FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Jump to: What's New | General | Timeline | Budget | Other

What's New

The application is web based requiring no downloads and uploads other than the budget file
Our new budget file will guide you through creating an effective budget and highlight any potential problems
The budget file is a separate download that you need to complete and upload to your application
The “Disaster Preparation” funding category has been changed to “Natural and Societal Disaster Preparation” to be more inclusive of health and safety issues
You can save and return to your application by clicking here.
For any questions about our new application, please use our contact form to let us know!

General

What ages are eligible to apply for the board?
As of January 1, 2011, you must be between the ages of 17-20. If you turn 17 after January 1, 2011 or turn 21 before January 1, 2011, you are ineligible to apply.

I can’t upload my budget file! Help!
The budget template was developed as an Excel spreadsheet compatible with Office 97 and newer versions. The application system is setup to only accept the original file format (.xls). If you are using Office 2007 and converted the file to an Excel 2007 file (.xlsx), it will not upload. To convert your file back to the appropriate format, go to Save As and choose “Excel 97-2003”.

When will we find out if we were selected as a grantee?
All applicants will be notified by the end of January, 2010.

What is the timeline for the grant?
The funding timeline is from February, 2010 to February, 2011.

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.

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 connecting with State Farm and the State Farm YAB?
If accepted as a grantee the Youth Advisory Board would like to see the work that you are doing. Please use this space to help us identify some significant times and events that will occur during your grant. Will there be any opportunities for someone from State Farm to experience your grant? Let us know. Also, let us know how you will use any technology available to you to keep State Farm and the YAB “in the loop” about your grant.

What do you mean by engaging the media?
The media can mean a lot of things. Television, newspapers, radio, blogs, internet sites, etc. are all mediums that a grantee can use to publicize the impact of its grant. What media are you going to target and how?

What do you mean by educating others about the problem and solutions our grant addresses?
One of the best things you can do as a grantee is to educate others! The YAB wants to fund projects that take an active role in spreading service-learning as an effective teaching strategy. As such, what are you going to do to make sure that others understand the issue that you are addressing and what they can do to be a part of a larger community contributing to solve problems?

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

I don’t understand the formulas. Why does in-kind reduce the total request?
The budget is setup to automatically calculate the locked columns in gray. The board is looking to see your overall budget for the project and what portion your organization may be covering. The following formula is followed:

Quantity * Unit Cost = Total Cost

Total Cost – (in-kind + cash or earned income) = Total Request

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.

How should I fill out the budget page of the application (page 9)?
Are you looking for an easy way to get the category totals for the application? To make it even easier to fill out the budget section of the application, there is an “application” tab on the budget template that will calculate the category totals for you. This tab will give you a total to fill in for each category, as well as the numbers for the top three line items in your budget .

Why is the budget spreadsheet protected? How do I get the password?
All of the fields you need to fill out on the “Line Item Budget” tab are unlocked and signified by the white background. The spreadsheet will then calculate all of the gray boxes for you to determine your request, and chart the data on the “Analysis” tab. There is no password necessary for filling in the unlocked boxes. Simply fill out your line item budget, including the quantity and unit cost, and the rest will be populated for you. If there is a cash or in-kind contribution, you can fill in these numbers and the final request amount will be adjusted. The protection is in place to protect the formulas and structural integrity of the file.

Other

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