FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Jump to: General | Timeline | Budget | Other

General

When will we find out if we were selected as a grantee?
All grant winners will be notified by the end of the year.

What is the timeline for the grant?
The funding timeline is from February, 2009 to February, 2010.

Are private schools eligible?
Private schools, colleges, governmental organizations and non-profit organizations are all eligible for funding to the extent that they collaborate with and engage K-12 public school curriculum and achievement as part of the grant.

Who is eligible to receive a grant?
All non-profit, tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS code are eligible as well as Canadian charitable organizations, educational institutions, and governmental entities.

Can you explain the 20% limitation on salaries?
The State Farm Youth Advisory Board funds sustainable service-learning grants that effect student achievement. By limiting the amount that organizations can spend on salaries we feel that more money will go towards project costs that support the sustainability of the grant. As a general rule, the less that you spend on salaries and administrative costs, the better chance that your grant has to be funded. Remember, grantees are judged on deed to dollar ratio.

What do you mean by deed to dollar ratio?
We define deed to dollar as the greatest impact that a grant can have for the money requested. A sustainable grant requesting $25,000 that will positively impact student achievement and limits its administrative costs is looked upon more favorably than a grant requesting $100,000 with questionable sustainability and using 20% of the grant on salaries and administrative costs.

I’m having problems with the digital signature, can you help?
Don’t worry! The most important information on page three of the application is the contact information for the adult and student representative. No applicants will be disqualified based on their inability to provide a proper digital signature. With that said, try the following to insert a digital signature. At the top of the PDF, go to:
Document > Sign > Place Signature

Can a grant address more than one issue area?
Grants can and often do address more than one of our issue areas. When submitting a grant, it is important that you identify the area that your grant best identifies with. Use the narratives within your application to explain how your grant will address multiple issue areas, but when your grant is submitted it has to be reviewed under one main heading.

Can our organization apply for more than one grant?
Yes, there is no limit to the number of submissions that an organization can make. It is unlikely that our board would select an organization for more than one grant, so your time is best spent focusing on one grant. But, to the extent that you'd like to submit multiple grants, feel free.

Timeline

What do you mean by State Farm YAB?
If accepted as a grantee the Youth Advisory Board would like to see the work that you are doing. We will do our best to schedule at least one site visit during your grant period. Please use this space to help us identify some significant times and events that would be beneficial and informative for a Youth Board Member to attend.

What do you mean by VIP & Elected Officials?
We want our grantees to be beacons of the student achievement that occurs through service-learning projects. As a grantee, we are interested in how you will engage your community to learn and be a part of your project. One great way to create awareness of your project is through the support and approval of VIP’s and elected officials. This can be anyone of influence or significance in your community that can help raise awareness about student achievement and how service-learning helps to address everyday educational challenges.

Budget

Can you explain in-kind contributions?
An in-kind contribution is a non-cash input which can be given a cash value. For the most part, this refers to donations of time, space, or materials. If an organization is going to donate space to your project, that is an in-kind contribution.

Can you explain cash or earned income?
Cash or earned income can be a few different things. If your project is going to generate any revenue that can be used towards its sustainability, we’d like to know. Also, if there are professionals who are using their paid time to work with your organization on your project that can also be entered here. Lastly, if our grant is going to be supplemented by other grant monies from the government or other organizations, tell us here.

Other

If we haven’t answered your questions fully here, please use our contact form to let us know how we can help!