State Farm
State Farm® Youth Advisory Board
State Farm has been dedicated to improving student achievement and teacher quality for two decades, through a variety of partnerships and programs. The State Farm Youth Advisory Board (YAB), is unique in the corporate world. It was established in 2006 with the mission of empowering youth to play a leading role in improving public K-12 education through service-learning and creating sustainable change in local communities across the United States and Canada. To date, the YAB has granted 329 projects in communities across the U.S. and Canada, impacting an estimated 14.1 million people. For 2012, and in recognition of ICPD, the YAB will be implementing a new grant opportunity for 40 communities to receive a $25,000 grant to improve their community.
Youth Advisory Board in 2011: 62 grants funded
- 26 grants - Environmental Responsibility
- 10 grants - Higher Ed/Closing the Achievement Gap
- 5 grants - Financial Education
- 14 grants - Natural/Societal Disaster Preparedness
- 7 grants - Drivers' Safety
Board Membership
The YAB is comprised of 30 youth, aged 17-20, from across the U.S. and Canada. State Farm pledges $5 million per year to this signature service-learning initiative to address issues important to communities across the United States and Canada. The YAB has oversight of the full $5 million; they select the issues they want to address, create the Request for Proposals, read and review all grant applications, and make final funding decisions. Each member commits about 15 hours a month to the board via virtual work and conference calls, and participates in three face-to-face meetings per calendar year. Each member serves a two-year term on the Board, and receives $8000 in total scholarships, to be used at any two or four-year institution.
Grant Applications
State Farm® Youth Advisory Board service-learning grant applications are available from February 1 – May 4. The grants range from $25,000 - $100,000 and are designed to create sustainable change in local communities across the United States and Canada. Applying organizations must be a public K-12, charter, or higher education institution; non-profit organizations are also eligible if they are able to demonstrate how they plan to impact student achievement within the public K-12 curriculum. The 2012 issue areas are:
- Community Safety and Natural Disaster Preparedness
- Environmental Responsibility
- Financial Literacy
- Access to Higher Education/Closing the Achievement Gap
- Societal Health and Wellness
New Initiative for 2012
A new grant opportunity will reach a broader audience, provide a simple opportunity for community members to raise awareness of issues in their neighborhoods, and allow communities to decide which communities receive $25,000. It’s a very simply submission process, so go check it out! Visit the State Farm Facebook page at www.facebook.com/statefarm for more information. The program launches at the end of February, so check back often (more information will not become available until program launch date.)
