Teacher Mini Grants

Teacher Mini Grants

Autism Society Acadiana is pleased to announce our 2024-25 Mini-Grant Program for teachers. Over the last 10 years, our Mini-Grant Program has provided more than $30,000 in direct assistance to teachers who serve individuals with autism in the Acadiana area. Qualified teachers working in Acadia, Evangeline, Lafayette, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin, and Vermilion Parishes may submit only one grant application proposal per year. Awards may not exceed $200.00 and may be awarded in a lower amount than requested.

How to Apply For our 2024 Mini-Grant Program

Grant applications will be accepted beginning October 1st, 2024 through October 31, 2024. Applications must be submitted no later than October 31, 2024. Grant award recipients will be notified by mail.

Applications received before October 1st, 2024, or after October 31st, 2024 will not be eligible for consideration.

Instructions:

Please read and follow the instructions carefully. Incomplete submissions will not be considered eligible.
Mini-grant applications must be completed and emailed to applications@acadianaautism.org.

Your application must be filled out completely and submitted with the correct documentation to be eligible. The grant application will be available from October 1st, 2024 until 11:59 pm October 31st, 2024.

• All applications must include a list of requested items, prices, and links, and the total amount requested. Failure to include these details could result in your application being deemed ineligible for consideration.

• Applicants must specifically ask for an item needed to support specific applicable and attainable goals (i.e., an iPad from Wal-Mart to assist with fine motor skills or communication). Other requests may be considered if they have a defensible reasoning and clear benefit to the individual(s) with autism.

• We do not approve grant applications requesting funds for groceries, gas, rent, utilities, non-specialty clothing, and house supplies. If you have a question about whether the item(s) or service(s) you wish to apply for is approvable, please contact Denise Auzenne at denisea@acadianaautism.org before submitting your application.

• Teachers are required to obtain their principal’s signature on THIS ATTACHED LETTER and submit a copy of the letter and a copy of their teaching certificate with their application.

• All required documents (i.e., teaching certificate and Signed letter from principal) must be submitted with the completed Mini-Grant application.

• Funds are to be used to purchase the items requested in the application if a substitution must be made, you must contact ASA for approval prior to purchase.

• Any unspent funds are to be refunded to ASA.

Please review our Mini-Grant Terms and Conditions below prior to filling out the application.

Mini-Grant award recipients are to submit receipts and pictures of the finished project via our online form for all items purchased with the grant funds within 90 days of receipt of funds. You will not be considered for future mini-grant awards if we do not receive your receipt.

If you have been a Mini-Grant recipient in the past but did not submit the required receipts, you will not be eligible. If you wish to become eligible for future grant years, please contact us at applications@acadianaautism.org to submit your past receipts.

If you need to mail your mini-grant application, please mail it to:

Autism Society Acadiana

3108 W. Pinhook Rd. Suite 101

Lafayette, LA 70508

Or please contact applications@acadianaautism.org for assistance.

Mailed applications must be postmarked between October 1st, 2024 through October 31st, 2024 to be eligible for consideration.

Mini-Grant Terms & Conditions:

General information

Follow all instructions as detailed above and inside the mini-grant online application form. Failure to follow instructions will result in disqualification of your application from consideration. Families and Autistic Individuals may apply for up to $200.00 but may be awarded less than the requested amount due to the number of applications and/or funds availability. Awards and Rejection letters will be sent out via mail. If you do not receive a letter by December 31, 2024. send us an email at applications@acadianaautism.org to check on your application status.

Award recipients MUST:

• Use the award money to purchase the same, or similar item as stated in the application. If a different item must be purchased, award recipients must contact Autism Society Acadiana for approval BEFORE funds are spent.

• Submit receipts from purchase to Autism Society Acadiana within 90 days of award receipt.

• Refund excess funds to Autism Society Acadiana promptly.

***Failure to do any of the above can result in permanent disqualification from future consideration***

Your application will be disqualified from consideration if:

• The applicant does not live in the seven parishes served by the Autism Society Acadiana (Acadia, Evangeline, Lafayette, New Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin, and Vermilion)

• You submit more than one application per household.

• Your application is not complete.

• You do not submit the correct documents.

• Your request is more than $200.00

• Your application is not received during the application period

• You apply for an item that is not approvable per our instructions

• You did not submit your receipts from a previous mini-grant year. All award recipients are required to submit a receipt showing the total as well as the items purchased within 90 days of receiving the award.

• In a previous year you purchased a different item than you applied for without permission from Autism Society Acadiana.

• You failed to refund excess funds to Autism Society Acadiana in previous years.

• Autism Society Acadiana reserves the right to deny applications for other reasons than those listed above including but not limited to funds availability, and unclear benefit of proposed funds use as stated in the application.

Mini-Grant eligibility forgiveness:

Autism Society Acadiana offers options for those who have been disqualified from the Mini-Grant program to become re-eligible for consideration. These options will allow you to be eligible for consideration in the 2025 Mini-Grant Program, however will not allow you to be eligible for consideration for the 2024 Mini-Grant Program. Please contact our Mini Grant Chair Person Denise Auzenne at denisea@acadianaautism.org for more information about how to qualify for eligibility forgiveness.

• You can regain eligibility for future grant years by submitting your out-of-compliance receipts. Receipts must show the items purchased, the amount spent, and the date of purchase to be considered for eligibility forgiveness. The items purchased MUST match the items requested in your original application, or, if different, must have been approved by Autism Society Acadiana.

• If you neglected to refund excess funds to Autism Society Acadiana, you can regain your eligibility for future grant years by refunding the neglected funds along with your receipt submission.

• If you purchased a different item than you applied for without prior approval from Autism Society Acadiana you ARE NOT eligible for the forgiveness program and will remain permanently disqualified from future mini-grant programs.

• Applicants are only eligible for the forgiveness program ONCE. Any further failure to comply with the Mini-Grant Terms and Conditions will result in permanent disqualification from consideration.