Scholarship and Beneficiary Eligibility Policy

To set how a sponsorship seat or scholarship is awarded, so that selection is consistent and defensible.

Key provisions

Eligibility criteria are published on each programme's page before applications open
Selection is reviewed by more than one person where practical, to reduce the risk of favouritism or related party benefit, which is restricted under Section 13 of the Income tax Act for a registered charitable trust
A rejected or waitlisted applicant is told their status, though not necessarily the detailed reasoning
A sponsorship cannot be directed to a trustee's own relative or a related party in a way that would amount to prohibited private benefit

Escalation

Eligibility disputes go to the Program Manager, then to the Managing Trustee.

Policy record

Classification	Operationally necessary
Applicable legal references	Income tax Act 1961, Sections 11 to 13, restrictions on private benefit
Responsible role	Program Manager
Approval authority	Board of Trustees, Dev's Foundation Trust
Status	Draft, not yet approved by the Trustees
Version	0.1, draft
Review schedule	Annually, or on a relevant change in law

This is a draft policy template written for site structure purposes. It has not been reviewed by a lawyer. Please have it checked against applicable Indian law, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 where relevant, before publishing it as the Trust's actual policy.