State Farm® Invites Individuals to Submit Causes to Bring $25,000 to their Neighborhood

Do you have an idea that would make your community a better place to live, and would $25,000 be a game-changer? State Farm is here with the assist.

From now through March 6,  you can submit a cause for a chance to win a $25,000 State Farm Neighborhood Assist™ grant.

Neighborhood Assist is a youth-led philanthropic program that empowers people to identify issues in their community. Then the program connects them with a local nonprofit that can help solve the problem by providing an opportunity to receive one of 40 $25,000 grants.

“The beauty of Neighborhood Assist is that it places decision-making power directly in the hands of the public,” said Jennifer Young, State Farm Public Affairs Specialist in New Jersey. “We hope the 2013 Neighborhood Assist program is able to increase last year’s widespread positive impact .”

In 2012, State Farm grants reached 22 states and 40 communities that ranged in population from 222 to eight million people. The cause that received the most votes in 2012 was Skate for Change, a group of skateboarders committed to giving back to the low income and homeless in Lincoln, Nebraska that received more than 67,000 votes.

Two local area vote winners included Philadelphia Neighborhood Bike Works for their Earn-A-Bike education program and the West Philly Tool Library. Several New Jersey causes did make the 2012 Top 200.

When the maximum of 3,000 submissions are received (or the deadline of March 6), the State Farm Youth Advisory Board will review all submissions and identify the top 200 based on a scoring rubric.

The top 200 causes will be announced on Facebook on April 4. Anyone with the free Facebook app can vote for their favorite causes -up to 10 votes per day  - until April 22. On April 29, the top 40 vote-receiving causes will be announced via Facebook.

For more information on State Farm Neighborhood Assist or to submit a cause, get the free Facebook app at www.statefarm.com/neighborhoodassist.