The ACS Assistance Program is intended to facilitate participation in ACS events, especially the Crossroads conference and ACS Institute, of ACS members from outside Western Europe and North America. The Assistance Program applications open together with the Crossroads conference / ACS Institute registration. At every event, a portion of the registration fees are directed towards the ACS Assistance Program funds.

(1) To be eligible, you must be a member of ACS. The program is intended to benefit members from the specific parts of the world, and thus applicants must have paid membership dues beforehand.

(2) To be eligible, you must have been accepted to present at the relevant Crossroads conference/ ACS Institute.

(3) The program is intended to help people who are active in the field and are currently living/working in specific under-represented parts of the world. It does not necessarily apply to people who are natives of an eligible nation/region, but intended for those who are currently living/working in an eligible nation/region.

The primary eligible ACS regions are: Africa; Asia (and Middle East); the Caribbean; Eastern and Southern Europe (including Turkey); Latin and South America. Individual eligibility is based on place of residence and working situation, not nationality or country of origin.

Reference will also be made to the GDP per capita of the present place of residence of the applicant. All other factors being equal, preference will be given to those affiliated with institutes from OR independent scholars holding passports by country/economy with GDP per capita under USD 10,000.

(4) Applicants are responsible for securing the appropriate travel/entry visas to participate in the Crossroads conference or other ACS event.

(5) Benefits from the program are only collected at the Conference, and are not paid out before. Thus, the main use of the Assistance Program benefits are used to lessen costs to participate on site.

(6) The program is intended to benefit people who have not benefited from the program before.

(7) All applications are reviewed individually by ACS representatives.