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Hello everyone - I have been thinking about establishing a Fund that would provide Financial Aid for those individuals that qualify for Deferred Action, but that are not able to finance the Application Fee for the Biometrics and Employment Authorization. Below are some thoughts. Please feel free to provide feedback: Dream Act Fund (Not 100% sure the name can be used, but I will use it for now) The fund would work to finance a portion/all of the expense related to filing for DACA/EAD It would basically work like a scholarship fund The screening process has to be rigorous in order to avoid potential scams Not limited only to High School students, or to Hispanics for that matter The emphasis of one of the qualifications has to be on education and on people that want to take advantage of many opportunities that are available whenever DACA status is granted In regards to staff, the idea would be to get volunteers in several locations throughout the country: Miami, Chicago, NY/NJ, Boston, LA/SF, etc The volunteers have to belong to the forum and have to be willing to invest some of their time in the logistical/administrative process One of the requirements to qualify for aid would be to have the potential candidates sign up to the Forum and participate actively, providing feedback and helping fellow dreamers. In addition, the Fund could serve as a Marketing Tool in order to promote the many resources available, and the constant stream of feedback/information from other dreamers. Some screening requirements could be: Be a High School student High School Diploma or equivalent Enrolled in College/Technical School/Advanced Education Programs Having to submit Essays (although not sure what they have to be about) Topics (3, 5, 10 year plan, etc) How many Essays (1, 2, 3?) How long each Essay (200, 400, 1,000 words?) [*]Household information How many live at home Monthly household income Expenses Currently employed? As a preliminary idea, the funds could be pooled in a Paypal account, which allows the flexibility of transferring funds, it is very easy to receive donations online, and it is very secure. The fund would hypothetically work in the following way: The funds would be provided via Paypal by potential donors Volunteers would receive applications by potential candidates Screening process would determine if they would qualify and what would be covered If applicant qualifies for Full Aid, the Fund would cover USCIS related expenses (Only!) Shipping expenses [*]If a certain applicant is accepted, the volunteer would be notified, and funds would be transferred from Paypal to volunteers Bank Account It is imperative that the volunteers have a 'low risk' Bank Account, meaning, the account is never overdrafted so there are no risks that the bank would use funds transferred from The Fund to cover personal expenses of the volunteer [*]The volunteer would acquire a money order from their bank and be able to ship the materials of the candidate [*]The Fund would be advertised mostly through Social Media and Word of Mouth. Volunteers would be encouraged to promote the fund as they want, as long as the Purpose/Guidelines/Objectives are clearly stated - they will not be allowed to modify it as they please - for consistency/campaign purposes [*]Even though Fund management is centralized, Marketing activities are Decentralized, and are up to the volunteers discretion. However, the more we market and acquire funds, the more people we will be able to help In a nutshell, this is basically how the Fund would work. There would be a strong need to advertise the Forum as well, since it is a great tool for all of the Dreamers to access information/share their burden, and also since it contributed greatly to the development of the fund. Also, I will research if there would be any need to register the Fund as a Non-profit, or if it can operate without registration. I am very serious about this, and I would like to be able to help people achieve their dreams one step at a time. I bet most of you guys would like to also. Please feel free to give ideas, ask questions and provide any feedback in regards to what is presented above. Keep in mind that this is not final and that it is merely a rough draft. Thanks in advance for your input. Regards, Santiago.