📋 Eligibility Guidelines for the WAPC Grant Program
🏛️ A Fair, Transparent, and Inclusive Process for All Applicants
The Workers Appeal & Compensation Board (WAPC) is committed to ensuring a transparent and merit-based grant process. As a globally recognized IMF-affiliated initiative, we take eligibility seriously to maintain fairness, financial integrity, and maximum impact.
If you’re applying for a WAPC grant, it’s essential that you carefully read and understand the eligibility criteria below. Your eligibility determines whether your application is considered for review and approval.
✅ Who Can Apply?
To be eligible for a WAPC grant, applicants must meet all general conditions as well as at least one qualifying condition based on their specific situation. The guidelines below apply to individuals and some small groups or micro-enterprises, depending on the grant type.
📌 General Conditions (Must Be Met by ALL Applicants)
You must:
- Be at least 18 years old at the time of application
- Reside in the United States (or an approved region) and provide proof of address
- Provide valid identification, such as a government-issued ID, passport, or driver’s license
- Have access to a personal or verifiable bank account (for disbursement purposes)
- Not have received a WAPC grant in the past 12 months (unless applying under a new program category)
- Agree to all verification, fraud prevention, and documentation policies
- Submit truthful and complete information falsifying information will lead to immediate disqualification and permanent ban from all future WAPC programs
🔎 Qualifying Conditions (You Must Meet At Least One)
You must fall under at least one of the categories listed below:
👨🏭 1. Displaced or Laid-Off Worker
You are eligible if you:
- Were terminated, laid off, or forced into unpaid leave (with or without severance)
- Lost your job due to company shutdown, restructuring, downsizing, or health crises (e.g., COVID-19)
- Have not yet received full compensation or benefits owed by your former employer
- Are unable to access unemployment benefits or local worker support systems
👩⚕️ 2. Frontline or Essential Worker
You are eligible if you:
- Worked in a high-risk public-facing job (healthcare, transit, food service, etc.)
- Experienced harm, burnout, or workplace neglect due to crisis-related exposure
- Received insufficient hazard pay or no relief funding despite continued labor
👨🔧 3. Low-Income Self-Employed or Informal Worker
You are eligible if you:
- Operate a small business, freelance service, or trade with limited or no formal registration
- Lost clients, tools, workspace, or market access due to economic disruption
- Are unable to access standard business loans due to credit, documentation, or legal structure
Examples include:
☑️ Auto repair techs, hairstylists, tailors, ride-share drivers, mechanics, freelancers, street vendors, delivery riders, and independent contractors.
🧑🎓 4. Student or Vocational Trainee in Financial Distress
You are eligible if you:
- Are enrolled in a university, community college, trade school, or skill acquisition program
- Are unable to pay tuition, buy learning materials, or cover transportation
- Have lost financial aid, family support, or part-time income that previously sustained you
👩👧👦 5. Single-Parent Household or Sole Provider
You are eligible if you:
- Are the primary or only income earner in a family unit
- Face hardship from the loss of a spouse, partner, or parental support
- Support dependents, children, or aging family without external assistance
💼 6. Denied Wages or Workplace Compensation
You are eligible if you:
- Are owed wages by an employer (former or current)
- Were injured or harassed on the job but denied rightful compensation
- Experienced retaliation after reporting a workplace incident
- Were misclassified or forced to work under illegal or unfair conditions
🧍♂️ 7. Disability or Health-Related Economic Loss
You are eligible if you:
- Experienced injury, disability, or medical trauma that disrupted your ability to work
- Have limited access to insurance or public medical support systems
- Have been denied support due to system errors or exclusionary policies
🌱 8. Small Community-Based Enterprise
You are eligible if:
- You represent a grassroots, women-led, or youth-led group that operates under informal or micro-enterprise status
- You serve a community through health, education, agriculture, tech, or justice initiatives
- You lack access to formal NGO or venture funding due to size or documentation barriers
Examples:
☑️ Local farming cooperatives, urban gardens, micro schools, mobile clinics, or peer education networks
🔐 Special Considerations
Applicants who meet the above criteria will be reviewed based on:
- Urgency of need
- Completeness and honesty of application
- Geographic location and priority region
- Availability of funds in the current cycle
🚫 Who Is NOT Eligible?
You are not eligible for WAPC grants if you:
- Are under 18
- Intend to use the grant for illegal activity or personal luxury
- Are applying on behalf of someone without consent or proof
- Have previously been banned from WAPC for fraud or misconduct
- Are requesting funds to repay loans, gamble, invest in crypto, or pay for services unrelated to work, education, or economic recovery
- Are part of an organized group involved in scams, agent-based schemes, or third-party recruitment
⚠️ Anti-Fraud Policy
WAPC operates under strict IMF-aligned anti-fraud protocols. Any attempt to:
- Submit multiple applications under false names
- Use fake documents or bank details
- Bribe reviewers or offer kickbacks
…will result in permanent blacklisting and potential legal action under applicable fraud prevention laws.
✉️ Questions About Eligibility?
If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies, we encourage you to:
- Submit a pre-eligibility inquiry via email:
📧 support@wapc-imf.org - Include a short explanation of your case and any documents or background that help us understand your need.
All emails are reviewed confidentially and responded to within 48 business hours.
✅ Bottom Line
If you’ve been denied, overlooked, or left behind by the system WAPC exists for you.
We don’t ask who you know. We don’t judge where you come from.
We look at your story, your need, and your honesty.
If you meet the requirements above, we encourage you to apply with confidence.