The Application Process for All Things Possible

If you’re interested in learning more about getting a wheelchair van for your family, we’re glad you’re here. We are grateful to have worked alongside so many amazing families and community members to help change the lives of many individuals within the Charlotte area.

Because the gift of a wheelchair van is a large one, we take a very thorough look at the applicants to ensure we are making the best choices with how we spend the generous donations we receive. We want to bless people with wheelchair vans, not burden them, and we don’t want to give a van to someone who could otherwise afford it, while someone else truly cannot go without it. We have a lengthy application process and would love to answer any questions you have about it. The process outlined below will show you what we’ve found to work in the best interest of our applicants, while allowing us to be good stewards of donated funds.

Fill Out the Application

First, you’ll start by filling out the application. It is very thorough and in-depth, and it will ask you about your financial status, the specific diagnosis of the disabled person, why you need the van, how you’re currently transporting the disabled individual, and more. It’s important to be honest and truthful on this application so that All Things Possible can make the best decisions to help those who need it most.

Initial Review

After you submit your application, our administrative assistant will review it for missing information or inconsistencies. She will contact the applicant for any clarification needed prior to the application moving forward.

Financial Review & Counseling

Money Management International (www.moneymanagement.org) is a nonprofit organization that has partnered with All Things Possible to provide free financial counseling to our applicants. A review by MMI is an essential part of the application process. Applicants will share their incomes and expenses with their MMI counselor, and they will discuss the overall financial situation. MMI will pull a credit report, look at debt, and thoroughly review your budget. After your financial counseling session, MMI will provide All Things Possible with a report indicating how balanced your budget is and any recommendations regarding the optimization of your financial situation.

This is the most intense part of the application process, and we understand that it can be time-consuming. However, we want to do right by those in our community, and we want these vans to be a blessing, not a burden. We wouldn’t be truly helping families if we gave them a van they couldn’t afford to insure or maintain. Although the van itself is paid for by donations to All Things Possible, grant recipient families are required to carry insurance, which will be higher than a standard vehicle. We gift them with a used vehicle that will periodically require maintenance and repairs, tire replacement as needed, etc. Each family is also required to pay for their own taxes, title, and transfer fees upon receipt of the van. This can amount to $1,400 – $1,700, depending on the value of the vehicle. If a family is not in a place where this is financially feasible, we can put the fundraising on hold until a time when they have saved the full amount to pay the taxes and title transfer fees. We feel very strongly about ensuring that those who receive these wheelchair vans are prepared to take on the additional expenses of a specialty vehicle.

Medical Team Review

With the information in hand from MMI, all documentation then goes to our in-house medical application review team. They will read the medical information provided by the applicant and MMI. Together, this team will dig deep into the situation and draw up a recommendation to be presented to the board of directors for final determination.

Board Review

Quarterly, the board of directors meets to conduct board business, which includes reviewing new applications. The board considers all the factors in the file and on the application to decide whether or not to begin the fundraising process for gifting an applicant with a wheelchair van. There will also be a discussion at this time regarding the order of urgency of each family situation, the availability of funds, and the availability of suitable wheelchair vans based on the individual’s disability. In the past, it has taken up to a year to raise the $36,000 to $40,000 needed for each used wheelchair van. This is not typically a quick process.

Approval or Denial

Board decisions are final and cannot be overturned. Once your application is approved or denied, you will be notified.

If you are approved, the next steps (including a video interview) will be discussed. If you are denied, we will tell you the reason behind that decision. We hate having to deny anyone, but we trust our process and know that it is not worth burdening a family when they truly cannot afford the increased costs of maintaining a wheelchair accessible van. We always encourage those with financial challenges to continue working with MMI to improve their situation, as they can always reapply 6 to 12 months later if, in fact, things have changed.

We always wish every applicant the very best moving forward, regardless of whether or not ATP is able to help.