Contest & Sponsor. The Secretsos™ Foundation Grant Program for 4th Quarter 2024 (“Contest”) is sponsored by SecretSOS LLC (“Sponsor”), a New Mexico limited liability company, with a mailing address of 1209 Mountain Road PL NE #4453, Albuquerque, NM 87110.
Eligibility. The Contest is open to any (a) resident of the United States (excluding Hawaii, Alaska, New York, Florida, and Rhode Island) and including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, (b) who is over 21 years of age, (c) has ownership in a legally recognized and registered business entity (corporation, partnerships, limited liability company, trust, etc), and (d) any one of the following charitable classes: (i) financially distressed - denied a bank loan or don't qualify for bank loan, (ii) woman-owned business, veteran-owned business, or minority-owned business, or (iii) geographically located in an economic development zone. Employees, officers, and directors of the Sponsor or its affiliates, and members of their immediate families (spouses, parents, siblings and children, regardless of where they live) and those living in the same household are not eligible to enter or win. Sponsor reserves the right to verify the eligibility of winners. Participation in the Contest constitutes your full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and to Sponsor's decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
Grant. The winner will qualify for one (1) business grant of $2,500 USD (“Grant” or “Prize”) in accordance with the terms of these official rules. The chances of winning the Grant are based on the number of Official Entries received.
Term. The Contest begins on October 1, 2024 and ends on December 31, 2024 (“Term”).
How to Apply. In order to enter the Contest and be eligible to win the Grant, you must meet all eligibility requirements, pay the Application Fee, and submit a complete and valid application (“Official Entry”) at the following link: https://www.secretsos.net/SOS_Grant. Each entrant is limited to one (1) Official Entry per person during the Term. Sponsor reserves the right to modify the Term or to extend the Term of the Contest if Sponsor receives fewer than one hundred (100) entries by the end of the Term.
Application Fee. There is an application fee of $15.00 USD to be paid at time of application, which is non-refundable under any circumstances, even if Sponsor modifies or extends the Term of the Contest.
YOUACKNOWLEDGE THAT EVEN IF YOUR OFFICIAL ENTRY QUALIFIES YOU AS A POTENTIAL WINNER AT THE CLOSE OF THE CONTEST, YOU HAVE NOT YET WON THE GRANT. POTENTIAL WINNERS ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY THE SPONSOR AND MUST MEET ALL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS BEFORE AN ENTRANT WILL BE CONFIRMED AS A WINNER AND THE GRANT WILL BE AWARDED.
Disqualification: Any attempt to obtain more than the permitted one (1) Official Entry by using multiple and/or different identities, forms, registrations, addresses or any other method will void all entries and that applicant may be disqualified at Sponsor’s discretion. Sponsor and its agencies are not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, damaged, stolen, misdirected, or illegible entries; lost, interrupted, or unavailable network, server, or other connections; or miscommunications, computer or software malfunctions, telephone transmission problems, technical failures, damage to a user’s computer equipment (software or hardware), or other errors or malfunctions of any kind, whether human, mechanical, electronic or otherwise. Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of an applicant, the authorized account holder of the email address used to enter will be deemed to be the Official Entry applicant. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, Internet service provider, or other organization (which may include an employer) responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address. The potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder. Entries specifying an invalid, non-working, or inactive email address will be disqualified and ineligible to win. Failure to comply with any published Contest rules is also grounds for immediate disqualification from the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entry not conforming to the rules at any time. In the event it is determined that an ineligible entrant wins a Prize, Sponsor reserves all rights to the ownership and return of the Prize and all costs associated with remedying any Prize award to an ineligible entry or entrant.
Judging Criteria. At the conclusion of the application Term, the Sponsor will review all Official Entries received during the Term and determine the winner in its sole discretion based on the following criteria:
Applicant’s Business (15% of total score) - mission, vision, values, focus of impact, opportunities for technological innovation, how business meets unmet needs, etc.
Applicant’s Qualities (40% of total score) - your passions, commitment to success or change, desires to impact or satisfy your client’s needs, entrepreneurial drive, etc.
Use of Funds (45% of total score) - identify how you will use the Grant to propel you or your business within any one of the following charitable educational purposes: (i) fiscal responsibility, (ii) social impact in your community, (iii) development of required skills for entry level workforce, or (iv) innovations with technology.
Grant Announcement. The winner of the Grant may be announced via Sponsor’s official social media pages, website, or any other media outlet at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Winner will be notified on or around January 15, 2025. Sponsor reserves the right to announce the winner of the Grant at earlier or later dates. You acknowledge and grant Sponsor the ability in its sole discretion to announce your name and reproduce the contents of your Official Entry. The winner of the Grant will be required to sign and return, within seven (7) days of notification or attempted notification, an affidavit of eligibility, a liability waiver, and where allowable, a publicity release (collectively "Releases"). The winner will also be required to complete and return a W-9 Form or other appropriate tax form based on the Grant winner’s place of residence, which will require the winner to furnish your Social Security Number or other similar identification number (to the extent applicable) for the sole purpose of tax reporting, as required by law. If a declared winner fails to sign and return the Releases or tax form (as applicable) within the required time period, then, to the extent permissible by applicable law, the winner’s prize will be forfeited and, at Sponsor’s sole discretion, retained by Sponsor or awarded to an alternate potential winner receiving the next highest score pursuant to the applicable judging criteria.
Grant Restrictions. Any and all applicable federal, state, and local taxes and all fees and expenses related to acceptance and use of the Grant not specifically stated are the sole responsibility of the winner. The cash Grant cannot be substituted, assigned, or transferred. The Grant cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or offer. Only one (1) Grant stated in these Official Rules is available to be won in the Contest.
PUBLICITY; LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY AND RELEASES: BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS CONTEST, YOU AGREE THAT SPONSOR AND ANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM OR OWNER, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES, REPRESENTATIVES, CONSULTANTS, CONTRACTORS, LEGAL COUNSEL, ADVERTISING, PUBLIC RELATIONS, PROMOTIONAL, FULFILLMENT AND MARKETING, WEBSITE PROVIDERS, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES, AND AGENTS (THE “RELEASED PARTIES”) WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR, AND SHALL BE HELD HARMLESS BY ENTRANTS AGAINST ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY INJURIES, LOSSES OR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND TO PERSONS, INCLUDING PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH, OR PROPERTY RESULTING IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM ACCEPTANCE, POSSESSION, MISUSE, OR USE OF THE PRIZE, ENTRY OR PARTICIPATION IN THIS CONTEST OR IN ANY CONTEST RELATED ACTIVITY, OR ANY CLAIMS BASED ON PUBLICITY RIGHTS, DEFAMATION OR INVASION OF PRIVACY. THE RELEASED PARTIES ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE IF ANY PRIZE CANNOT BE AWARDED DUE TO CANCELLATIONS, DELAYS, OR INTERRUPTIONS DUE TO ACTS OF GOD, ACTS OF WAR, NATURAL DISASTERS, WEATHER, OR TERRORISM. BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS CONTEST, ENTRANT AGREES THAT THE RELEASED PARTIES WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY INJURIES, DAMAGES, OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES TO PERSONS, INCLUDING DEATH, OR TO PROPERTY ARISING OUT OF ACCESS TO AND USE OF ANY WEBSITE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CONTEST OR THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM SUCH SITE. EXCEPT WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW, PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST CONSTITUTES ENTRANT’S PERMISSION TO SPONSOR AND THE RELEASED PARTIES THE RIGHT AND PERMISSION TO PRINT, PUBLISH, BROADCAST, AND USE, WORLDWIDE IN ANY MEDIA THE WINNER’S OFFICIAL ENTRY, NAME, PORTRAIT, PICTURE, VOICE, LIKENESS, OPINIONS AND BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO HOMETOWN AND STATE) FOR ADVERTISING, TRADE, AND PROMOTIONAL PURPOSES (INCLUDING THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS OR HER NAME ON TELEVISION OR RADIO BROADCAST) WITHOUT ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATION, COMPENSATION, PERMISSION, OR NOTIFICATION.
Disputes. You agree that any dispute arising from the Contest is subject to the dispute resolution procedures of the Sponsor, which are found at https://www.secretsos.net/termsofservice. ALL DISPUTES WILL BE RESOLVED BY BINDING ARBITRATION AND ENTRANTS WAIVE THE ABILITY TO BRING CLAIMS IN CLASS ACTION FORMAT.
Non-Affiliation. TheContest is not sponsored, endorsed, or administered by any social media platform, including Meta (Facebook) or Instagram, even if the Contest is promoted on any social media platform. Each participant agrees that any of these platforms shall have no liability whatsoever in connection with the Contest.
Official Rules Request; Winner Confirmation Request. For a copy of the list of winners or these Official Rules, send a hand-printed, self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Sponsor at 1209 Mountain Road PL NE #4453, Albuquerque, NM 87110. Requests must be received by January 31, 2025.