scholarship”, etc. Each new Scholarship Program is started through a fund agreement toward which contributions may be made through future gifts.

Individuals or organizations contributing $1000 or more annually receive an annual statement from the Foundation summarizing Scholarship Program activity including scholarship awards, additional gifts, payments, investment gains or losses, and fees.

Scholarship Award Selection Limitations

Federal 501(c)(3) regulations require scholarship programs benefit members of a charitable class, e.g., a group large enough that in indefinite number of individuals may benefit, or a group that is by virtue of circumstances beyond the control of the Committee.

The Foundation grants scholarships awards to the student, or in the case of multiple scholarships in a given Scholarship Program, students, whose applications are judged the best submissions for each Scholarship Program according to uniform selection criteria for that Program.

2. Award Committees

Member Selection and Changes

The Foundation’s Board of Directors or Officers establishes all-volunteer Scholarship Award Committees (“Committees”) for each Scholarship Program, and shall recruit, select and train each Committee member in the Scholarship Program. Committee members shall execute an Award Committee Member Agreement acknowledging their responsibilities and obligations, including the Foundation's privacy policy.

Committee membership changes are authorized in writing by the Board of Directors. Committee members must not be in a position to derive economic benefit from the Scholarship Program.

Committee members are not compensated for their services; however their participation for the year is recognized by the Foundation in appropriate printed materials, the foundation’s website, and verbally at Foundation events in connection with their service to the Scholarship Program(s).

Committee members who cannot complete their duties should submit a written resignation to the Foundation's Directors; if a Committee member resigns or fails to perform in good faith her or his Committee duties, the Foundation's Directors shall appoint a replacement Committee member to complete those duties as required.

Composition

Committees shall consist of three (3) to (7) seven members. Committees comprise a variety of local community leaders and personalities for a broad, well-rounded perspective. The Foundation’s policy prohibits its Directors and Officers from participating in scholarship Committees; however Committee selections are communicated to and approved by the Foundation’s Directors.

Meetings

Committees require participation of 100% of the Committee members. Committees meet according to the process described in section 5 and may meet as often as required to arrive at their award decision(s).

3. Scholarship Award Applications

Scholarship Programs are announced annually during the first week of each April, on the Foundation’s web site. Students may receive scholarship information, including application materials, by download from:

www.rassavongfoundation.org

or by mailing a double-stamped, self-addressed long or flat letter envelope to:

Rassavong Scholarship Foundation
Programs Information Request
800 Via Bahia
San Marcos, CA 92069

Applications must be postmarked no later than June 30th to be eligible for the fall season awards. Scholarship Program award applicants submit the following materials by mail to the above address:

A completed Foundation scholarship application form for the specific scholarship program, printed from the website.
Evidence of:
- Limited income meeting the income requirements of section (4) below.
- Active student status at an accredited college, university, institute or trade school (copy of student ID, acceptance letter, transcript, etc.)
- Academic GPA.
- California San Diego County residence.
Minimum of three written reference recommendations, including reference contact information, from current or prior teachers, professors, mentors, clergy, community leaders, excluding family members (brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, members of a shared household, etc.)

4. General Eligibility Criteria

(a) Scholarships are awarded on the basis of superior merit among all eligible applicants. Personal achievement, tenacity in the face of adversity, ambition, skill, charity, breadth and strength of character are example factors taken into consideration.

(b) Federal 501(c)(3) regulations require scholarship programs benefit members of a charitable class, e.g., a group large enough that in indefinite number of individuals may benefit, or a group that is by virtue of circumstances beyond the control of the Award Committee. All scholarships are awarded in a fair, equitable and non-discriminatory selection process and are subject to the final approval of the Foundation's Board of Directors.

Student enrolled or accepted with active status at an accredited secondary education organization such as a college, university, institute or trade school.
Maintain a local California San Diego County residence.
If living with family, spouse or domestic partner, a household income of under $100,000 annually; or if living independently, an income of under $50,000 annually.
Established record of accomplishment, achievement, skill or charity.
Minimum academic GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Completed Scholarship Application materials.

(d) Scholarship Programs may have additional focus criteria specific to those Scholarship Programs, for example, exhibiting a specific skill in music or sports, or a high minimum GPA, or demonstrated artistic or dramatic talent, or an academic major in science, engineering or medicine, etc. Please refer to the specific Scholarship Program information and application form for any additional criteria. This provision does not apply to the Foundation's General Scholarship Program.

5. Awards Procedures

Scholarship Application Receipt Procedure

Applications received prior to the acceptance cutoff date for a scholarship program are collected by the Foundation’s office and retained for safe keeping. An acknowledgement letter is mailed back to the applicant to confirm receipt of the application. If an email address is provided, an email will also be sent with the same information. The Foundation’s office will make and file one set of copies of each application and its related submitted materials until the Award Committee convenes. When the Award Committee convenes, the Foundation office delivers the original application materials to the Award Committee for evaluation. If no applications are received before the deadline, no new scholarships are awarded that year.

Evaluation Procedure

Applications for a given Scholarship Program are evaluated together. Committee members must abstain from scoring applications under consideration from family, employees, former or current students, or if otherwise they could be perceived as have a conflict of interest in promoting the selection of that applicant for reasons not clearly related solely to merit.

The evaluation procedure proceeds as follows:

(a) Award Committee shall collectively screen the applications meeting the general eligibility requirements, including verification of references. Applications that fail to meet eligibility requirements shall be marked and removed from further consideration.

(b) Each Award Committee member shall independently evaluate each applicant; thus there shall be one application evaluation form to be completed by each evaluator for each applicant. For example, if 10 applications are received and there are 5 evaluators, there will be 5x10 = 50 evaluation scoring sheets to complete.

(c) Each Award Committee member shall independently evaluate, score and/or comment upon the applicant’s written responses to the questionnaire. A score of 0-10 is awarded for each attribute. The total questionnaire score is summed, multiplied by a 10/7ths normalizing weight (for 7 questions), and marked.

(d) Each Award Committee member shall independently evaluate, score and/or comment upon the applicant’s written essay response. A score of 0-100 is awarded for the essay and marked.

(e) The Award Committee conducts an oral panel interview of each finalist to assess character, maturity, resourcefulness, motivation and leadership attributes. Information from the applicant’s written questionnaire and essay may be used to direct specific lines of inquiry. A score of 0-10 is awarded for each attribute. The total interview score is summed and marked.

(i) If there are eight (8) or fewer applicants, all applicants shall be designated as finalists and shall be panel-interviewed by the Award Committee.

(ii) If there are nine (9) or more applicants, each Award Committee member totals and marks the combined questionnaire and essay scores for each application evaluation form they compiled. This combined total score shall be used to rank applications in descending order. Of these, the top eight (8) shall become finalists shall be panel-interviewed.

(f) Finally, each Award Committee member totals and marks the combined interview, questionnaire and essay scores for each application evaluation form they compiled. This combined total score shall be used to rank applications in descending order.

Award Selections

The top scored application (or if multiple awards within a single Scholarship Program are under consideration, top scored applications,) shall receive the scholarship award(s) for the Scholarship Program served by that Committee. In the event of a tie for a single scholarship award, the Award Committee will conduct a second oral panel interview and rescore the result to break the tie.

Committee award selection(s) are submitted in writing, along with the application materials, Eligibility Verification Checklists and Scholarship Application Evaluation scoring tables, to the Foundation’s Board of Directors for final approval, no later than the second Monday of August each year. Approved award selections are final, except in the event an application disqualification is discovered after an award grant is selected, in which case a special Committee meeting is called by its chairman to select a replacement awardee.

Scholarship awards selections become final upon actual payment distribution of the scholarship award.

Award Distributions

Scholarship awards shall be paid directly to the accredited secondary organization in the name of the student who is or will be attending and may only be applied toward tuition, books and fees.

Award Announcements

Scholarship award notifications will first be made to their applicants by telephone and/or electronic mail, and a written letter by mail. Scholarship award winners will be announced on the Foundation’s web site and may be announced via other available print or broadcast media.

Award Recognition Events

If announced, an Annual Foundation Award Dinner event may be held in August to formally recognize scholarship award winners. Scholarship award winners may also be recognized at some local community celebrations and events. Specific times and locations will be communicated in advance to the award winners.

Scholarship Program Management (Programs Guide) 2008-Rev. 1