State Farm to Award Million Dollars in Neighborhood Assistance Grants

Neighbors across the country will soon have an exciting opportunity to help change their communities for the better through State Farm Neighborhood Assist®. The program awards $25,000 grants to 40 nonprofit organizations to help fund neighborhood improvement projects.

According to a recent State Farm research study, one-quarter of respondents say that they are "extremely" or "very" involved in trying to improve their neighborhood and six-in-ten are trying to improve their neighborhood in some capacity.

State Farm Neighborhood Assist can be a catalyst for that change.

Here's how the program works:

Submission Phase: Starts June 2 and ends when 2,000 submissions are reached

Individuals can submit a cause at http://www.neighborhoodassist.com starting June 2. You can prepare now by going to the website and downloading the submission guide. We will accept the first 2,000 submissions. The State Farm Review Committee will then narrow the field to the Top 200 finalists using a scoring rubric.

Voting Phase: August 18-27

Ultimately, voters will decide which community improvement projects win big. The public will have a chance to vote 10 times a day, every day for 10 days, from August 18-27, for their favorite causes from the list of finalists. Voting will take place at http://www.neighborhoodassist.com.

Winners Announced: September 29

The 40 causes that receive the most votes will each win a $25,000 grant. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, Sept. 29, at http://www.neighborhoodassist.com.

"State Farm is pleased to bring back Neighborhood Assist for its tenth year," said Rasheed Merritt, Assistant Vice President at State Farm. "This program is all about building stronger neighborhoods together."

Last year, 145,000 people cast 3.9 million votes in support of their favorite causes, selecting winners from small towns and big cities.

Since the program began, more than 340 causes have received a total of $9 million to enact change in their communities.