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Sponsorship Funding Terms & Conditions

Participation

Organizations that meet the specified terms and conditions may submit project ideas to be considered for sponsorship funding from Tom’s of Maine; (b) individuals may vote for their favorite project to help determine the five (5) finalists selected to receive funding.

Eligibility

Any person with a valid e-mail address can register as a member of the Tom’s of Maine online community and vote for submitted projects. To submit a project for consideration an individual must be an official representative of an organization registered for operation as a 501(c)(3) in one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia.

Participation Period

• The project application period starts on or about 9:00 AM Eastern Time (“ET”) on June 1, 2009 and ends at 5:00 PM ET on August 30, 2009.
• The first phase selection period will start on September 1, 2009 and end before September 22, 2009.
• The final voting phase will start on or about 9:00 AM ET on September 23, 2009 and end at 5:00 PM ET on October 30, 2009.
• Applicants selected to receive funding will be notified on or about November 20, 2009.

Application Process

To submit a project for consideration, go to www.tomsofmaine.com, download an official application form, complete, and submit to Community Project Sponsorships, Tom’s of Maine, 302 Lafayette Center, Kennebunk, ME 04043. Applications must be received by 5:00 PM ET on August 30, 2009 to be considered for selection and voting.

Eligible Projects

Tom’s of Maine will accept project applications from 501(c)(3) organizations for funding requests related to community events, project or program support.

Requirements and Exclusions

• Tom’s of Maine does not provide sponsorship support to individuals.
• Applicants must be nonprofits operating in one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia, and must submit proof of 501(c )(3) status. Individuals who wish to seek funding for their community projects are encouraged to work directly with a local nonprofit.
• Tom’s of Maine does not provide sponsorship or product support to organizations that conduct animal testing.

Support Materials

You may submit up to 5 photographs as support materials.

Limit

Organizations may make unlimited submissions for consideration provided that each (as determined by Tom’s of Maine, in its sole discretion) represents a unique project materially different from other submissions submitted by the participant.

Disqualification

Project submissions must not contain any obscene or sexually suggestive material, propaganda, potentially misleading information, or defamatory or disparaging material about other people or organizations, endorse any form of hate or hate group, or discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, ethnicity, creed, national origin, disability, handicap, age, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Tom’s of Maine reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any submission it deems objectionable, inappropriate, or unfit.

Voting and Selection

Selection of the five (5) final projects to receive funding will take place in two phases, a Selection phase and a Final Voting phase.

Selection Phase

An external committee chosen by Tom’s of Maine will review and vote on all eligible submitted project applications to select up to fifty (50) semi-finalists to be featured in the final voting phase. Selection will be based on the following judging criteria:

1. Achievability (30%): Is the project something that can be completed and measured within 6 months?
2. Positive impact (35%): How will the program make a positive impact in the community? What enduring change will come from the project?
3. Community Involvement (35%): How does the project engage and involve members of the general community in which the organization operates?

Final Voting Phase

Visitors to the Tom’s of Maine website can vote for up to five (5) projects per day among the eligible semi-finalists. At the completion of the final voting phase, the five (5) projects with the highest vote totals will be declared as the selected projects to receive funding. Tom’s of Maine reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to void any votes generated by script, macro, or other automated means and to prevent further participation from any participant using such means. In the event of a tie, Tom’s of Maine will make the final determination based on the results from the first selection phase.

Selected Projects

A total of five (5) projects will be selected to receive sponsorship funding of $20,000 per project. Funds will be distributed to the selected organizations detailed in the applications on or before December 31, 2009.

Obligations of Organizations Selected to Receive Funding

Organizations selected to receive funding agree to coordinate with Tom’s of Maine in the creation and distribution of a press release announcing the project to the public. Tom’s may request additional assistance from the organization in promoting this collaboration. Examples of this assistance might include, but are not limited to, site visits conducted by Tom’s of Maine employees and the joint coordination of public or media events. Tom’s of Maine respects that the organization’s ability to respond to these requests is dependent upon available resources of time and staff. None of these efforts will be undertaken without the mutual agreement of both parties.

Organizations selected to receive funding agree to provide a final report detailing the project’s achievements no later than one (1) month following the project’s scheduled completion. Details of the report’s format will be provided to selected organizations.

General Terms and Conditions

The following terms and conditions apply to any individual (“you” or the “participant”) submitting an official submission form, and the organization on behalf of which the participant submits the submission form.

1. You and the organization agree that the decisions of Tom’s of Maine and the selection panel described above with respect to any and all aspects of this project shall be final.
2. You and the organization agree that your and the organization’s participation is voluntary, and understand that Tom’s of Maine may, in its sole discretion, terminate your and/or the organization’s involvement should you or the organization fail to adhere to these Terms and Conditions.

3. You and the organization confirm your authority to serve as an official representative of the organization detailed in the project application.
4. You and the organization agree to release and hold harmless Tom’s of Maine, Inc., its parents, affiliates and subsidiaries, and the selection panel, from any and all liability arising from participation, and/or acceptance, possession or use/misuse of sponsorship funding.
5. You and the organization grant to Tom’s of Maine the right to use all submitted content (including organization name, project details, organization logo, and support documentation and images) for marketing and other purposes, in any media whatsoever, without compensation (monetary or otherwise). To the extent that you provide any support materials, you and the organization grant Tom’s of Maine the right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, create derivative works from, distribute, and display the support material for any purpose, including advertising, publication, and promotion.
6. You and the organization represent that to the extent any submitted material contains names, pictures, images or voices of persons other than yourself, or third part elements not owned by you, that you have obtained express written consent to use this material in your application and that the usage rights outlined above apply to these materials.
7. You and the organization understand that Tom’s of Maine is not responsible for lost, stolen, garbled, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, or misdirected submissions, which are void; telephone, computer, server, or other technical failure or error; or any disruptions to the voting process or communication, technical, or otherwise.