Local Civics Community Champions Award

Terms of Participation

Award Cycle: 2025–2026

Application Deadline: June 12, 2026

These Terms of Participation (“Terms”) govern student participation in the Local Civics Community Champions Award (“Award”), administered by Local Civics through the PathLink platform.

Please read these Terms carefully before starting the Award pathway. Parts of this document use legal language because this is a legally binding agreement. If you have any questions, contact your teacher, your school’s PathLink coordinator, or Local Civics directly.

By submitting any lesson or badge within the Community Champions Award pathway on PathLink, the participant — and, where the participant is under 18, their parent or legal guardian — agrees to be bound by these Terms in full. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not begin or submit the Award pathway.

Eligibility

To be eligible to participate in the Community Champions Award, applicants must meet all of the following criteria at the time of submission:

• Be an enrolled student at a school or district that has an active partnership with Local Civics and access to the PathLink platform.

• Be actively working on a civic project as part of their school curriculum or extracurricular activities. Eligible project types include, but are not limited to: the New York Seal of Civic Readiness (Civic Projects — 2a, or Capstone Projects — 2f), Massachusetts DESE Civics Projects (8th grade and high school curricula), and other state-recognized civic project frameworks at the discretion of Local Civics.

• Have lawful access to PathLink through their school or district.

• Be at least 13 years of age to participate independently. Students under 13 may participate only with the active support of a teacher or designated adult champion (such as a school counselor or program coordinator), who must co-submit the application on the student’s behalf and take responsibility for ensuring the student’s participation complies with these Terms. No student under 13 may create a PathLink account independently. All participants under the age of 18 must have a parent or legal guardian who has reviewed and consented to these Terms on their behalf.

• Submit a complete application — meaning all six tasks fully submitted on PathLink — by the published deadline for the 2025–2026 award cycle.

If a participant is under 18, their parent or legal guardian, by permitting the participant to use PathLink and submit the Award pathway, affirms that they accept these Terms on the participant’s behalf, bear responsibility for the participant’s conduct on the platform, and ratify all actions the participant takes in connection with the Award. Additionally, before any grant funds are disbursed to a participant under 18, Local Civics will contact a parent or legal guardian directly to confirm consent to receive the award. Funds will not be released until that confirmation is obtained.

Local Civics reserves the right to verify eligibility and to disqualify applicants who do not meet these requirements at any point in the process, including after an award has been announced.

The Award Badge

The Award is administered through a dedicated badge on PathLink consisting of six (6) tasks (student input forms). Completion of all six tasks is required for an application to be considered. The tasks are:

  • Student & Project Overview

  • Focus Area, Stakeholders & Impact

  • Budget Planning

  • Proposal Submission

  • Implementation Plan

  • Civic Project Reflection

Students may complete the badge at their own pace within the award cycle window. Teachers and administrators at partner schools can view student progress through their PathLink dashboards. Submission of the final task constitutes a complete application; no additional submission step is required.

Grant Awards

Selected recipients will receive a grant in the amount of $250–$500 USD (“Grant”), awarded at the sole discretion of Local Civics based on the quality, impact, and completeness of the submitted application.

3.1 Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated on the following factors, among others:

• Clarity and depth of project description and focus area

• Specificity and credibility of identified stakeholders and intended community impact

• Feasibility and thoughtfulness of the proposed budget

• Quality and detail of the implementation plan

• Depth of civic reflection and personal insight


3.2 Award Decisions

All award decisions are made by Local Civics and are final. Local Civics is not obligated to fund any minimum number of awards in any given cycle. The number of awards granted, and the amount of each individual award, may vary based on available funding, application volume, and application quality.

3.3 Grant Disbursement

Grant funds are intended to support the direct implementation of the student’s civic project as described in their application. Recipients may be asked to provide documentation of how grant funds were used. Local Civics reserves the right to require a brief follow-up report or update on project outcomes as a condition of disbursement. Where a recipient is under 18, Local Civics will reach out to a parent or legal guardian prior to disbursement to confirm consent to receive the award; funds will not be released until that confirmation is received. Grant disbursement details, including method and timeline, will be communicated directly to recipients and, where applicable, their school, teacher or adult champion, and parent/guardian.

3.4 Tax Considerations

Grant recipients and their families are solely responsible for understanding and complying with any applicable federal, state, or local tax obligations related to the receipt of grant funds. Local Civics does not provide tax advice. Recipients are encouraged to consult a tax professional if they have questions.

Content Standards

By submitting any content through the Award badge on PathLink, participants represent and warrant that all content is:

• Their own original work, or work they are authorized to submit on behalf of a group project

• Accurate and truthful to the best of their knowledge

• Free from plagiarism, fabrication, or material misrepresentation

• Respectful, constructive, and appropriate for an educational platform

Local Civics reserves the right to disqualify any application that does not meet these standards, without notice.

Prohibited Conduct

By using PathLink in connection with the Award, participants agree that they will not:

  • Use the platform for any purpose that is illegal, harmful, or prohibited by these Terms.

  • Bully, intimidate, harass, or threaten any other user, educator, or Local Civics staff member.

  • Post or submit content containing pornography, graphic violence, hate speech, threats, or incitements to violence.

  • Attempt to access or use another user’s account, credentials, or personal information without authorization.

  • Post unauthorized commercial communications, spam, or pyramid scheme content.

  • Interfere with, disrupt, or impair the functioning of PathLink or its underlying systems, or negatively affect other users’ access to or enjoyment of the platform.

  • Upload viruses, malicious code, or any content that compromises the security or integrity of the platform.

  • Use any automated tool, bot, scraper, crawler, or AI model to access the platform or extract user information without prior written consent from Local Civics.

  • Develop or use third-party applications that interact with PathLink or other users’ content or data without Local Civics’ written permission.

  • Attempt to circumvent content filters, access controls, or any security features of the platform.

  • Misrepresent your identity, school affiliation, project, or any other information submitted through the Award pathway.

  • Encourage, solicit, or facilitate any other person to engage in any of the above.

Violation of any of the above may result in immediate disqualification from the Award and removal from the PathLink platform, without notice.

Account Security

Participants are responsible for all activity that occurs under their PathLink account. To maintain the security of your account and the integrity of the Award:

• You will not create more than one personal account on PathLink.

• You will provide accurate account information, including your real name and school affiliation.

• You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential. Local Civics encourages use of a strong, unique password.

• You will not share your account or credentials with any other person, or create an account on behalf of another person without authorization.

• If your account is disabled by Local Civics, you will not create a new one without explicit permission.

• If you believe your account has been compromised, notify your school’s PathLink coordinator or contact Local Civics immediately through the platform.

Intellectual Property

Participants retain ownership of the content they submit through the Award badge. By submitting any content, participants grant Local Civics a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, display, and share submitted content (including excerpts, summaries, and descriptions of their project) for educational, promotional, and reporting purposes. This includes, without limitation:

• Featuring participant projects in Local Civics communications, newsletters, social media, and case studies

• Sharing project summaries with partner schools, districts, and funders

• Using participant work as illustrative examples in professional development or public-facing materials

Local Civics will make reasonable efforts to attribute work to the student when sharing publicly, and will seek additional permission for uses beyond those described above.

Participants must not submit content that violates the intellectual property rights of any third party. By submitting, you represent that you have all rights necessary to grant the license described above.

Privacy & Data

Local Civics takes student privacy seriously. The collection and use of student data through PathLink is governed by Local Civics’ Privacy Policy and applicable law, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) where applicable. By submitting the Award badge, you agree that Local Civics may collect, use, and share your information in a manner consistent with that policy.

By participating in the Award, students and their authorized representatives acknowledge and agree that:

• Information submitted through the Award badge may be shared with the student’s school or district administrators as part of normal PathLink reporting

• Award recipients’ names, school affiliations, and project descriptions may be shared publicly by Local Civics, including in press releases, social media, and event materials, unless the student or parent/guardian opts out in writing prior to the award announcement

• Local Civics will not sell student data to third parties

To opt out of public recognition, or for questions about data use, contact Local Civics through the PathLink platform or at your school’s PathLink coordinator.

Media Release & Recognition

Award recipients may be recognized through a variety of channels, which may include:

• Direct notification to the student and their teacher or school administrator

• Announcement on Local Civics’ website, newsletter, and social media

• Coordination with the school or district for local recognition events or press outreach

• Potential local news stories or community announcements

By submitting the Award badge, participants (and parents/guardians where the participant is under 18) grant Local Civics permission to use photographs, video, and other media capturing the participant or their project for promotional and programmatic purposes, including on the Local Civics website, social media, and in communications with partner organizations and funders. Participants will be notified before any such use and may withdraw this permission in writing at any time by contacting Local Civics through the PathLink platform.

Participation in any in-person recognition event is entirely voluntary.

Disqualification & Revocation

Local Civics reserves the right to disqualify an application or revoke an award at any time if it determines, in its sole discretion, that:

• The applicant does not meet eligibility requirements

• The submitted content is plagiarized, fabricated, or materially misrepresents the applicant’s project

• The applicant has violated these Terms, PathLink’s terms of service, or applicable law

• Award funds have not been used for the purposes described in the application

• The applicant engaged in any prohibited conduct described in Section 5 of these Terms

In the event of revocation after disbursement, Local Civics may require repayment of any disbursed grant funds.

Termination

A participant may withdraw from the Award at any time by ceasing use of the Award badge and notifying their teacher or Local Civics through the PathLink platform.

Local Civics may also terminate a participant’s access to the Award or to PathLink at any time, for any reason, and without advance notice. This includes cases where a participant has violated these Terms, where a school’s partnership with Local Civics has lapsed, or where Local Civics determines that continued participation is not in the best interests of the program or community. Termination does not entitle the participant to any grant funds not yet disbursed.

Disclaimers

Your access to and use of the PathLink platform and the Award badge is at your own risk. The platform and all associated content are provided on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis, without warranties of any kind, either express or implied.

LOCAL CIVICS AND ITS PARTNERS DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. LOCAL CIVICS MAKES NO WARRANTY REGARDING THE COMPLETENESS, ACCURACY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, SECURITY, OR RELIABILITY OF THE PATHLINK PLATFORM OR ANY CONTENT THEREON. LOCAL CIVICS WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY HARM TO YOUR DEVICE, LOSS OF DATA, OR OTHER HARM RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE PLATFORM OR ANY CONTENT. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED FROM LOCAL CIVICS OR THROUGH THE PLATFORM, WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Local Civics and its affiliates, officers, employees, agents, partners, and licensors will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including without limitation loss of profits, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses, arising out of or in connection with:

  • Your access to, use of, or inability to access or use the PathLink platform or the Award badge;

  • Any conduct or content of any third party on the platform;

  • Any content obtained from the platform; or

  • Unauthorized access, use, or alteration of your submissions or account.

By submitting the Award badge, you also acknowledge and agree that:

  • You waive any and all claims for injury or damage against Local Civics, and their officers, agents, and employees, which you may incur while participating in the program.

  • You assume the risk for any and all injuries or damages which you may incur while participating in the program.

  • You are fully responsible for any damage or injury which you may cause to private property or to other persons, intentionally or negligently, while participating in the program, and agree to indemnify Local Civics and their officers, agents, and employees for any costs or expenses caused by your actions.

  • Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the limitations above may not apply to you in full.

Indemnification

If any third party brings a claim against Local Civics related to your actions, your submitted content, or actions by someone using your account, you agree to indemnify and hold Local Civics harmless from and against all damages, losses, and expenses of any kind (including reasonable legal fees and costs) related to such claim. This obligation survives termination of your participation in the Award.

Disputes & Governing Law

These Terms and any action related thereto will be governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Unless submitted to arbitration as provided below, all claims or disputes arising in connection with the Award or these Terms will be brought solely in the courts located in New York, New York, and you consent to the jurisdiction and venue of such courts.

For any claim (excluding claims for injunctive or other equitable relief) where the total amount sought is less than $10,000, either party may elect to resolve the dispute through binding, non-appearance-based arbitration. The arbitration shall be conducted by telephone, online, or based solely on written submissions, and shall not involve any personal appearance by the parties unless mutually agreed. Any judgment rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Modifications to These Terms

Local Civics reserves the right to update or modify these Terms at any time. The most current version will be made available through the PathLink platform and at localcivics.io/community-champions-award. If the revision is material, participants will be notified via the platform or through their school’s PathLink coordinator. Continued use of the Award badge after notice of changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

General Provisions

• These Terms constitute the entire agreement between the participant and Local Civics with respect to the Award and supersede any prior agreements or understandings on the subject.

• If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

• Local Civics’ failure to enforce any provision of these Terms will not be construed as a waiver of that provision.

• Any amendment or waiver of these Terms must be made in writing and signed by Local Civics.

• Participants may not transfer any rights or obligations under these Terms without Local Civics’ prior written consent.

• Local Civics may assign its rights and obligations under these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, or by operation of law.

• Nothing in these Terms prevents Local Civics from complying with applicable law.

• These Terms do not confer any third-party beneficiary rights.

• Local Civics reserves all rights not expressly granted in these Terms.

• Participants will comply with all applicable laws when using PathLink and participating in the Award.

Contact & Questions

For questions about these Terms, the Award, or the application process, please reach out through any of the following:

• Your teacher or school’s PathLink coordinator

• The PathLink platform at citizen.localcivics.io

• The Local Civics website at localcivics.io