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FAQs Kids Deserve A Shot

Kids Deserve A Shot FAQs

$100,000 Scholarship Reward

My 5–11-year-old has completed their vaccine series. Are they eligible for the $100,000 Scholarship drawing?
Yes, all 5 -11-year-olds who have completed their vaccine series are eligible for the $100,000 scholarship drawing.

What age does my kid need to be at the time of the first dose and/or second dose?
• For the $100,000 scholarship drawing, Minnesotans must be:
o at least 5 years old at the time of their first shot
o and 11 or younger at the time of their first shot

What do I need to register? How do I register?
• You will need an email address to register.
• You can register online at https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine-rewards/ or call the Minnesota Department of Health Public Hotline (open Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. and Sat 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and can be reached at 1-833-431-2053) and Hotline staff will complete the form for you.

When can I register?
• The reward registration form will open at 10:00 a.m. on March 1, 2022. The registration form will stop accepting registrations at 11:59 p.m. on April 11, 2022.

What if I am a Minnesota resident, but stationed in another state or country for Military Service
• Complete the form using your Minnesota address. All application materials will be sent electronically.

When will the scholarship drawing take place?
• The drawing with take place on Friday, April 15 and winners will be notified after 1:00 p.m. by a MDH staff person by both phone and email.

How will I know if my registration was successfully submitted?
• You will receive an email from the Minnesota Department of Health within 24 hours of submitting your registration confirming that your registration was successfully submitted.

Will I be contacted if my kid does not win?
• No.

Who will be conducting the drawings?
• The Minnesota State Lottery.

How will I be contacted if my kid is a winner?
• The Minnesota Department of Health will be the initial point of contact to ask for consent to share your contact information with the Minnesota Office of Higher Education ("OHE") so that OHE can contact you with further instructions about the scholarship.
• MDH will make at least two attempts per business day from the date of the drawing, at least one of which is in email.
• MDH will use daily voice calls, and/or emails to connect with the parent of the winner.
• Any telephonic communication will be made to the person who entered the prizewinner in the drawing. Any email will come from a @state.mn.us email address.
• MDH will connect a winner with OHE to complete the scholarship application form. The form must be completed within 7 days of the drawing.

How will you check if my 5-11 year old is eligible?
• The Department of Health will verify eligibility from information submitted in the registration form, including name, address, date of birth, and vaccine information. Minnesotans will be required to attest that the information they provide is true and accurate.
• The Department will also be running the list of applicants through a deduplication process to provide only one scholarship drawing entry per person, as well as checking it against the state’s immunization information system to verify if someone has received both doses and that they fall within the eligibility period.

Is there a limit on how many people can sign up for the scholarship drawing?
• No.

If I my 5 – 11-year-old was a previous scholarship winner can we enter this drawing?
• No, siblings of previous Kids Deserve a Shot scholarship winners are not eligible. Sibling is defined as one of two or more individuals who have one or both parents in common through blood, marriage, or adoption and reside in the same household.

How is the scholarship money awarded?
• Scholarship winners will receive the $100,000 in a 529 college savings plan upon completion of an application from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

What is a 529 College Savings Plan?
• A 529 college savings plan is a state-sponsored investment plan that enables you to save money for a beneficiary and pay for education expenses. You can withdraw funds tax-free to cover nearly any type of college expense.

What if we already have a 529 College Savings Plan for our child?
• You can have another plan provided the balance plus the scholarship award do not exceed $425,000. This is maximum balance amount allowed for 529 plans and cumulative across multiple plans.

Will I get the $100,000 immediately? Where does it go?
• All scholarships will be invested in an account within the Minnesota College Savings Plan owned and sponsored by the Office of Higher Education with the prizewinning eligible child listed as the beneficiary. At the time of application, you can also list a successor beneficiary.

What can my kid use the $100,000 for?
• The kid may use the proceeds of the Minnesota College Scholarship to pay for qualified higher education expenses, as defined by the rules of this incentive program and the Office of Higher Education. These may include but are not limited to tuition and fees, room and board, books, computer, internet, and other approved education-related expenses. Expenses associated with room and board will only be eligible if the beneficiary is enrolled at least half-time at an eligible educational institution. Room and board expenses paid for by a Minnesota College Scholarship prize must not exceed the on-campus room and board costs published by the beneficiary’s eligible education institution, and are taxable as income.

What colleges can I use this scholarship for?
• Any public or private non-profit educational institution in the state of Minnesota.
• You can use this map on the Minnesota Office of Higher Education’s website filter search for public and private non-profit institutions: www.ohe.state.mn.us/sPages/instMap.cfm

What if my kid wins the scholarship and doesn’t end up going to college?
• The Office of Higher Education can change the beneficiary to a successor beneficiary’s name.

What if my kid decides to go to a school out of state?
• Only public and private non-profit institutions in the state of Minnesota are eligible institutions for the beneficiary’s use of this scholarship. The funds can be used for undergraduate or graduate school. If your kid decides to go out of state for undergrad, they can still use the scholarship for grad school in Minnesota. However, if the funds are not used by the time your kid turns 28, the scholarship will be transferred to a successor beneficiary or revert back to the Office of Higher Education per the rules for this program.

Can I transfer the scholarship from one of my kids to another?
• If your kid is not able to use the scholarship, or decides not to use the scholarship, it may be transferred to the successor beneficiary. This may be a sibling or other eligible student. This sort of transfer is subject to the approval of the Office of Higher Education.

Can I get $100,000 cash instead?
• No. No cash equivalents will be awarded.
• A Minnesota College Scholarship prize may not be withdrawn as cash or used at any time for non-qualified educational expenses, expenses at an ineligible educational institution, or any other purpose than outlined in these rules.

How are the $100,000 scholarships paid for?
• Federal American Rescue Plan funds.