Terms of Scholarship
qualified applicants
This scholarship is for Search & Rescue K9 teams of any discipline.
Applicants must be a member in good standing with a search team and provide a supporting letter. Independent handlers may apply but must provide a letter from a deploying agency confirming their affiliation. Letters must be dated within 6 months of the application deadline.
K9s must be at least 8 months of age at the application deadline.
Applicants may submit one application per submission cycle. Applicants may only receive one scholarship per calendar year.
Up to 5 scholarships will be awarded per cycle. A minimum score of 70% of the total points is required to qualify. If enough eligible applicants do not apply, additional scholarships may be offered in subsequent cycles.
amount of scholarship
Each scholarship will reimburse up to $500 towards training registration fees and travel expenses. Expenses may include airfare, rental car, fuel, hotel, and meals. Receipts are required for all expenses.
The scholarship must be used on a qualified training event within one year of the award date.
Reimbursement for a training already attended is not allowed.
qualified training events
The training event must be pre-approved by the Board.
Qualified events include trainings that address search skills and those prerequisite skills required to certify and deploy. Events may also include training, that while not specifically search related, can have a profound impact on the proficiency of the handler and overall health, fitness, and success of the search dog. Examples include, but are not limited to, first aid, fitness, learning theory, and drive building.
Prequalified trainings are listed on our calendar. We also welcome applications for events not listed on the calendar that meet the requirements.
receiving scholarship funds
Upon completion of the training event, handlers have 14 days to submit:
Completed reimbursement form
Copy of receipts for all expenses being submitted for reimbursement
Photo of them and their dog at the sponsored event
Written statement describing how this opportunity and the scholarship impacted your training and career as a Search & Rescue K9 Team.
Reimbursement submissions should be sent to info@calvarycanine.org.
All or some portion of the statement and photo may be used by Calvary Canine and its affiliates on the website, blog, Facebook, newsletter, donor communications or any other communication decided by Calvary Canine.
Special consideration will be made on a case by case basis for those requesting funds prior to the event.
cancellations
If a handler must cancel their attendance to a previously approved event, the scholarship may be applied to another qualified training with prior approval by Calvary Canine.
review board
The review board consists of 3 volunteer reviewers who have demonstrated knowledge of Search & Rescue dogs. Reviewers receive no compensation and are not eligible to receive the scholarship. Reviewers may not have any affiliation with any applicant during the cycle for which they are reviewing.