2017 Spring SkillsUSA Lowe's Community Service Grant Applications

Transcription

1 2017 Spring SkillsUSA Lowe's Community Service Grant Applications Community Service Grants - Deadline April 3, 2017 The focus for the 2017 Spring Cycle of the SkillsUSA Lowe s grant program will be to identify communities, schools, classrooms or advisors/instructors that have a very basic need to improve the quality of their students educational experience. Grants will be awarded ranging from $2,500 to $25,000. Grant applications will detail the need for community improvements, upgrading or providing tangible experience for learning technical skills while providing substantial benefit to the community Through the written application and letters of support, the applicant must clearly outline the real NEED for the grant dollars being requested. The focus in choosing the grant recipients will be to place the dollars in the hands of those who have no other means for obtaining funds. The goal of this grant program is to provide life changing experiences by providing learning opportunities that help students gain employability skills, both technical and leadership skills and provide a major impact in the communities where they live. In addition, those applicants who can outline their plan to pay it forward, by planning and implementing a project or event that will allow for a greater impact in the community due to receiving the grant dollars. The best projects will be those that detail how the outcome will provide a life changing experience for the beneficiaries of the grant dollars. For more information contact James Kregiel, Lowe s Grant Manager Cell: (412) ~ Office: jkregiel@skillsusa.org

2 COMMUNITY SERVICE GRANTS Submitting grant applications: The window for accepting applications will open on March 10th. Please be sure to complete the grant application in its entirety. Incomplete applications will not be considered! Create additional space on the documents as needed. This is a competitive process and a limited number of grants will be awarded based on the specific need as well as the expected outcome. The quality of the proposed use of grant funds, detail and feasibility, and potential outreach opportunities will also be considered. Be sure to print and save a copy of your grant application for your records. If your project is selected to receive a grant, you will need your original application for future reference. 1. Go to and follow the link to SkillsUSA Lowe s Grant Applications. 2. the word document or PDF application including any supporting electronic documents (a limit of two attachments) to the following: lowesgrants@skillsusa.org Announcement of Schools Community Service grant recipients: Schools selected to receive a grant will be contacted directly in April Unsuccessful applicants will be notified via in April Grants can only be used during the spring cycle, but all projects must be completed by July 31, A list of all schools receiving Lowe s grants will be posted at following announcement to successful applicants. QUESTIONS IN REGARDS TO GRANTS Contact Lowe s Grant Manager, James Kregiel at (703) / or jkregiel@skillsusa.org

3 Schools Community Service Grant Application Helpful Hints Grant applications are forwarded to Lowe s as submitted. Please take time to construct an easy to read, succinct application that is clean and neat. Following are a few suggestions to help you create this type of application. 1. Completely answer all questions. a. Answer questions with facts and support with your story. b. Be thorough, but don t include unnecessary information to just fill up the space/page. c. Be thoughtful about the amount of grant funds being requested in comparison to the size of your chapter. If your SkillsUSA Chapter has 10 members and $25,000 is being requested, a VERY strong application will need to be presented. d. Supply only the amount of information being requested. For example, 2 letters of support does not mean to attach 10! e. Do not add photos. 2. Formatting of your text: a. DO NOT use all capital lettering. This makes it hard to read. b. DO NOT underline your text. This makes it hard to read. c. DO NOT bold your print. The questions are in bold! d. DO NOT italicize your text. e. Use an easy to read font such as Arial or Times New Roman f. Keep font size at g. Double space your text for easy reading. Single space for lists is fine. h. Use black for text color. 3. Check spelling a. SkillsUSA does not have a space between Skills and USA. The following is incorrect: Skills USA b. Don t overuse works like utilize.

4 SkillsUSA Lowe's 2017 Community Service Grant Application Application deadline April 3, 2017 Section 1 CONTACT INFORMATION School Name: Street Address: City, State, and ZIP: County: Training Program(s): Advisor Name: Advisor Address: Advisor School Phone Number: Advisor Cell Phone Number (required): Administrator s Name: Student Chairperson: Please complete the following as it applies to your school: Number of SkillsUSA members for the school year: Percentage of students in your school eligible for free or reduced lunches: Percentage of students in your school that are Pell Grant recipients:

5 Section 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION In answering the questions, consider the following when completing your application. These are just examples to help you in completing the application 1. Total grant dollars being requested. $ 2. Describe in detail how your grant dollars will be used. Grant readers should be able to understand in the first two to three sentences how your grant dollars will be used. From there, flush out your project with more details. Section 3 PROJECT BUDGET List all anticipated expenditures for your project with a dollar amount for each budget category. These budget line items should total the amount of the grant request. Costs may not be estimated at the time of application, however a more accurate and detailed budget will help you to score higher in the application process. 1. Requested grant amount? 2. What is the projected total cost of the project? 3. If the total cost of your project exceeds the amount being requested on this application, provide supportive information/documentation stating how the additional funds will be secured. If this grant amount provides partial funding for your project, state specifically what will be paid for by the Lowe s grant. Note: Lowe s will not fund projects that cannot be completed in their entirety. Description of Expenditure Amount Source for Purchasing

6 TOTAL Section 4 PROJECT PROCESS AND IMPACT 1. Describe the process used in identifying the community service project selected and what needs are identified and addressed that has led to your project idea and the why behind the proposed grant request. Include all participation in the process 2. Define the primary group that will benefit from the project and describe how the outcome of the project will provide a life changing experience for the student and community.

7 3. Estimate the overall number of people that will be impacted by the grant implementation. Detail how this estimate was calculated. 4. What direct and/or indirect impact will this project have on the SkillsUSA students and teachers who participate in the planning and implementation of the project? 5. Describe the students role in the grant application process, implementation of the project and potential outreach opportunities.

8 6. Describe how the grant dollars will provide an outreach opportunity for the students involved. Be specific on any outreach projects that will be completed during the year. Section 5 PROJECT PARTNERS 1. If you will be working jointly with other local organizations, technical programs, school groups or SkillsUSA chapters, list them here and describe their part in the project. 2. Identify any high-profile local, state or national individuals who will be invited to be a part of any media events held in conjunction with the proposed project.

9 Section 6 LOWE S STORE INVOLVEMENT OPPORTUNITY You do not have to have a Lowe s store nearby to qualify for a grant. However, successful applicants will involve Lowe s from the onset of the project. Their participation may be in a variety of forms, such as in the supplying of materials, planning stages, volunteer service on the project, etc. To find the nearest Lowe s store and identify their store #, visit the store locator at 1. Distance to closest Lowe's store (check one): 5 miles or less 6-10 miles miles miles More than 20 miles 2. What is the individual identifying number of the nearest Lowe s store? (This is a store #, not a phone number, and can be found by visiting the store locator on the Lowes website.) 3. Who is your local Lowe s contact person? 4. Describe the role Lowe s will play in any part of the project.

10 Section 7 PROJECT TIMELINE AND SPECIFICATIONS Please specify when you will use your grant by providing a month-by-month project timeline. (IE: planning meetings, ordering materials, construction, etc.) Also, include key events such as kick-off, celebration, media event, etc. Project Timeline Month Event Who will participate IE: April Grant Kickoff Students, Lowe s manager, instructors Estimate total number of SkillsUSA participants (including students/teachers/administrators).

11 Section 8 PUBLIC RELATIONS/SOCIAL MEDIA PLAN The Lowe s grant provides a tremendous opportunity to raise overall awareness of SkillsUSA in your community and state, as well as at the national level. As you complete this section, be specific and list all media you plan to use. (IE: television, newspaper, photography, Web site, radio announcements, school newsletter, school TV station, word of mouth, community group meetings presentations, fliers, posters or banners.) Grants may not be used to pay for any advertising, but you can seek donated media assistance to support your grant. 1. Describe the details of your media plan to announce your winning grant as well as the implementation and celebration of your grant project completion.

12 Section 9 STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT FOR THE GRANT 1. Provide 2-3 statements of support from the project beneficiaries, individuals in the community, students or school personnel (teachers, advisors, principal, superintendant) describing why the school, or students need the proposed grant dollars to support their project. 2. Provide statements by 2-3 students detailing how their chapter chose their project and the roles students have played in the planning and application process. Final requirement, submit your application to: James Kregiel, Lowe s Grant Manager Cell: (412) ~ Office: Fax: jkregiel@skillsusa.org