Q&A. What is the America s Farmers Grow Rural Education?

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1 What is the America s Farmers Grow Rural Education? SM America s Farmers Grow Rural Education is sponsored by the Monsanto Fund to help farmers positively impact their communities by supporting local school districts. Specifically, the program gives farmers the opportunity to nominate a rural public school district in their community to compete for a merit-based grant of either $10,000 or $25,000 to enhance education in the areas of math and/or science. The program is available in 1,245 counties in 39 states. Why is the Monsanto Fund sponsoring this program? We believe in rural America and are committed to helping farmers strengthen their communities. We also know the importance of education, and that it s the cornerstone of any successful community. But most importantly, farmers have told us nothing is more vital than the next generation. That s why we introduced America s Farmers Grow Rural Education. This program gives us the opportunity to help improve education in rural America, therefore helping to grow the next generation. Is this a new program? Yes, America s Farmers Grow Rural Education is a new program in 1,245 counties in 39 states, starting in January It s preceded by a successful pilot program in Illinois and Minnesota, where we gave more than $266,000 to local schools in 16 USDA Crop Reporting Districts (CRD). Winning school districts from the pilot are eligible to apply again for another grant. NOMINATIONS Why must our district be nominated by a farmer before we can apply? The Monsanto Fund is committed to supporting farmers and rural communities, and farmers told us they want us to support education in rural communities. Farmers play vital leadership roles in their communities, including serving on local school boards, which give them unique insights into their local communities and education needs in rural America. So we think it s important to engage the farmers in this opportunity to improve rural education in their communities. How will farmers be informed about this program? Monsanto Company and the Monsanto Fund will promote this program to farmers through local radio and newspapers, direct mail, online and with personal outreach to help build awareness of the opportunity. We encourage your district to also reach out to local farmers directly to invite them to nominate your district. We ve supplied promotional materials to help school districts spread the word at GrowRuralEducation.com. Who can nominate a Farmers who live or farm in an eligible county can nominate a school district. Visit GrowRuralEducation.com for a listing of all 1,245 eligible counties. No purchase is necessary to nominate a school district and the farmer does not have to be a Monsanto Company customer. Farmers must be 21 years or older and be actively engaged in farming with a minimum of 250 acres of corn and/or soybeans and/or cotton; and/or 40 acres of open field vegetables, or at least 10 acres of tomatoes, peppers and/or cucumbers grown in protected culture. How does a farmer nominate a public The nomination process is simple. Eligible farmers can fill out a short nomination form at GrowRuralEducation.com or by calling A printed copy of the nomination form and rules are available on this website or by calling the number. Completed forms can be mailed to America s Farmers Grow Rural Education, 914 Spruce Street, St. Louis, MO Mailed farmer nominations must be postmarked by April 15, The nomination period runs Jan. 6, 2012, through April 15, What is the time frame for farmer nominations? Farmers can nominate school districts Jan. 6, 2012, through April 15, Mailed nominations from farmers must be postmarked by April 15, 2012.

2 Does it matter how many farmers nominate our At least one farmer in your community must nominate your school district to make it eligible to apply for a grant. Farmer nominations also are an important element in the evaluation of the grant applications, but not the only one. The more farmers to nominate a school district, the more it demonstrates community support and, therefore, strengthens the district s application. However, school districts must also submit a worthy grant application. Information session conference calls and grant-writing workshops will be available to help with the grant application. Will I know which farmers nominated our A list of farmer nominations will be supplied on the welcome page when your school district logs in to the online grant application system. We encourage you to thank these farmers for taking the time to nominate your school district. ELIGIBILITY Can individual schools apply for the grants? No. This program provides funding through school districts only, and only one application per school district is accepted. The district can decide which specific schools, grades, or groups of teachers to target with the program for which they are applying. Multiple applications from one school district will disqualify the school district. Are private or independent schools eligible to apply for this program? Which states are eligible to apply for this program? There are 1,245 counties eligible in 39 states. Public school districts in every rural county deserve this type of support. These counties were selected based on crop parameters from the January 2011 USDA report. Farmers must reside in eligible counties where a minimum of 30,000 acres of corn and/or soybeans and/or cotton and/ or vegetables are planted each year. Every state with an eligible county is included in the program. How many school districts will receive a grant in each state? The Monsanto Fund will award 199 grants to rural school districts. There will be 177 $10,000 grants awarded in eligible CRDs. An additional 22 grants of $25,000 will be awarded to one eligible school district in a state or designated region. Visit GrowRuralEducation.com for a list of states and regions. APPLICATION PROCESS & TIMELINE What is the deadline for grant applications? All school district grant applications must be submitted by April 30, 2012, at 5:00 p.m. Central time. Where can I find a preview of the AFGRE application? Please click here to preview the AFGRE application. An invitation code is not necessary to preview the application. AFGRE.htm When will I receive my invitation code? No. This grant program is focused only on rural public school districts serving kindergarten through 12thgrade students. Invitation codes are mailed via postal service with your AFGRE information kit and can take up to 5-7 business days. To preview the online application, click here. Are charter schools eligible for this program? Is there someone I can talk to about my proposal? A charter school district is eligible if the district s NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) ID is located within an eligible county. If the charter school district s NCES ID location is outside of the eligible 1,245 counties, it cannot compete in the program even though it may have schools within the eligible counties. This also applies to public school districts that cross county lines. Yes. The Monsanto Fund will be hosting six information session conference calls and three grant-writing workshop calls to answer your questions. In order to join one of the six information session conference calls, all participants must dial the following toll-free number, , and will be required to provide the Conference ID Number(s) listed below. Once you ve joined the call, please identify yourself by giving your first and last names.

3 10 a.m. 11 a.m. CST, Tuesday, Feb. 14 Conference ID p.m. 3 p.m. CST, Tuesday, Feb. 14 Conference ID a.m. 11 a.m. CST, Wednesday, March 14 Conference ID p.m. 3 p.m. CST, Wednesday, March 14 Conference ID a.m. 11 a.m. CST, Tuesday, April 10 Conference ID p.m. 3 p.m. CST, Tuesday, April 10 Conference ID In order to join one of the three grant-writing workshop calls, all participants must dial the following toll-free number, , and will be required to provide the Conference ID Number(s) listed below. 10 a.m. 11 a.m. CST, Friday, Feb. 17 Conference ID p.m. 1 p.m. CST, Friday, March 16 Conference ID p.m. 3 p.m. CST, Friday, April 13 Conference ID You can also your program-related questions to AFGREquestions@monsanto.com until 5:00 p.m. Central time on Thursday, April 26. Application questions will be answered within two business days. We strongly encourage you to review the application and ask program-related questions well in advance of the deadline. Frequently asked questions will be added to this section as received. What do I do if I have a technical issue? Click on the support button located on the bottom of each application page to contact Technical Support. Is the online application the only way to apply for the grant? Yes. School districts can only apply through the online grant application system. When do I use my invitation code? You must use your invitation code to register for the AFGRE online system and every time you log into the system. I accidentally submitted my application. Can I retrieve my application after I have submitted it? Click on Need Support? to receive assistance. What is character count? Character count includes all spaces and text in your response. For the grant application system, 500 characters equal approximately 90 words, or four lines of text. How will the school districts applications be evaluated? School districts that submit an application for a $10,000 grant will compete against other school districts that are located in its CRD. CRDs with fewer than five eligible schools will compete against each other. School districts that submit an application for a $25,000 grant will compete against school districts that are located in its state or designated region. States with fewer than 75 eligible rural school districts will compete in a region. Visit GrowRuralEducation.com for a list of regions. It is possible that one CRD will have a school district receive a $10,000 grant and another school district within that CRD receive a $25,000 grant. Grants will be awarded based on merit, need and community support. The America s Farmers Grow Rural Education Advisory Council, a group of 26 farmers from across the country, will select the 199 winning grant applications. When and how should we expect to hear if we will be receiving a grant? We will notify school districts about funding decisions in late August A district will first be notified by if it will receive funding. For those districts that are selected to receive funding, a grant letter and agreement form will also be mailed. If we are not selected, will Monsanto provide feedback on our application? We encourage you to join one of our information session conference calls in order to understand our process and what we are seeking to fund. Due to the expected high number of applications, we regret that we will not be able to provide feedback to applicants that do not receive a grant. Can we apply for this program again next year, even if we receive a grant this time? Yes. If a school district has complied with the grant requirements, it is eligible to apply for another America s Farmers Grow Rural Education grant. America s Farmers Grow Rural Education held a successful pilot program in

4 2011 in Illinois and Minnesota. Eligible farmers are able to sign up again. Previous winning school districts that complied with the grant requirements are eligible to apply for another grant. If my school district was nominated during the pilot program in 2011, does the school district have to be nominated again by farmers in 2012? Yes. School districts need to be nominated by farmers each year to be able to apply. After the school district is nominated, you will receive a new invitation code to access the updated application. If you registered with the Cybergrants online grant application system during the pilot year (2011), you will need to use your original username and password. If you don t recall your username or password, please contact Technical Support by clicking on the support button located on the bottom of each page. PROGRAM REQUESTS Can our school district apply for a grant in both the $10,000 grant and the $25,000 grant program? No. School districts can only apply for funding from one of the two grant levels. School districts that submit an application for a $10,000 grant will compete against other school districts that are located in its CRD. CRDs with fewer than five eligible schools will compete against each other. School districts that submit an application for a $25,000 grant will compete against schools that are located in its state or designated region. States with fewer than 75 eligible rural school districts will compete in a region. Visit GrowRuralEducation.com for a list of states and regions. What types of projects are eligible at the $10,000 grant level versus the $25,000 grant level? The types of projects are essentially the same for both grant levels, and both must enhance education in the areas of math and/or science in the next calendar year. An example of a $10,000 grant could include enrichment activities such as academic competitions and science fairs. For the $25,000 grant, the Monsanto Fund encourages the school district to submit projects that have a broader and more long-term impact on the school district population and a plan to sustain the project at the conclusion of the grant. Can our school district apply for a grant over $25,000? No. The upper limit of the grant program is $25,000. Your proposed activity or program may cost more than $25,000, and, if so, you can describe the full cost of it but need to specify the portion that you would like to have funded by the Monsanto Fund. Can our school district apply under more than one category i.e., Curriculum Improvement and Professional Development for Teachers? Yes. Applicants may have a program that covers more than one of the category options, and, if so, the school district may select more than one category when applying. This does not mean that applicants should apply for two separate programs, one in each category; it should be one program with multiple components that accomplish two of the categories i.e., a professional development program that includes an innovative use of technology. Also, the total dollar amount of the grant will remain the same either $10,000 or $25,000, depending on the program selected. Can we apply for programming that enhances all areas of education, or must it be solely focused on science or math? Although there are needs in many areas of education, this program is focused solely on improving teaching and learning in science and/or math. We encourage programs that make connections between the disciplines of math and science and/or are multidisciplinary within math or science. In terms of the scope of project, is there a number of students or teachers you d like to see served? No. There is no minimum number of students or teachers who must be served by a program. Please be as accurate as possible in your estimation of the number of students and/or teachers who will be impacted or involved in the program. The Monsanto Fund will look at the quality of the program being proposed, and understands that sometimes the best programs serve fewer people at a more concentrated level.

5 Must the program we are applying for be a new program or can it be an existing program? If our district does not have an agriculture education program, are we still eligible to apply? You can apply for either a new program OR an existing program. If it is an existing program, please describe current successes as well as how you were able to fund the program in the past and why you need funding from the Monsanto Fund for the program at this time. Yes. The existence of agriculture education programs is just one of the many things we would like to understand about your school district. However, not having a program does not make a school district ineligible. Will Monsanto grants cover overhead costs? Yes. Up to 10% of the requested grant amount can be used for overhead costs. Can funds be used for staff salaries? Yes. If additional staff members (part-time special instructors, trainers, etc.) are needed to deliver the proposed program, the Monsanto Fund grant can be used to pay for those salaries. It is not intended to cover already budgeted salaries of existing teachers and staff. What is the timeline to use the grant funds? America s Farmers Grow Rural Education grants awarded during the 2012 program should be expended during the school year. Will funding decisions be based on the financial need of the district or strictly on the merit of the proposed program? Decisions will be based on a combination of financial need in the district, the merit of the proposed program and community support demonstrated by farmer nominations. What do you mean by Amount of funds raised for school district over and above government/taxbased funding? Doesn t that only apply to private schools? This question is meant to help us understand if the district, or individual schools in the district, are raising additional funds beyond the government funding they receive such as money raised by a Parent Teacher Association, civic groups, events, sales of items in the community and/or donations from local businesses, etc. FPO Visit GrowRuralEducation.com for a full list of eligible counties and school districts. PRINTED WITH SOY INK Monsanto Fund. [44440 mt 11/11] Visit GrowRuralEducation.com for a full list of eligible counties and school districts Monsanto Fund. [44440 mt 11/11] REPORTING What are the specific reporting requirements? Grant recipients in the $10,000 category will be asked to report on outcomes at the end of the grant period in June Those in the $25,000 level will be asked to fill out a short report at the midpoint of the grant period (January 2013) and a longer report at the end of the grant period (June 2013).