| 1. |
Q: Who is eligible for the Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant program? |
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A: Any individual non-profit public K-12 school or parent group associated with a non-profit public K-12 school. Parent groups that are applying (PTO, PTA, etc.) must have an independent tax ID # and official 501c(3) status from the IRS. If your group does not have 501c(3) status, please apply through your school. Pre-schools are not eligible. |
| 2. | Q: How do I submit an application for my school or parent group? |
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| A: Applications are submitted online via this website. In order to submit an application your school must be registered in our database. You should confirm this beforehand by going through the first step of the application process: Verifying Your Contact Information. If your school is not currently registered in our database it can be added, but it can take up to 24 hours to process. You can register your school even if you are not ready to submit your application. If you wait until the deadline date to submit your application, and your school is not already registered you will not be able to submit the application. |
| 3. | Q: Can I view a an example of a completed, successful grant application? |
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| 4. | Q: How do I find my school in the database? |
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A: The pre-application checklist guides you to confirm that your school is in the database. You need to do this by going through the first step of the application: Verifying Your Contact Information. When you click on "Apply Now", it will take you through the initial stages of the application process – and the contact information is entered there. You do not need to fill the application out at that time. Once you have verified the contact information or added it, you can either "X" out of the application process or click the back arrow on your web browser to leave the application. The contact information will be saved. |
| 5. |
Q: What kind of projects will qualify for the Lowe's Toolbox for Education program? |
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| A: There is a preference for funding requests that have a permanent impact such as facility enhancement (both indoor and outdoor) as well as landscaping/clean up type projects. Projects that encourage parent involvement and build stronger community spirit will be favored. Please note the grant money cannot be used to pay for memorials, stipends, salaries, artists in residence, field trips, scholarships, or third party funding. Only 10% of any award granted can be used toward outside resources such as labor, installation, consultation and delivery.
2010-2011 Grant Application Update
For more than 60 years, Lowe's has supported the communities we call home. At a time when schools and community groups are struggling to make ends meet, Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation recognizes that we must increase our focus on basic, one-time project needs.
Again, this year, we challenge ourselves to seek ways to provide the tools that help our educators and parent groups through these challenging times efficiently and with the greatest impact. In 2010, basic needs will take priority. Please keep this focus in mind as you apply for a Toolbox for Education grant in the 2010-2011 academic year. Thank you. |
| 6. |
Q: How much money is available for our school with the Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant? |
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A: Between $2,000 and $5,000 per school is available. Lowe's will donate $5 million to schools and school parent teacher groups at more than 1,000 different schools during the school year. |
| 7. |
Q: Is there a minimum or maximum amount I can apply for? |
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| A: In order to apply, the requested grant amount must be between $2,000 and $5,000. |
| 8. |
Q: Is there a timeframe by which we will need to complete our project, in order to qualify for the grant? |
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A: Yes. Lowe's will only consider grants for projects that will be completed within one year of when the grant is received. A Toolbox grant can be used as part of a large-scale project, like a playground, so long as the grant will be used to complete a phase of the project that can be completed within the year of the award. |
| 9. |
Q: Have you received 1,500 applications? Is it worth it for me to apply or should I wait for the next deadline? |
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| A: If the application process is still open, you should apply. Once 1,500 applications are received, the application process will be closed and the “Apply Now” button will no longer appear on the website. |
| 10. |
Q: What is an EIN#? |
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| A: An EIN # is your parent group or school’s Employer Identification Number (EIN). It is also known as a Tax Identification Number (TIN) or a Federal Tax Identification number (FIN). It is a unique number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to entities operating in the United States for the purposes of identification. The number should be 9 digits in length. |
| 11. |
Q: Will our parent group be required to use Lowe's materials and/or products to complete our project? |
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A: No, your group will not be required to use Lowe's products to complete your project with the Toolbox grant. Lowe's would certainly appreciate the business but they understand that some of the materials for specific projects would not be available through Lowe's. The committee will, however, take into consideration how your project fits the Lowe's brand. |
| 12. |
Q: Will our local Lowe's store offer us any assistance in completing our project? |
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A: The ability of Lowe's to offer volunteer assistance will vary from store to store. This assistance is limited to some Lowe's employees volunteering their time to help with the labor involved and does NOT include any donation or discount on materials. Please contact your local Lowe's manager for more information on how they can be involved. |
| 13. |
Q: When will we be notified if we have won? |
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| A: All applicants will be notified of their status via email approximately 3 months after the application deadline. When submitting an application, the contact email address included should be for a contact that will be available throughout the grant process. |
| 14. |
Q: What are the application deadlines? | |
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A: There are two Lowe's Toolbox for Education grant cycles in a school year. For the 2009-2010 school year the first deadline is 5pm EST on October 15, 2010 and the second deadline is 5pm EST on February 18, 2011. |
| 15. |
Q: May more than one application be considered from any one school during the same grant cycle? | |
| A: No, only one application may be submitted per school for any given grant period. |
| 16. |
Q: If a school/parent group applies and is not successful in obtaining a grant, may they apply again during the next grant cycle? And if so, could they apply for the same project (with some modifications to the proposal)? |
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A: Yes, if unsuccessful in obtaining a grant during one grant cycle, the school/parent group may re-apply during the following application period.
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| 17. |
Q: If a school/parent group applies during one grant cycle of the year and is awarded a grant, are they eligible to apply again during the same school year? |
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A: No, the winning school would not be eligible to apply again for one calendar year from receiving the grant award. The Lowe's Charitable and Education Foundation will only consider a group's grant application once per calendar year. |
| 18. |
Q: We would like to apply for the Large Toolbox grant for up to $100,000. How do we do that? |
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A: A special fund has been designated for parent group initiated improvement projects at public schools or school districts. Grants from $50,000 to $100,000 are available for a variety of school improvement projects at K-12 public schools such as, but not limited to, landscaping and grounds improvement, library or media center enhancement, science or specialty lab creation or upgrade, or parent education programs. All schools or districts applying for the Large Toolbox grant MUST apply online directly via the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) website. Review the introductory LCEF information and follow the "Continue" prompts at the bottom of each page until you come to the beginning of the application. Please note: In the project title blank, "Your Project Information", make sure you type "Large Toolbox for Education School request" AND your project title in this field. Again, grant requests from large schools or districts must be made online through the LCEF. Completed applications must be received no later than January 31, 2011.
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| 19. |
Q: Will you send me a copy of my application?
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A: Once your application is submitted successfully, you will receive a confirmation email which includes a copy of the information submitted in the application. Please save this email as we do not have the capability to send a copy of the application.
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| 20. |
Q: What are the reporting requirements? |
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A: The reporting requirements are quite simple. Approximately 3-6 months after you receive your award, you will receive a survey via email which will ask how your project is going, is it complete, has it been started, etc. We ask that you complete this online survey. We also ask that you send us any news clips or promotional materials related to your project, along with any digital pictures you would like to share. In terms of the report at the completion of the project, please just summarize how it has gone, would you do anything differently, why it went so well, any impact it has on the community, etc. We do not require receipts, etc. Just a basic evaluation of how you felt your project went and its success within the school and the community. You can send this report to info@toolboxforeducation.com or you can mail it to:
Lowe's Toolbox for Education
c/o PTO Today
100 Stonewall Boulevard
Suite 3
Wrentham, MA 02093
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