Application Guidelines

The CDA Foundation Relief Fund also provides financial assistance following natural disasters (tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, tidal waves, fires, or hurricanes), acts of war, terrorism, arson, riots, or similar events of substantial and widespread proportion deemed appropriate for relief effort at the discretion of the CDA Foundation Grant Selection Committee.

Relief is provided through grants or loans funded exclusively by the CDA Foundation Relief Fund or through grants funded equally by the CDA Foundation Relief Fund and the American Dental Association Foundation (ADAF) Relief Fund. No relief grants will be provided in situations that result from fault or neglect of the applicant, or where the proceeds of insurance or other personal assets alleviate the condition. Grants or loans are not considered to be a right or entitlement of the recipient.

All applications for relief received by the CDA Foundation will be submitted to the CDA Foundation Grant Selection Committee for approval and must qualify for aid under one of the conditions previously described.

It is not the purpose of the CDA Foundation Relief Fund to:

  1. Provide pensions or retirement income either for dentists or for their dependents.
  2. Provide continuing assistance when the beneficiary is eligible for, or receiving, satisfactory aid from local, state or federal agencies.
  3. Provide funds for the payment of insurance premiums as a living expense in those instances where the beneficiaries of the insurance do not contribute, when able, to the support of the relief recipient.
  4. Provide assistance merely to conserve the resources or assets of an applicant for relief.
  5. Provide financial assistance without seeking support from the beneficiary’s adult children who have the means to contribute financially.
  6. Automatically continue to fund grants to individuals who go from independent living to institutional care if that care can be funded from other sources such as Medicaid, Long-Term Care Insurance, etc.
  7. Automatically transfer continuing assistance to the dependents of a dentist following his or her death. In this instance, a new application is required.