Welcome Carol Lowery SkillsUSA Lowe s Grant Manager

1. WelcomeCarol LowerySkillsUSA Lowe’s Grant Manager Writing a Quality Grant Application

2. Lowe’s Grant Program Thank you, Lowe’s! Thank your local Lowe’s! Lowe’s dedicated to giving back to their communities where they do business SkillsUSA as a natural for for their brand and addresses their commitment to community service

3. Writing a Quality Grant Application Project selection. Breakdown the application into do-able pieces! Address each section specifically. Review general tips for a successful application. Overview of the Lowe’s grant selection process.

4. Community Improvement Champions Serving Others Benefit local community or school Focus on need vs. want Maximum of $10,000 per grant winner The best projects will be students identifying a school or community need, developing the solution and actively participating in the implementation.

5. Community Rebuilding Reaching Out and Partnering Combines the efforts of two chapters Help a community or school that has been drastically affected by a natural disaster One of the chapters may be the beneficiary of the project A 2011 grant winner may be the “partnering” school in the project (not the financial beneficiary) Maximum of $25,000 per project Grant winners highlighted on stage at the 2012 NLSC closing ceremonies with a video/photo presentation of the project Best projects: 1) Student led 2) Expanding the students’ global perspective

6. Project Selection Select category Brainstorm opportunities Focus on need vs. want Expect and allow students participation Research Problem solve and develop potential solutions Outlining leadership roles

7. Break down the application Strategies for completing the application 9-11 sections on each application Make working copy of each section “Divide and conquer” or work as a group Group of students per section Major “chunks” of project/application Budget Public Relations/Media Timeline Project description/solution/student roles Project partners liaison Statements of support

8. Contact Information Specific information Community Improvement Contact information Community Rebuilding Contact information Partnering school Project beneficiary

9. Community Rebuilding: Disaster Description, Section 2 Three questions Describe the disaster situation and the people affected. How did your chapter (lead school) become aware of the disaster situation? Detail the students’ roles in assessing the above information. Tell the story of the disaster What did the people/school/community go through What situation do they need to overcome Newspaper/television/friends Students involvement from the start

10. Community Rebuilding: Roles and Responsibilities of Lead School and Partnering School, Section 4 Two areas Explain the role and responsibilities of the lead school Explain the role and responsibilities of the partnering school How are the two chapters working together? What is each chapter doing? Each chapter/group of students can give input from their side

11. General Project Description Describe 1)the proposed project 2)describe the process in identifying the school or community need Heart and head! Tell your story from the heart Outline the facts behind the project idea Provide the data Emotional side and the practicality Why this beneficiary? Need vs. want!

12. General Project Description Describe the process used to determine the solution and the students role in the process How did the students go about problem solving? How many students involved? Leadership roles assigned? Meetings? Brain storming? Talk about the process and the students! Highlight some leadership roles/activities

13. Project Impact and Sustainability Primary group Describe who it is How will they benefit from the project What will the direct impact be for them Secondary group Who else will benefit due to this project? Example: project may be for a local assisted living for the residents, the room is also rented out for community functions

14. Project Impact and Sustainability Overall number of people? Primary and secondary SkillsUSA teachers/students Leadership and technical skills learned Personal growth Sense of a larger world community Sustainability On going life Continued involvement Financial and human

15. Project Partners Organizations/classes/school groups Reaching beyond your own group Involving others Important? Higher skill level to organize and implement The more people the greater the visibility! High profile participation Awareness Good for community to know what great things are being done by students! Let others tell your story! Focus on gaining someone’s commitment to participate!

16. Lowe’s Store Involvement Opportunity Not mandatory….but useful and encouraged! Lowe’s participation from the onset Phone call of introduction and thank you Visit the store Ask a Lowe’s representative to visit classroom Take class to Lowe’s as a field trip How can you involve Lowe’s to make your project bigger/more visible? Please do not ask for additional donations or financial support.

17. Statements of Support for Grant 2-3 statements from beneficiaries Why the project is important How they will benefit Who will benefit How long will they benefit 2-3 students on choosing the project and their roles in the planning and application process Students to talk to the “reader” Student participation in all facets of the project

18. Project Timeline Be specific (month by month) Do-able timeline that makes sense Planning meetings, celebrations, media events, Lowe’s store visits! Timetable for implementation and completion Who will participate SkillsUSA teachers/students Lowe’s volunteers High profile Other organizations Public invite Families and friends of SkillsUSA

19. Project Budget Provide costs on materials needed Categorize: lumber, plumbing, plants, hardware, etc. (don’t just lump it all together) If your project costs more than the grant being requested from Lowe’s, verify that the balance of the project can be funded by providing documentation If grant request provides partial funding, detail specifically what the Lowe’s grant will pay for within the project Not everything has to be purchased from Lowe’s, but certainly contact them for what they can provide/deliver

20. Public Relations/Media Details! Details! Details! Project and SkillsUSA coverage, Lowe’s support How are you going to tell your story? Who are you going to contact? What media sources will be used? How do you plan to document your project? Who (students involvement) will handle your media?

21. Tips for Success! SkillsUSA Chapter Don’t give up! Apply again, it’s a new year and it’s a learning process for the students. Project involvement, bigger and better? Working copy for draft Don’t send in your first “scratched out” application Proof read before submitting Clean, easy to read and makes sense. Someone who knows nothing about your project. Does it make sense? Do they understand the problem/solution? Does it focus on need vs. a want? Grammatically correct? Punctuations? Succinct? Details? Budget, does math work? Achievable?

22. Grant Selection Process Applications are first reviewed by committee of SkillsUSA personnel Finalists are submitted to Lowe’s for selection of winners Grant recipients are announced in early January

23. Thank you for everything you do for your students and SkillsUSA!

24. Questions and Contact Carol Lowery clowery@skillsusa.org Office: 641-456-4515 Cell: 641-512-0504