SECTION ONE – Contact Information:
School:
School Address:
City/State/ZIP:
County:
Training Program(s):
Advisor Name:
Advisor E-mail Address:
Advisor School Phone (include area code):
Advisor Cell (include area code):
Number of SkillsUSA members for 2008-09 School Year:
Single SkillsUSA Section (one training program) School-wide chapter (multiple training programs)

 

SECTION TWO – GRANT PROGRAM:
Which Lowe's Grant are you applying for? Select only one:

Community Service Grant
Campus Improvement Grant
Sed de Saber Grant for teaching English to Hispanic students and their families (for more details, go to this page)
CareerSafe Voucher Grant (Note: please complete the application, but you may skip all project questions)

Number of CareerSafe Vouchers are you requesting? (may not exceed registered SkillsUSA members)

SECTION THREE – LOWE'S STORE INVOLVEMENT OPPORTUNITY
(Go to Lowes.com for a store locator and map of locations)

Please note: you do not have to have a Lowe's nearby to qualify for a grant, however an ongoing partnership with Lowe's is most practical when there is a store within a reasonable distance to the school.

Distance to closest Lowe's Store (check one):

5 miles or less
6-10 miles
11-15 miles
16-20 miles
More than 20 miles

Does your school have an relationship with Lowes? Yes No
If yes, list store name and number:

Do you have a local Lowe's contact who you've worked with in the past? If yes, provide his/her name and title:

Are there opportunities to engage Lowe's volunteers in your project? Please detail the volunteer support you are requesting. (Note: Lowe’s cannot guarantee a certain number of volunteers or the length of volunteer involvement. This will be determined at the store level by the store manager and district manager.)

SECTION FOUR – GENERAL PROJECT DESCRIPTION

What is the name of your project?

Please provide a brief description of the project or program.

SECTION FIVE – PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS

Requested grant amount (up to $10,000 can be awarded:
What is the projected cost of the project?
If you will be using funds from additional sources, please specify these:

Please specify when you will use your grant:
Spring Semester Grant (must use between March 2010 and June 30, 2010)
Fall Semester Grant (must use between September 2010 and November 30, 2010)
Anticipated start date:
Anticipated length of project:
Anticpated month/dates of key events:
Number of SkillsUSA participants (students/teachers/administrators)?
Total number of attendees expected to attend events held for project:
If desired, include a detailed project timeline (this can be updated after the grant is awarded):

 

SECTION SIX – PROJECT PARTNERS
If you will be working with other local organizations, please list them here:

Please identify any high-profile local, state or national individuals who will be involved with this SkillsUSA project:

SECTION SEVEN – PROJECT IMPACT

What makes this project meaningful? What impact will it have on the school campus or the community as a whole?

What impact will this project have for the SkillsUSA students and teachers who participate in the project?

SECTION EIGHT – PROJECT BUDGET
List all anticipated expenditures for your project, with a dollar amount for each budget category. These budget subcategories should total the amount of the grant request. (Please see the end of this application regarding some important funding restrictions.) You may attach additional sheets of paper, with a detailed project budget, to support your application. Costs may be estimated at the time of application, and the budget may be updated and resubmitted before the project begins, if necessary. If you need help estimated costs for materials, you may work with your local Lowe’s commercial sales specialist on a general estimate:

SECTION NINE – PUBLIC RELATIONS/MEDIA PLAN
Public relations is important to the success of projects, especially when participation is needed by the public or those outside of your core group. 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. Be specific, and list all media you plan to use: television, newspaper, photography, Web site, radio announcements, school newsletter, school TV station, word of mouth, presentations at local community group meetings, fliers, posters or banners, and so on. Attach a separate sheet with a Media Plan to support your application, if desired. (Grants may not be used to pay for any advertising, but you can seek donated media assistance to support your grant.) Note: SkillsUSA will provide each Lowe’s grant school with a Grant Media Kit including fact sheets, public service announcements, logos, templates and other resources to support your local media efforts.

Describe how you will get information about this project out to the public.

Identify a media contact or PR person within your school or school district who can support this project and manage media contacts/event for you (this can be yourself, a media/PR specialist for your school system, or any capable volunteer):

 

SECTION TEN – REQUIREMENT FOR PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
All chapters receiving a Lowe’s Grant are required to carefully document their project. This includes documenting the planning process, maintaining the budget, tracking the number of people involved in the project and writing a description of all activities that take place. This documentation must be provided to SkillsUSA in the form of a written report (both electronic and hard copy) with supporting photographs, press clippings, fliers, television spots or other materials. A report template will be provided. Video coverage of your grant project progress is encouraged. You may want to involve your TV production training program students as an official part of your project in order to document all steps in the project.

Please identify who will be responsible for completing the final report (this must be an adult, but he she may assign students to help complete it):

SECTION ELEVEN – STATEMENTS OF SUPPORT FOR THE GRANT
Please have at least three SkillsUSA members, and one or more instructors or the school administrator, tell:

• Why receiving this grant from Lowe’s important
• Why these individuals want to participate in the project
• How they think the grant will help their school or their community

Support Statement #1

Support Statement #2

Support Statement #3

Support Statement #4

SECTION TWELVE – SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

Questions?

Phone: Kelly Horton at 402-309-4679 or e-mail: khorton@skillsusa.org.

Application deadline: Dec. 1, 2009

Thank you for completing your Lowe’s Grant application.

Be sure to print and save a copy of your grant application. If your project is approved, you will need your original application for future reference!

ANNOUNCEMENT OF GRANTS

• Schools selected to receive a grant will be contacted directly in February 2010.
• Grants can be used during spring semester (completed by June 30, 2010) or the fall semester (completed by Nov. 30, 2010).
• A list of all schools receiving Lowe’s grants will be posted at www.skillsusa.org in May 2010.

FUNDING RESTRICTIONS
When planning your project and budget, please note that Lowe’s Foundation charitable contributions may NOT be used for the following:

• Individuals and families
• National health organizations and their local affiliates
• Academic or medical research
• Religious organizations, programs or events
• Special events (conferences, dinners, sports competitions, festivals or art exhibits)
• Sponsorship of fundraising events (dinners, walks, golf tournaments, auctions, fairs)
• Goodwill advertising or marketing
• Political, labor, veteran/fraternal organizations, civic clubs or candidates
• Sports teams, athletic events or athletic programs
• Arts-based programs
• Animal rescue and support groups
• Travel-related events, including student trips such as travel to SkillsUSA contests
• Development of production of books, films, videos or television programs
• Capital campaigns or endowments
• Activities of organizations serving primarily their own membership
• Private schools
• Continuing education/training for teachers
• Institutional overhead and/or indirect costs such as salaries, stipends, benefits and most project labor costs
• Memorial campaigns
• Multi-year requests
• Programs outside Lowe’s communities
• International programs
• Tickets to events