State Farm makes $5 million in Service-Learning Grants Available

Youth Advisory Board continues to enhance youth educational development

Aurora, Ontario.  February 10, 2011.  – The State Farm Youth Advisory Board (YAB) has once again made its service-learning grant application available to help foster youth involvement and education in communities across North America. $5 million will be granted in 2011 to quality, youth-led service-learning initiatives.

Thirty students, ages 17-20, from across the United States and Canada comprise the State Farm Youth Advisory Board. They are charged with helping State Farm design and implement a $5 million-a-year signature service-learning initiative to address issues important to State Farm and communities across the continent. Since its launch in June 2010, the YAB has awarded more than $16 million in grants that impacted more than 10 million lives.

State Farm supports school-based service-learning because it promotes excellence in our schools. Service-learning is a teaching approach integrating service to the community with classroom curriculum through a hands-on approach. Students address community needs while strengthening their academic performance. They also learn civic responsibility and develop meaningful leadership and workplace skills.

“The State Farm YAB provides a wonderful opportunity for young adults across North America.” Explains Zac Stevenson, Community and Philanthropy Specialist with State Farm. “Not only for those thirty individuals selected for the board, but also the awarded organizations who make a positive impact on how our youth learn and develop into the future leaders of their communities.”

Grants range from $25,000 to $100,000, and Request for Proposals must be submitted online by Monday, May 2, 2011, at 6 p.m. ET. Complete details and contact information are available at www.statefarmyab.com.

Each grant request must focus on one of these areas:
• Natural and Societal disaster preparedness
• Driver safety
• Accessing higher education/closing the achievement gap
• Financial education
• Environmental responsibility

To be eligible to receive a grant, applying organizations must be a public K-12, or higher education institution. Non-profit organizations are also eligible if they are able to demonstrate how they plan to impact student achievement in public K-12 schools.

About State Farm®

State Farm has been serving Canadians since 1938. State Farm and its affiliates are the fourth largest auto insurance provider, and the seventh largest property and casualty insurer in Canada. In addition to providing affordable car insurance rates, State Farm has more than 540 Canadian agents and 1300 employees providing insurance and financial services including mutual funds, life insurance, vehicle loans, critical illness, disability, home and auto insurance to our customers in Ontario, Alberta and New Brunswick. For more information, please visit statefarm.ca, join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or see us on YouTube.

About the State Farm Youth Advisory Board

The State Farm Youth Advisory Board is a diverse group of 30 youth, ages 17-20, who were chosen through a competitive process to lead and oversee this $5 million/year signature service-learning initiative. The Youth Board identified the issues, issued competitive grants and will now provide technical assistance, communication and oversight to site grantees. Visit www.statefarmyab.com for more information about the different projects being funded and about the YAB.